That's the thing. I use the open E quite a lot on that song. Can't do it 1/2 step down. Had to change the way I play it.Love that I play a fiver; learn the song in whatever key, no open strings, then move the pattern where necessary, haha.
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Really? Change the key again?
- Thread starter Samophlange
- Start date
I used to not believe in changing keys till I got older. Glad you guys think singers grow on trees to where you can just fire them because they need to drop keys occasionally. You can tell who has practical experience trying to put together bands and who doesn't in this thread.
To be fair, I did say 99% of songs
But besides the intro lick what else in the song wouldn't work in a changed position? (and even then I'd say you could hammer on the low notes and tap the high notes to make it work)
I made it work but I had been playing it for so long in the original key, it was like 2nd nature to me and now I had to actually come up with a new way of playing it on the fly. I didn't know they changed keys until I got to the gig. I was likeTo be fair, I did say 99% of songs
But besides the intro lick what else in the song wouldn't work in a changed position? (and even then I'd say you could hammer on the low notes and tap the high notes to make it work)
It really depends on how much key changing is going on. If it's a few tunes here and there and the singer is competent enough, no problem. I've met some singers who could only sing in one or two keys though, and insisted that every song be in their "favourite" keys... these were probably in the same family as the lead guitarists who can only jam in Cmaj.
Sure, if you have memorized the song and the hand positions in one key already. If you are reading music you are not that familiar with written in one key but have to transpose it to another it is a different story.
Of course, OP probably isn't reading the music, so that comment does not apply, and I would tend to agree with you. Which makes it all the more puzzling that a bassist in that situation would have a problem with transposing.
Perhaps one answer is different song selection. Why not choose tunes that are in the singer's range originally?
That's fair. Even then I'd say if you're reading sheet music (especially outside of classical) you'll likely have chords written on the top of each bar, so as long as you know the relation between the written chords and the new key you should be alright.
As to your last point, for me it's all about the tone and feel of the song. Sometimes a song just doesn't sound right to me unless it's in the original key. For a big paying gig I'll keep my mouth shut and play along, but for a band I'm an equal member in I'd try to find ways to work around vocal limitations if I think maintaining the original key is a must for keeping the tone and feel of the song.
Think it through Einstein if he could play a song in any key comfortably and creatively with no hesitation or difficulty he wouldn't be whining about having to do it.
He never said that he couldn't play in any key.
You are just assuming that he can't, and we all know what happens when a person "assumes" something.
Einstein... really? Thanks!
He never said that he couldn't play in any key.
You are just assuming that he can't, and we all know what happens when a person "assumes' something.
Einstein... really? Thanks!
Wow, you really must wanna go with me today to be ignoring the obvious fact that people don't whine about what they can do comfortably and competently.
This whole thing about not wanting to play covers in any key is rank amateur sniveling. Try doing gigs where the singer is calling lesser played standards like I Thought About You or But Beautiful in different keys than the written one....somehow playing a Police tune in F# won't seem so bad.
People can recognize melodies by relative differences between notes, so I'm sure the show would have been fine, especially in the context of key changes of a "half-step."
Only a tiny fraction of people have (what's commonly referred to as) perfect pitch or good persistence of pitch, so it's not like when someone says they don't notice the difference or can't tell that a guitar is tuned down a half step that they're lying to you.
The ears of people with great pitch recognition can be offended by something that simply isn't even noticeable to the vast majority of other people. Other peoples lack of your capabilities is probably something to recognize and accept rather than "hate."
Chord quality is the main aspect of music that's emotion evoking. For the vast majority of people, listening to songs played on E and Eb tuned guitars, separated by any real period of time, there will be no appreciable difference. The chords still have the same quality at their respective pitches.
I play in different groups, and one calls for tuning down a half step. I guess I'm glad to not have perfect pitch. That'd be a real burden to constantly be bothered by the sound.
No, I don't want to "go with you today", I was just pointing out that you were jumping on the OP for something he neither said or implied.
It just seems that here on Talkbass, people are so quick to reply with some snide or disrespectful comment that they don't even actually read the post that they are commenting about.
How about giving the guy the benefit of doubt before "assuming" the worst?
I played in a band quit a few years ago with a guitar player whose ability to switch keys was minimal, to put it politely. There were a few songs that were obviously too high for the singer, but guitar guy insisted they HAD to be played in his keys. As a result, the singer can now no longer sing at all, and has trouble speaking some of the time. If you can't play a given song in every key, you have a huge gap in your musicianship.
