Should bassist be E standard tuning?

[BoogieZK]

I prefer BEADG

Yeah me too, or mouthg gag sometimes.

 

[micguy]

If the guitarist is watching you to know what to play, you have bigger issues than how to tune.

I agree - players in bands shouldn't really need to look at each other's fretboards for cues, but at jam nights and the like, there may be times when that stuff is relevant.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

If the guitar/s are tuned to E standard. Should bassist nowadays be tuned the same or should bassists be tuned lower to have access to lower notes?

That’s from an assumption that all basses are 4 stringed. The short answer is no. IMO if you have a 4 string and your music calls for note lower than E, you detune.

If you do it often enough, there are 3 other choices, replace your E string tuners with a hip shot drop tuner, tune to BEAD using strings designed for that purpose, the possibility you will need a your nut modified or replaced, or get a 5 string. I opted for a 5 string.

 

[sedan_dad]

If the guitar/s are tuned to E standard. Should bassist nowadays be tuned the same or should bassists be tuned lower to have access to lower notes?

So you're asking for consenses on the internet on how you should tune?

 

[GreyBeard]

I play 5 string exclusive so a lower tuning is not necessary. But, when I was play 4 string, I detuned my E string from time to time to accommodate songs that needed it. This is why I switched to a 5 string.

 

[Fernando Costa]

A lot of things are standardized or normalized for some important reason, it's no different in music. Which is not to say that exceptionally they cannot change. And I say exceptionally because the tuning is part of the setup, as well as choosing the gauge of the strings, something that doesn't change every day. Of course, a lot of people only play in one band, and they only have one or two instruments, but for those who always play different repertoires, either use standardization or you'll have to have many instruments.

 

[Joe Nerve]

If you're playing mainly by ear, it won't matter much. I would likely play a 5 string if I needed the extra low notes, only because I'm so accustomed to concert G being where it is, and so forth. But, as someone above said, notes are notes, and if I'm not relying on charts or chords being called, it wouldn't really matter because I'm not cursed with perfect pitch, just good relative pitch.

I get that it doesn't matter, but the OP asked "should," not "could" a bass tune differently. I could tune my bass any way I want, so long as I knew what I was doing - I just can't see that being advantageous in any of my playing situations. It would only make things tougher to add a few low notes I'd much rather play on a B string.

If the OP asked "could," I'd have responded with, "Of course."

 

[Sid Fang]

Tune however works for you, but…

Standard bass string sets are selected assuming a tuning, usually EADG or BEADG. If you tune them lower, they will have less tension and tend to be floppy and sloppy.

If you are playing with guitarists, being tuned 1 octave down from whatever their tuning is makes it easier to read one another on the fretboards.

When I was in a band where the guitarists had a set of drop-D tuned material they wanted to do, I very briefly considered retuning my 4-string before and after, but pretty quickly decided that a BEADG 5-string was a better solution for me. Gave me the low D (and C and B), plus a bunch of new fingering options further up the neck.

 

[Joe Nerve]

So you're asking for consenses on the internet on how you should tune?

Thanks. I'm kinda getting the feeling I'm in the Twilight Zone reading responses here. Am I the only one who has been tuning like the guitarists do for decades now?

 

[LBS-bass]

I get that it doesn't matter, but the OP asked "should," not "could" a bass tune differently. I could tune my bass any way I want, so long as I knew what I was doing - I just can't see that being advantageous in any of my playing situations. It would only make things tougher to add a few low notes I'd much rather play on a B string.

If the OP asked "could," I'd have responded with, "Of course."

I don't think anyone 'should' do anything that doesn't make sense to them. If he needs lower notes and doesn't have a 5 string, this is an option. There's no rule about why it shouldn't be done, but there are considerations. The biggest consideration for me is whether I'm reading charts or not. If I am, I'm going to want those notes to be where I expect them to be. If not, it won't matter. I think that's all I was trying to convey. Not everyone is an ear player so what is viable for me isn't going to be viable for someone else.

That said, I don't play that way. I'm in bands that use standard tuning and when I need a low D I play my five string.

