Hi everyone. I recently bought my first five string bass. For songs that are in drop d tuning, I understand that the notes played on the drop d string will be played on my b string, starting at the 3rd fret. What do I do with the notes played on the A, D, and G strings? Do I play them on their original strings, and skip over the E string, or do I move them all down one string and up five frets (play A strings notes on the E string starting at the 5th fret, and same with D and G). Is there a generally accepted correct way to do that, or is it whatever is most comfortable? Thank you for all of your help, opinions, and advice.
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Playing drop D on a 5 string...
- Thread starter dbertel517
- Start date
I would play every song with BEADG tuning.
Honestly, I'd just drop tune the E string, and maybe the B string too. ADADG doesn't feel too weird to get used to. Though that really depends on how much you play in drop D, because if it's just one song then it'd get inconvenient to use.
Drop tuning is for simplified power chords.. something not vital to bass. You're on a 5'er that goes down to a low B.. just play from standard tuning imo.. learn your scales and modes and learn to play them from any key. My bet is this would be more beneficial to your playing ability in the long run. The only difficulty I could see coming up is if a guitar player in drop tuning is trying to show you a line, but it's really not all that hard to translate drop tuning into standard. I very rarely play from open strings. Drop D might make more sense on a 4banger that isn't capable of a low D without detuning.. but man.. you've got all the world at your fingertips with that 5 string. If all of your band's songs are in the key of D just learn to play it from the 3rd fret on your 5th string, especially considering that detuning a stringed instrument will cause setup issues, that are easily fixed if you play from one tuning all the time. D minor in standard tuning is the same sound as D minor from drop tuning... the only difference is the fretting pattern. That being said, take my opinin with a grain of salt.. if you think you'll be more comfortable playing from Drop, then by all means ignore me.. I just think you will find more value in learning to play that sucker in standard tuning. I used to play in drop tunings on my 7 string guitar, and would occasionally play Drop D on my 6 string. Having moved on to bass however.. I have all I need in a standard tuned 4 banger, albeit, I do want a 5 eventually for a little extra low end, and for easier access to lower notes in the upper register of my fretboard.
Just tune all strings down a whole step, so then your bass guitar is tuned to A standard : A D G C F. Just hit the low A string for some extra lowness if you have to play some roots. For the G C and F strings, you play 2 fret higher than the guitars. That's the only difference.
Well you could only move the open D note on the 3rd fret B string and the rest you play them normaly ... you could also tune your B string D ... so you have that open D sound when you need it otherwise you always have your 4 standart string ...
Ya know, as long as you play the right note, where they are found on the neck isn't that important
Ya know, as long as you play the right note, where they are found on the neck isn't that important
I installed a Hipshot Xtender on my 5rs E string just to have the flexibility to easily play in drop D. Now it's like the Swiss Army Knife of my collection.
Some songs are just too easy with the E dropped to D. And bouncing off the open D just sounds different than hitting the 3rd fret on the B. "Short skirt/ Long jacket", "Killing in the name of", "Slither", to name a few fun ones.
Whatever works. Do it! Enjoy it!
Some songs are just too easy with the E dropped to D. And bouncing off the open D just sounds different than hitting the 3rd fret on the B. "Short skirt/ Long jacket", "Killing in the name of", "Slither", to name a few fun ones.
Whatever works. Do it! Enjoy it!
Good advice here. If you ever want to play multiple basses in multiple bands standard is the way to go.
Use standard tuning and just play the notes you need to get the job done.
There's a recent thread about doing this. Someone had pictures of all his fivers wit drop tuners on the E. It seemed odd to me, but if the song sounds better with that low open D, why not?
For me, I used the third fret on the B string for songs which only required an occasional D note. For songs requiring constant low D notes, it is typically easier to play with the E string tuned to D. Pantera's "Walk" is MUCH easier to play with an open D string.
I do whatever is more comfortable, or what gets me a better tone (ie the B on the E string sounds different than the B on the A string).
I usually pick one or the other based on how quick the notes are... If it's a pretty quick passage, comfort wins. If it's slower, then I may go for the higher fret/lower string. It really depends.
Play in regular BEADG tuning it makes you better at learning your fretboard and best of all it freaks the guitarist out.
The only nonstandard tuning I use is half step down and only if the band I'm working in uses half down for all its material. If it is just one or two tunes mixed in then out comes the Five string in regular tuning for the gig.
The only nonstandard tuning I use is half step down and only if the band I'm working in uses half down for all its material. If it is just one or two tunes mixed in then out comes the Five string in regular tuning for the gig.
wmhill
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- Aug 20, 2012
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some of the licks were likely done on a 4 string w/ drop D, and need to be played that way to sound right. Just because you have the low D on the B string doesn't mean it's gonna sound right. Drop the E string down or get a hipshot drop tuner.
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IMO - if you're going to be covering songs in Drop D, such as Pantera's walk.. which I agree would be easier to play in dropped tuning.. get the right tool for the job. There are plenty of inexpensive but well enough 4 strings out there you can tune to drop D. Then you can properly set the intonation of the bass for that tuning, there's no LOW B to tempt you to start playing while you're in drop tuning which also gives you a little more room for harder/faster less accurate picking. At least for me.. if there's a string there I'm going to want to use it, and having 4 strings tuned to a D chord seems like a waste. Sure.. it might mean carrying an extra bass to a gig.. but.. you also get to keep your 5 banger to standard rather throwing it out of intonation for one or two songs by detuning it.
That's what I would do at least. Not saying it's "the right way".. just that it seems practical.
I don't like playing in drop D because my fingers are short and stretching 5 or 6 frets isn't easy. It's one reason I switched to 5 string a few years ago. My band's guitarist plays a 7-string and tunes standard most of the time, even though we play several songs that were originally done in drop D. The one I tune down for is Slither, which I found difficult in standard. My advice is to try it both ways and see what works best.
