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Drop D tuning has me frustrated

#21
What always works for me is I think of where my Octave is for the drop D- so now it is on the 5th fret A-string. And I work patterns off of that. Than I think in terms of where my Low E is, and that my open D-string is now my octave.

The good thing is most Drop-D cover songs (ala Rage) mostly use the same chords/notes- the open D and A and the 3rd and 5th fret box patterns...
 
#23
I have a Hipshot drop D tuner on my bass I use for those tunes. I'm a pattern player and I'm not going to change that. I just learn those songs with the hipshot dropped to D and memorize those patterns. I can't play them as well with standard tuning.. but I'm getting better. I like the hipshot because it's so easy to flip down and back up for the few songs that need it.
 
#25
I actually prefer drop D flat. Yes you can get a 5 string, but chugging on the 3rd fret is never the same as pulling off on an open note. Just practice it. It's not hard at all. The suggestion to tune to straight D flat is pretty good too, then you just have to ignore the guitarists finger placements.
 
#27
gregoire1 said:
I will be auditioning for a rock band soon. They play only originals and two of the songs I'm auditioning are played(on the recording I have) with the "E" string tuned down to "D". I have never used alternate tunings before and can't seem to "re-map" my brain to understand that one string no longer conforms to the fretboard pattern I'm used to.
Any suggestions? I guess this is more of a rant of frustration. The problem is compounded by the fact that, they also tune a half step down (flat), and I can't seem to get my tuner to adjust to it.
Click to expand...

Are you expected to improvise in this tuning? If not, it seems to me that once you get the parts under your fingers, it shouldn't be an issue.

Either way, the solution to this problem is simple. You need to 'shed this stuff.
 
#28
While I agree that you should learn notes, I disagree that patterns are useless. They are, in fact, very useful. When, for instance, I play an arpeggio, I don't think of what each note is at that moment. But I also do know what they are. If I'm reading I have to think of each note, but that is another story. It would help more if you studied a little theory, if you haven't already done so. I have played for decades with the knowledge I've learned from getting a degree in it, and it has helped me more than anything else.

You will get used to drop D after awhile of use.
 
#29
"Well, I think I've solved my drop D problem. As it turns out, I think these songs work better in standard tuning anyway, so.....that's what they're gonna get!"

best answer.

PS...to tune flat with an uncooperative tuner, you can buy a capo and capo the first fret and tune standard. then remove the capo... flat.
 
#30
Playing in patterns is great because it helps you recognise chord progressions - but it works best if you also know your positions.
My advice? Had the same problem, got 5 stringer - never looked back. Does everything a 4 string bass does, and some more.
 
#33
IncX said:
it's not that hard ... besides, i doubt that you'll be doing walking basslines or anything complicated in dropped-D.

for the most part, you'd be just be doubling the main riff or playing root notes.
Click to expand...

See, and I find the opposite - when I *really* need to tune down for a Drop D song it's because there are parts where the bass is unaccompanied or playing a different part from the guitar(s).
 
#35
I played in a band for several years in which I played drop D all the time. It was an acoustic/electric 5 piece and the D tuning helped to sure up some of the bottom left empty by the acoustic guitars. One trick, and I think someone mentioned it already, is to map your low D to your high D. Another is to remind yourself that your F# is now your open E. for me that was like finding true north; get comfortable with the location of E and transposing becomes easy. It really changed my playing. I starting using accents off the octave a lot more, for instance. It was actually a little hard to reorient myself to standard tuning after I left that band.
 
#38
I pulled the double finger on drop D and just bounce back and forth between a five and the four. For me, it's idiot proof.

You know those cool slides on bass that you've heard on recordings? Those were invented by guys who jumped to the E and after playing the note that they thought was correct, suddenly remembered they were in Drop D. :hiding:
 
#39
I went in kicking and screaming to the whole drop-D thing when I joined my band. As it stands, we play probably 3/4 of the set in drop-D. Actually, I think there's only one or two songs the guitarist plays standard, but I can 'get away' with using standard on more.

All the above advice is pretty good.
* Just map it out with your D-string.
* Play up the neck rather than across it. (Watch some Justin Chancellor stuff - that's a lot of his sound)
* Just go with it. It'll come.

Actually I tried recently to play one of my bass lines in drop-D on a Kubicki Ex-Factor. I couldn't get my head around it!
 

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