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Ideas for playing with a detuned bass?

#41
N. Kentucky Bass said:
Gotta have that Low Eb! If you can't hit 'em in the gut with a low E(b), it ain't the blues!
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Well, if you must have that low Eb, then there's not many options ;) You detune, or use a 5-string, or install one of those Hipshot Bass X-tenders on the E. I used to have one so I could switch between E and D at the flick of the lever, it was quite useful when playing songs originally in drop-D.

Personally, I love the freedom that a 5-string gives me... but I can understand being reluctant. It took me many years until I made the switch, myself.
 
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#42
Fuzzbass said:
The best way to make this work is for everyone in the band to be in the same tuning. That way, in the detuned band, Eb becomes E: that's the new language, regardless of the downtuning. Everyone's on the same page.
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Ugh, that drives me crazy :D
"yes, it's Am, D and E" but they're actually playing one semitone lower than that... makes me murderous

To me it makes no sense, I think in notes. Ok, I may be playing a bass guitar... what if I play a keyboard, or... I don't know, trombone! ;) Do I need to play a B1? I'll play a B1, I don't need to mirror your fretboard. ;)
 
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#43
Something I never considered until reading this post, having perfect pitch. I'm sure it would throw a person having perfect pitch and having a different tuning.
Although I am far from having perfect pitch, it is pretty good. I can tune a guitar and get darn close without a tuner. I can also hear someone play a chord and most of the time I can get it right without seeing it.
With that said, it has never bothered me tuning down a half step. It has also been pretty easy to transpose on the spot, I think it helps that I play guitar (six string) as well. Several times I have played in three piece bands with keyboards, so playing in different keys (plenty of flats as I recall) has never been a problem. Sure, when you first start playing with a guitar tuned down, it might be a little weird to start with, but it clears up quickly, at least for me.
As is evident with all of the replies, more than one way to approach this.
Personally, it is easier for me to just tune down a half step. The group I play with doesn't rehearse, doesn't have a playlist, and always manages to throw in a handful of songs I have never heard before, so it's just easier for me. One less thing to think about on a busy stage.
 
#44
SteveCS said:
Which in reality is all you need to do. There is no need to maintain 4ths tuning, just take the E down to D and all the new notes you need (all 1 of them plus a bonus D) are there, and everything else, in terms of the pitches you expect at certain positions on all the other strings, remains intact.
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But it’s not the same. There is a reason why bands use drop tunings like Eb standard or C standard. A lot of famous (mostly rock) bands tune to Eb standard. Drop D is a different thing then tuning down all string equally. It has a different purpose.
 
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#47
My experience is that of having a bass always ready in that tuning and make friends with it.

I had been playing in E and drop-D for about 12 years when my main band moved to D standard and after a while playing E and D on different instruments I just got used to play also standard tuning repertoires in D standard in order to get used to the note positions and I just stuck with it. It may be annoying for some fast open low E parts but it's counterbalanced by playing many songs two frets up, it's so much comfortable to me.
 
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#49
Les Fret said:
But it’s not the same. There is a reason why bands use drop tunings like Eb standard or C standard. A lot of famous (mostly rock) bands tune to Eb standard. Drop D is a different thing then tuning down all string equally. It has a different purpose.
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On guitar, sure. But on bass it doesn't really matter, unless you learned the song in drop tuning and don't want to re-learn fingering positions.

Anyway, the 5 string bass solved this conundrum like 50 years ago... I get some people don't like them but they mostly exist for this reason.
 
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#50
The main reason I started learning to play bass guitar initially on a 5-stringer was so that I could cover songs in standard and detuned tunings with one instrument, I would just learn to play (finger) them differently. Then one day I joined a new band, replacing the original bassist who played their original songs on a 4-stringer tuned to drop D. I learned to play those songs on my 5-stringer, and they DID NOT like the way a fretted D note on the B string sounded, as they were used to an open D sound. In addition, one of their covers was "Slither" by Velvet Revolver, which pretty much requires an open D string. I basically HAD to obtain a 4-stringer and tune it to drop D to play with them. Hence the addition of my first 4-stringer, a Sterling by Music Man, to my arsenal.

For detuned songs that didn't really need an open D, I could still play on my 5-stinger, which was good because the guitarist used a pedal to detune, and would often forget to click it back up to standard tuning and then start a song that was supposed to be played in standard tuning in the wrong key. Playing a 5-stringer meant just sliding everything down a fret or two when this happened, transposing on-the-fly. Was a good excuse to flash dirty looks at the guitarist during those times. :mad:
 
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#51
Fondsdale said:
On guitar, sure. But on bass it doesn't really matter, unless you learned the song in drop tuning and don't want to re-learn fingering positions.
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I don’t see why it is different for guitar than bass?

It is a problem if you want to play the same riffs and fingerings as your guitar player. Especially on rock music in which often a lot of unisono lines are played. In that case it makes total sense and is easier. Tuning dropped D or using a 5 string is not the same thing. In a lot of bands both guitar and bass use Eb flat or D standard.

I don’t understand why some people have something against drop tunings or why they think a 5 string is better? It’s really a common thing in rock, metal and some pop.
 
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#52
N. Kentucky Bass said:
So I just hooked up with a blues guitarist who likes to play with a detuned electric guitar. His preference is fat-gauged strings, so that along with singing range makes him favor detuning. I've never played with a detuned bass before and because my ears were expecting different pitches with my notes, the first session didn't go well. I'm trying to get more comfortable with this approach and wondered if anyone can weigh in with ideas for playing with a detuned bass? It's just a half-step down but I'd like to make my delivery more smooth. Thanks!
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5 string, although i'm sure 10 people have already posted that. Alternatively just think of him as playing in a flat key and leave your 4 string in standard tuning, unless the tunes commonly require you to use that low open Eb. Then finally, just get used to playing a detuned bass through practice.
 
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#55
1String said:
Can a fretted bass ever by perfectly in tune?
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Somebody wants you the believe it can be done.
IMG_5042.jpeg
 
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