yeah but it's not even close... My "misconception" is that every person i've met that plays metal drop tunes, and every drop-tuner i've met plays metal. And i've met plenty. Some are great, some aren't but none of them know theory. They do it to follow the guitar and claim some "heavyness". This is personal experience, you can not tell me i'm wrong.
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Drop tune - why is it looked down on?
- Thread starter EatADeadGoat
- Start date
yeah but it's not even close... My "misconception" is that every person i've met that plays metal drop tunes, and every drop-tuner i've met plays metal. And i've met plenty. Some are great, some aren't but none of them know theory. They do it to follow the guitar and claim some "heavyness". This is personal experience, you can not tell me i'm wrong.
I don't know what the future holds, all I know is right know I'm enjoying it. If I ever stop enjoying it, I won't play it any more. I do genuinely believe I'll always be listening to metal of some description.
Another thing I genuinely believe - the people who, "grow out" of any style of music were never truly into it to begin with. They may have enjoyed it at the time, but I sincerly doubt it was with a fraction of the passion that those who continue listening to it have for it. This isn't specifically about metal, but its obviously the main example, since its the one people so commonly grow out of. I know that out of the kids who were listening to metal growing up with me, I could easily have pointed out the ones who, "grew out of it". Some of them did the "rock band" thing, but they never had their heart in it the same way some of us who still listen to it did.
You've honestly never met ONE person who plays metal that doesn't drop tune? I find that suspect, considering the vast majority of metal bands don't drop tune.
In my experience, a knowledge of music theory isn't as common within metal as it is within a lot of other genres, but you've never met one person who did?
Hell, I'm coming to visit you, just to mess up your observations. I don't drop tune and I do know theory!
You've honestly never met ONE person who plays metal that doesn't drop tune? I find that suspect, considering the vast majority of metal bands don't drop tune.
In my experience, a knowledge of music theory isn't as common within metal as it is within a lot of other genres, but you've never met one person who did?
Hell, I'm coming to visit you, just to mess up your observations. I don't drop tune and I do know theory!
well, i probably don't know the fine line that is metal and hard rock, but i'm talking about i know a few bands that do that scream hardcore metal -- they all drop tune, and their friends drop tune as well. My teenager nephew drop tunes. My roommates cousin drop tunes.
So yeah man. Honestly i don't know many people who like metal, i'm going to make another stereotype: they all didn't like most other genre besides rock/metal.
Sadly, this is true for many people that are really into metal. I could not imagine only listening to metal, I would go insane.
Uh, yes?
Well, if that's the case we might want to differentiate between detuning to extend the range temporarily and retuning the whole bass for whatever reason.
I used to see working players with hipshots from time to time back in the day but now not so much. I guess they all bought 5 strings.
I used to see working players with hipshots from time to time back in the day but now not so much. I guess they all bought 5 strings.
Oh I'm so coming to South Florida to mess up your stereotypes! I'm three for three on you at the minute.
I think I know exactly the sort of metal you mean. I don't dig it at all myself. However, standard tuning is by a long shot the most common tuning in all kinds of metal and rock, the fine line between the two isn't an issue at all, from the most extreme black and death metal, to the old school 80s hair metal, standard tuning is massively prevalent. From what I've seen, since the "Nu-metal" (bands like, "Limp Bizkit" for example, in case you weren't aware) thing kicked off, a lot more mainstream metal seems to use drop tuning. That would probably be the sort of thing you've heard.
Hmm, I think I'm starting to realise why I hate drop tuning - my subconsious automatically associates it with bands like Limp Bizkit and that makes me feel a bit ill!
For me, it's yes and no. When I was 12, I was obsessed with AC/DC, priest, led zep, aerosmith, etc....but quickly outgrew it when I first heard more prog rock type bands like crimson, rush, yes, etc.....that all led me to be exclusively into jazz and classical (styles I was already well versed in and playing/listening to, but not as my first choice)
To this day, I know this about myself: I still like 1-2 songs from a lot of rock/pop albums...but with Jazz and classical it's every single song on a typical CD I like.
Mine was no comment on your post. Just riffing the truth off of Drifta's observation.
