Made my First Rookie Mistake Today

[Steadfast]

Hehehe, you said "strap on". And now you know where my mind is!

Hey OP, you learned two important things. Drop D means tune down to D. And that mistakes happen, and it's only music, so no one died. Whew!

No lives lost amen!....now if I tell you about my boating and flying mistakes----yikes---almost lost some lives....including my own sorry rear end!

 

[fishdreams]

i did just that on my first bass when I learned my first tune, which was Take 5 by Dave Brubeck. Lucky for me, just a half step away when I tuned up the D string to Eb. Keep on rocking!

 

[tgriley62]

Breaking a string is cheap. Frying you amp is something else

 

[Steadfast]

...ohh yeah...another rookie bass mistake---get strap locks if you play in any band that requires any jumping/thrashing.

I dropped my bass live while being streamed. I had to finish the song crouched on my knees.

 

[mikeyjm2]

Beaumont! Lived over there myself for a while back in the high school days.

As far as your broken string experience... live and learn. Keep your sense of humor. Good excuse to try out different types of strings and see what you like best.

 

[TerriblePeril]

I once broke a 0.026" string on my guitar by trying to tune it to B#

.026 is already pretty sharp. Especially when it's swinging at your face. Waka Waka.

 

[Hounddog409]

Well I've been playing bass about a month now, can play a few easy songs, scales, etc. Today I decide to play around with some Tool songs so I need to tune to drop d. Well in my mind I figure that since the e string has the lower sound, I need to tune UP to D, and since you tighten a string to get a higher pich, well...

So now I no longer have an E string and have to make a trip to Guitar Center and drop 20 bucks because I'm an idiot and forgot that you can actually tune up or down to reach different notes on the musical alphabet. Oh well, at least it'll be funny to look back on in a few years.

You really need to fix the title. That is TMI for this forum

 

[electracoyote]

What the hell is a "Fist Rookie"? Maybe you're on the wrong forum...?

Ouch.

Literally and figuratively.

 

[henryjurstin13]

I bet that pop was loud and scared you plenty!!!!

 

[Plutonium244]

First, welcome to bass -- it's a great journey--and welcome to TB, where all the answers are (half-tongue-in-cheek and half serious). I joined because every time I googled a bass question, the top results were all talkbass, and the info spot on. Don't hesitate to take full advantage of the expertise here in everything under the sun that relates to bass. And I'll share my personal motto: A stupid question asked now is better than a stupid question asked later. Ask away and learn.

But I must ask-- all in fun-- what made you decide that "drop" D would be higher and not lower? It has drop right in the name.

I'll not share any of the many, many mistakes I've made in music and life at this time. I have a product misassembly rap sheet about a mile long though.

 

[somebrains]

Check Craigslist and see if there are any 5-string or 6-string ex owners blowing out packs of strings cheap.

I basically have to go to Guitar Center if I want a pack of DR 125's right this minute, otherwise Amazon bc my local stores have seen people swing right back to 4-strings.

 

[dtripoli]

I can relate. I started playing in the early 1990's. The concept of tuning was lost on me when I received my first bass. For whatever reason, I got it in my head that you were supposed to tighten the tuning machines as tight as they go to get the instrument in tune (i.e. Like tightening a screw or nut). As you can imagine, that didn't go over very well. The neck had permanent issues and the G string managed to strike my right forearm and left a scar that is still present today.

Awesome, what a great line!
"I learned how to tune a wild bass and I have the scars to prove it!"

 

[keto]

Done it on a guitar, a couple times years back. No shame, just a little sheepishness. It passes quickly. Enjoy the journey.

 

[verstft]

You can purchase individual strings. If you want to change the whole set...that's fine too.

Don't worry about your mistake. I was too eager to restring a guitar once and was mindlessly tuning up until I realized my string had way too much tension. It happens.

 

[AshInAmsterdam]

I'm sure we've all done silly things.

Just remember the clue is in the name - DROP - D. Also bass is all about the low down, so no tuning up

 

[ahc]

OP, you can buy single strings. May I suggest www.bassstringsonline.com

 

[Spidey2112]

I have to admit this brought me into the thread...


Awesome post! I have no idea what it means but I *feel* like it definitely means something important!


Hehehe, you said "strap on". And now you know where my mind is!

Hey OP, you learned two important things. Drop D means tune down to D. And that mistakes happen, and it's only music, so no one died. Whew!

Holme... the student, self-assured, arrives for what he thinks is his 'martial arts' lesson. The master reminds him there are many paths he can take to achieve his goal, but only one will allow him to achieve enlightenment... more importantly, to focus not too greatly on the task at hand... rather, recognize and utilize those forces which surround the task, making the reward much sweeter...

... actually, every time Bruce Lee 'skin smacked' the kid on the head, it made me think of an 'E' string snapping under too much tension...

 

[Ox Boris]

Haha! Awesome! When your string is going "Pink! Pink!" in a pitch so high only dogs can hear it, you're going the wrong way

 

[basshack]

I've told this story on another forum but...

My No. 2 son is a bass guitar student at a university here in Oz, studying jazz. I came home from work and the good lady wife informs me that there has been a bit of an issue with the bass guitar herd this afternoon and several strings have been broken. No.2 son sheepishly approaches and says he was listening to YouTube and needed to match pitch with with what he was hearing. He's 18 been learning for 9 years, private lesson every week. You'd think he'd stop at tuning up two 5 string basses E-C using B-G strings! Very expensive afternoon and luckily no permanent damage.

The bright side was the herd go a good spring clean while I explained different tuning, string tension and setups. Sure I covered that over the years, but I might be wrong.

So Klaxxi I wouldn't feel to bad about making that mistake so early.

 

[JRA]

i just got around to the thread, sorry, because it's a good thread, IMO:

Oh well, at least it'll be funny to look back on in a few years.

i would take the approach that it's funny right now!

Hey...I admire you for outing yourself and taking a walk of shame!

i like it that it's not me!

What ticks me off is when I make a rookie mistake thirty years in.

^

A stupid question asked now is better than a stupid question asked later

well then, i should have asked all of mine at once.

It has drop right in the name.

'drop D tuning' also has "D" and "tuning" in the name. i think most folks would go for, and settle for, 2 out of 3.