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E standard tuning-related question

Discussion in 'Technique [BG]' started by Stonicus, Jan 2, 2015.

  1. Jan 2, 2015 #1
    Stonicus

    Stonicus

    Dec 29, 2014
    Good day, everybody.

    I am fairly new with the bass. I have been learning to play it for a couple of months now, and have learned some songs already, all of them in E standard. There's something that has caught my attention, though. It is the amount of music available on E standard tuning. Maybe it is my limited knowkedge of music and perception, but is the mayority of songs available in said tuning? Why is it so? Is it easier to play or to compose?

    I appologize if the question seems dumb or has been answered before. I used the search tool, but it throws no results. Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Jan 2, 2015 #2
    AdamRoberts

    AdamRoberts

    Dec 1, 2014
    Most TAB will be standard tuning - EADG . Standard musical notation doesn't have a specific tuning per say but how a bass is tuned really has an effect on how you play a song.

    The strings of the bass are tuned so each string is a fourth apart. The fourth is a musical interval (difference in pitch between two notes). The fourth is a good interval for a large stringed instrument that predominately plays single note lines.
     
  3. Jan 2, 2015 #3
    lz4005

    lz4005

    Oct 22, 2013
    All "standard" means is it's the one most commonly used. The fact that the majority of songs are recorded using that tuning is what makes it the "standard" tuning.
     
  4. Jan 2, 2015 #4
    MalcolmAmos

    MalcolmAmos

    Jul 18, 2009
    Deep East Texas Piney Woods
    Each stringed instrument has a standard tuning. The standard tuning for the 4 string bass is as you said E, A, D, G.
    We take that for granted, normally nothing is notated on the sheet music if the song is in standard tuning.

    How the instrument is tuned and what key you use to play the song in is another story -- not to confuse, just want to make sure you understand this.
     
  5. Jan 3, 2015 #5
    Stonicus

    Stonicus

    Dec 29, 2014
    I see. I definitely need to study all these terms. Thanks for the explanation. Is there any book you recommend, by any chance? Again, thanks a lot
     
  6. Jan 3, 2015 #6
    MalcolmAmos

    MalcolmAmos

    Jul 18, 2009
    Deep East Texas Piney Woods
    IMO Bass Guitar for Dummies is a great starter book. Starts you off with how to hold your bass, how to tune it, and things like that. Then moves in logical steps to patterns, intervals, scale notes, chord tones all the foundations that music is based upon. Again IMO well worth your time. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/bass-guitar-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html


    That should get you started.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2015
    Stonicus likes this.
  7. Jan 3, 2015 #7
    Stonicus

    Stonicus

    Dec 29, 2014
    Thank you very much Malcolm. I do appreciate your reply.
     
  8. Jan 3, 2015 #8
    gebass6

    gebass6 We're not all trying to play the same music. Supporting Member

    May 3, 2009
    Hiding in the comet's tail
    EADG for four stringers.BEADG for five.BEADGC for six string.And BEADGCF for seven string basses.
    But if you're THIS guy,it could be anything!
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2015
  9. Jan 3, 2015 #9
    Jhengsman

    Jhengsman

    Oct 17, 2007
    Los Angeles, CA
    A whole lot of modern pop music is made with the bassist and the guitars tuned flat a half step or more from standard. For some iconic lines in lesson books the song will be sharp compared to the recording as the authors rarely tell you to retune to play with that recording. Transcriptions in music magazines however normally tell how the original artist tuned his guitars Part of the reason is that song may be one lesson in a larger book and few will take time to retune to move to the next lesson and they may be confused with notes being in a different fret