On topic, I don't care who drop tunes or why. When I teach I encourage kids not to do it. I don't, never will or had to, and I've played plenty of metal and much heavier music. When I take over for a bassist that drop-tuned, I still refuse and if it came down to it I'd walk away from the gig on that point alone. It often confuses the guitarists and they may whine a bit, but so be it.
I won't carry three axes to a gig with different tunings, or have my ears readjusted after working hard for years to instinct where the notes are.
It's amazing how much time is wasted at some rehearsals.
"That take didn't sound right, are you playing the same note as me? I'm playing an A."
"Actual A, or the note that is now where your A would be in standard tuning?"
"Huh?"
"You've tuned down a whole step, so you're playing a G not an A."
"Well, why don't you just play the 5th fret?"
"You want me to play an A?"
"Yeah, that's what I asked you to do."
"Right, so you want me to play an A against your G?"
"Huh? Just play the same note as me."
"OK, done."
"Why is your hand on the 3rd fret? It's confusing and hard to follow along."
"This is your riff, why are you following my hands?"
"Because it's distracting that you're not playing an A, I can see your hand is in the wrong place! Let me TAB it out for you ..."
Add TABZ and the comedy rivals Spinal Tap.
In a nutshell, that's my problem too! I associate it with being a meathead like Fred Durst.
Oh God that is bad, I didn't realize people thought about bands like that when they think about drop tuning
damnit.
What about your Rush, King Crimson and Yes? Have they fallen by the wayside also? If not, I think we've found at least one very strong common ground!
Mine was no comment on your post. Just riffing the truth off of Drifta's observation.
On topic, I don't care who drop tunes or why. When I teach I encourage kids not to do it. I don't, never will or had to, and I've played plenty of metal and much heavier music. When I take over for a bassist that drop-tuned, I still refuse and if it came down to it I'd walk away from the gig on that point alone. It often confuses the guitarists and they may whine a bit, but so be it.
I won't carry three axes to a gig with different tunings, or have my ears readjusted after working hard for years to instinct where the notes are.
It's amazing how much time is wasted at some rehearsals.
"That take didn't sound right, are you playing the same note as me? I'm playing an A."
"Actual A, or the note that is now where your A would be in standard tuning?"
"Huh?"
"You've tuned down a whole step, so you're playing a G not an A."
"Well, why don't you just play the 5th fret?"
"You want me to play an A?"
"Yeah, that's what I asked you to do."
"Right, so you want me to play an A against your G?"
"Huh? Just play the same note as me."
"OK, done."
"Why is your hand on the 3rd fret? It's confusing and hard to follow along."
"This is your riff, why are you following my hands?"
"Because it's distracting that you're not playing an A, I can see your hand is in the wrong place! Let me TAB it out for you ..."
Add TABZ and the comedy rivals Spinal Tap.
Oh yeah... I get this all the time with people who use capos. "Ok, this goes A minor, G..." "Your capos on the 3rd fret - that's actually C minor, B flat."
Actually I don't say that, I just think it and transpose while realizing that someday they will figure it out... meanwhile I'm just glad I know enough to be able to transpose on the fly.
This is also the reason I think in numbers (aka the Nashville system) rather than use note names the majority of the time.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,045
- 45,909
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
+1 to your whole post, but especially to this part. I only play fretless basses and I already have two very different scale lengths to contend with. When I close my eyes and hear a pitch, it needs to physically be where I expect it to be on my instrument. Same thing when I'm reading a chord chart. I have a few good friends who just can't grasp this. No worries, there are plenty of good bass players around here who would presumably love the gig.
I don't think that a single string being detuned is the same as "Drop Tuning"...
I've been using a hipshot d-tuner on my 4 strings for years; I hardly consider myself a "Drop tuning" player.
I play with people who detune their E string to D all the time. It is always referred to as "Drop-D". If that's not drop-tuning, what is it??
....thats exactly what drop tuning is. If you tune everything down, you're still in standard tuning.
Drop tuning is having an interval of a fifth between your two lowest strings, with the rest of the strings in fourths.