 

[mongo2]

I play only 4s and I stick with standard tuning unless requested to do otherwise but that has only happened once and it was to detune all four strings a half step.

 

[morgansterne]

If you're playing originals, it's better to have everyone tuned the same. It makes communication easier.

For covers where you can all listen to recordings to learn your parts, do whatever you want.

 

[Mechanical]

I never heard of nor ever considered NOT tuning as the guitars did, lest it were for something that required a drop D.

Counting the number of negatives in this sentence makes my head hurt.

For 30+ years, I've never tuned like the guitarist. If I need a low D or C, I bring my five string.

 

[vvvmmm]

I have an audition next week.

They have specifically requested that I tune CGCF, which is like Drop D a whole step down.

I'm likely to ask 'em if they think it's the best tuning for metal ...

 

[Joe Nerve]

Counting the number of negatives in this sentence makes my head hurt.

For 30+ years, I've never tuned like the guitarist. If I need a low D or C, I bring my five string.

I counted 3 . Outside of drop D tunings I honestly never heard of any bass player doing that.

I was part of a band for a while that played in drop C. When I learned the tunes I didn't realize that and learned them all on a 5. My experience with thay band would have been much easier had I tuned as they did.

Of course we can choose to tune however we want. If the OP is brand new to bass however, I don't see urging him or her to tune however they like to be a "positive" thing. Sure they COULD do it, but the chances are its going to just make bass playing life a bit more difficult.

 

[Gothic]

I like my fives and their lower notes fine but I've always found higher notes to be more audible and I tend to gravitate towards them if I wanna make a point, musically speaking.
Apart from that, guitarists usually tend to write riffs that involve a lot of open note E and A (or D and even low B) pedalling and it helps to be on the same page if you intend to follow them at any point

 

[Joe Nerve]

Counting the number of negatives in this sentence makes my head hurt.

For 30+ years, I've never tuned like the guitarist. If I need a low D or C, I bring my five string.

Also - how do you tune?

 

[DirtDog]

I'm kinda surprised at the responses here.

I never heard of nor ever considered NOT tuning as the guitars did, lest it were for something that required a drop D. Its not standard practice to do that and I don't know a single bassist that does (not saying they don't exist). Most people would just play a 5 string if they wanted those extra notes badly enough. I don't see many situations where it would even be necessary or helpful. Only cause more trouble for riffs that required open strings. Would also make communication more difficult if you didn't know your fretboard and notes super well in the retuned position.

If you're really wanting those lower notes, I'd suggest going BEAD, or just getting a 5er. At best, I'd play in drop D all the time, but even that in most situations would just make life a bit more difficult. Especially if playing covers - or other people's originals.

What do you do if the guitar plays in an open tuning?

 

[hrodbert696]

I'm of the camp that what matters are not tunings, it's notes. Tune your bass however you need to, if it enables you to play the notes you need to play for the song. Let the guitarist do the same. For instance, in Mugshot Monday we play several Rolling Stones tunes, for which my guitarist grabs his tele tuned to open G. I keep playing the same EADG bass. HE needs to be in open G to be able to play those parts: I don't. There are some hard-rock songs we do where he plays a guitar 1/2 a step down and I do need some low Eb notes. I could tune down for that, but in general I just learn them on a 5 string. Last spring I did an internet fundraiser thing with some guys doing originals; they were at pains to tell me they tuned their guitars half a step down. Didn't make any difference to me; the bass parts didn't need an altered tuning.



In my very first gigging band, even though I was playing a five-string, I did tune down. The reason in that case was how I was practicing songs, playing by ear to a recording. The band played the songs half a step down from the record. So I would learn them in standard tuning and then tune down half a step with them, so I didn't have to alter my fingering of any of the lines. That was fine, it worked.

 

[Michedelic]

What do you do if the guitar plays in an open tuning?

There’s always a root note. All that open tuning means is that there is less, or not the same, fingering on the part of the guitarist to form a chord. That way, you can place a slide straight across the neck, and you have all the proper notes for a chord, or when fretting you can employ unusual voicings/invesions.