It depends on what kind of music you are playing. If it’s riff based music that incorporates open strings that the riffs bounce off of it’s not always going to have the right feel if you just transpose.
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Eb songs and 5 string bass
- Thread starter ics1974
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I don't care if your Jesus Christ, I'm tuned to 440. No gig is worth ehf'ing with my muscle memory. You want to tune to Eb, D, C#, or K natural, I don't care. I play along in standard tuning.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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this right here, 100%. Certain songs have riffs that just don't work using a standard tuned five string utilizing the 4th fret Eb on the low B string.
So, you’d be willing to play ALL dropped D or Eb Pantera songs in standard? I get the sense you’ve never played in a metal band and followed the guitar riff.
If the band is playing EVERYTHING down a half step I'll just tune down. There a big difference in the sound of a bass in 1st and 2nd positions (to me).
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I keep some basses down a half step, but when some of the rock guys drop it down to C#, I transpose.
I always tune down with my stringmates....it makes things less confusing......since that is the tuning that we use for everything. Most of my basses are setup for 1/2 step down.
Transpose when I'm playing 5 or 6 string.
Also use Hipshots on 4-strings, tuned to either D or C, with the rest of the strings at standard pitch.
Also use Hipshots on 4-strings, tuned to either D or C, with the rest of the strings at standard pitch.
I always transposed in the past. If I was still playing a 5 and asked to play everything in Eb I would switch to e a d g c and tune down a halfstep. Low B down a halfstep is too floppy.
Personally, I just move my hand so that low Eb on the B string is the new "root" in my mind and go from there. The beauty of bass is that patterns work in any position. On this topic though, I play in one group where the song leader insisted we do a song in Bb. I immediately assumed there would be horns on the tune (because, why Bb). Nope. No horns. The whole band has asked if we can do it in A instead, but he wont budge. LOL
It's so freaking easy to transpose on a bass that I have no idea why anyone would bother to tune down, unless you're doing something with open strings on the Eb or something similar. There are a handful of situations like that where I've found that a 5 string isn't the answer - droning the Eb on a 5-string while playing Superstition doesn't really work for me - but for the most part it's just a matter of playing the patterns with a different starting root. Easy-peasy.
If the guitar player/s are permanently tuned down to save vocals, then I will tune down. Mostly because I'm so used to playing them in E, and even though they're technically in Eb, they still pretend they're in E.
But if it's just a song or two, transpose.
But if it's just a song or two, transpose.
If this is a blues band situation and tuning down is not to help the vocalist, I won't be around long.
Not my kind of blues.
Not my kind of blues.
I always transpose. I started to play 5 strings when our singer needed to transpose male keys to female keys. Transposing from A to D often weakened the bass lines. I now only play 5 string basses. In the band I’m with now there’s no detuned guitar and I’ve worked with horns a bit so I’m used to transposition. I never retune.
Play Eb on the low B string. Notes are closer together. Stevie Wonder played everything in Eb. Horn players love Eb. As we get older, our voices deepen so we gotta go below low E. I was one of the "Stanley Clarke and Jaco played 4 strings so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me"...until I got a 5 string. I rarely go below the low E but if I move my hand higher on the neck, I'm playing notes that are closer together on fatter strings for a bigger sound.
Tune to Eb if that is what the guitars use.
I do _not_ use drop tuning, so if they bring the E(b) string down a step, I use the D on the B(b) string.
If the band is using Eb tuning, that will include the keys, so it really doesn't help if I'm the only one playing in standard tuning.
I have a bass guitar set up for Eb for just this type of thing, and yes it usually has more to do with the way the singer's voice is tuned, which is always more important than the guitars.
I do _not_ use drop tuning, so if they bring the E(b) string down a step, I use the D on the B(b) string.
If the band is using Eb tuning, that will include the keys, so it really doesn't help if I'm the only one playing in standard tuning.
I have a bass guitar set up for Eb for just this type of thing, and yes it usually has more to do with the way the singer's voice is tuned, which is always more important than the guitars.
I don’t think of it as transposing. I think of it as playing Eb. If you do find that you do need to think of music in those kind of terms, as relative to guitar positions rather than 12 distinct notes and keys (etc), then it does indeed make sense to just tune down a half step instead of adopting a 5 string just for that.
of course I don’t discourage growth or exploration, but some people just don’t need or want a relationship with even lead-sheet theory, and for them it makes MUCH more sense to simply mirror the guitar tuning and let that be the band’s common language. If you need more than that, then get more
of course I don’t discourage growth or exploration, but some people just don’t need or want a relationship with even lead-sheet theory, and for them it makes MUCH more sense to simply mirror the guitar tuning and let that be the band’s common language. If you need more than that, then get more
I would not tune down - this is one of the main reasons to play 5-string in the first place. Even if they do a whole set tuned to Eb. I would generally rather fret a note than use an open string anyway, because it's easier to control the note length/sustain and it sounds more uniform with the other notes.
I play with horns a fair amount and a lot of songs are in Bb. Having the low Eb for the IV chord is an awesome addition. And the fretted E sounds better than open E in my opinion...to my ear... on my basses.
Also I have a little bit of philosophical problem with guitar players wanting to dictate tuning of other instruments.
If the lines are that similar, they probably need to add some variation!
I play with horns a fair amount and a lot of songs are in Bb. Having the low Eb for the IV chord is an awesome addition. And the fretted E sounds better than open E in my opinion...to my ear... on my basses.
Also I have a little bit of philosophical problem with guitar players wanting to dictate tuning of other instruments.
If the lines are that similar, they probably need to add some variation!
