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Why are TBers so against drop or detuning?
- Thread starter Burlington
- Start date
I think your argument about floppy strings and retuning is null and void, I use large strings meant for this tuning, my basses are setup and intonated for it, and I dont need to retune because I only use this tuning with these basses.
I understand the benefit of more notes within reach. What do you mean by "double/triple stop"?
I don't care what anyone else thinks. I just think it is annoying and non beneficial when someone curious about non-standard tunings asks a question about it and they are berated with people telling them to just get a 5 string.
A double stop is two notes(triple is 3) that are plucked together for a nice chiming sound. Used a lot in some genres, not at all in others.
A guy might slap a low note, then reach over and hit the octave higher along with a raised 3rd together. The Lou Reed song, "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" builds higly around two simple double stops the bass player laid down. Some techniques aren't applicable to some genres, just like ketchup prbably wouldn'y be most people's choice of something to have on a granola bar.
I don't think they are berating you(maybe in some cases, I apologize for those who have put you down for not wanting to go that route), they just are trying to tell you about what works for them. And many others, apparently. Musicians(myself included,LOL) are very defensive about what they are playing, how they play. It's all so personal after all the effort.
Peace
Putting aside your inflammatory use of the word "assaulted" ...
The reason that a five-string is often suggested to people who are looking into non-standard tuning is because using a five-string is a perfectly valid--and often better--alternative to using a non-standard tuning when the goal is to extend the range of the bass below a low E. For example, the standard five-string tuning preserves the consistent fourth interval from string to string, which can allow you to play across the fretboard (as opposed to up and down a single string) without excessive position shifts. A drop tuning can put an interval of a fifth or more between two strings. That may work fine for specific songs, but is less than ideal for many other applications.
I have no objection whatsoever to the use of non-standard tunings if there is a legitimate reason for using them. However, I think that too many people resort to using non-standard tunings not because they truly need to use those non-standard tunings to accomplish their goals, but simply because they don't have a grasp on how to play their instrument. For example, many younger players seem to be under the mistaken impression that in order to play in the same key as their guitarist, they need to be tuned in lockstep with the guitar. How many times have we seen people say, "I need to play in drop D because my guitarist plays in drop D," without giving any consideration to the fact that a six-string guitarist needs to be able to tune down to reach that D, while a 5-string bassist does not?
That's why I still tune in 4ths, even though I'm dropped. Most of the gutiarists that play the kind of music I like, are playing in drop C# or some other drop tuning. I don't want to have to fret every big open note, especially if the song is in that key, and if there's any repeating riffs, or droneing type things going on. It's just easier. "Would?" by Alice in Chains is played in Eb, try playing that on your 4th fret of you 5 stringer's B. I'll be much happier, and without carpel tunnel using my 4 string, dropped a half step.
You raise a vaild point - some songs are easier to play tuned down so open strings can be used. If you insist on playing it in the same key as the original.
The group I'm in, we might try a song in a few different keys before the singers are happy with it. Guitarist just keeps moving the capo
I don't get hit with Eb tuning to often, so I suffer through it. More usual is I rejoice at being able to end a song on a low D ,C or B, rather than an octave higher.a 5 string bass is 20% better than a four
I play a 24 string bass so i can have an open string of every low note i need.
seriously though, i play a five for the range. I play house, electronic, lounge music, and prefer to keep 4ths between the strings, like being able to slap 3 octaves in pretty much one position, like the thickness of the neck, string space, and extra long scale. I play five because I like it, and it works for me, and i like the nice thick town my bass provides down there.
Really, it boils down to the music you play. Im never going to play in a death metal band, but playing a drop d 4 string would probably work just as well or sound even better than fretting on the low b, and i think we could probably agree here that playing some very speedy riffs of an open string vs a low fretted note is faster and some people like the sound of an open string vs fretted.
Personally I like the challenge of trying to learn an open e slap riff a step or two down...i think it helps me learn my bass better and makes me an overall better bass player. Another thing i really like about playing a 5 string, is now when i do pick up someone elses 4 string, it feels just so small in my hands like a little toy bass or something. I find myself hitting a instead of e quite a bit though!
I play a 24 string bass so i can have an open string of every low note i need.
seriously though, i play a five for the range. I play house, electronic, lounge music, and prefer to keep 4ths between the strings, like being able to slap 3 octaves in pretty much one position, like the thickness of the neck, string space, and extra long scale. I play five because I like it, and it works for me, and i like the nice thick town my bass provides down there.
Really, it boils down to the music you play. Im never going to play in a death metal band, but playing a drop d 4 string would probably work just as well or sound even better than fretting on the low b, and i think we could probably agree here that playing some very speedy riffs of an open string vs a low fretted note is faster and some people like the sound of an open string vs fretted.
Personally I like the challenge of trying to learn an open e slap riff a step or two down...i think it helps me learn my bass better and makes me an overall better bass player. Another thing i really like about playing a 5 string, is now when i do pick up someone elses 4 string, it feels just so small in my hands like a little toy bass or something. I find myself hitting a instead of e quite a bit though!
Yeah I did that on my 6 strings bass to have a guitar tuning to play some classical guitar on it. It is just an idea if you don't want to detune.
And for the OP tuning the B string C# may help. I remember a guy who had a 5 strings tuned DEADG to have the open E and open D during his songs.
It sounds fine the dozens of times I've played it. At first I thought maybe there's a secret version of this song out that I was unaware of so I went back and listened to it. It's in Eb and ridiculously easy to play of a BEADG tuned 5. In fact you can play the entire song in one hand position.
Here's something many probably haven't figured out... you can hold a note on a lower string while playing notes on higher ones. Open strings are not the only way to accomplish this.
If someone asks how I would address a problem, I'll answer with how I chose to address it. If they want or need to detune, knock yourself out. IME most people don't know what actual notes they're playing when they detune without some extra thought so not much point in asking them.
bongomania
Commercial User
IMO the reason people are suggesting solutions to a problem is that you have said it is not possible to play a low C on a B string --which does not make any sense-- and that it is not possible to use a 5-string "given the way [the songs] are written", which also does not make any sense, unless you are strumming barre chords.
I assume you'll think I've misunderstood you--so can you tell me what I've misunderstood?
Again, I went back and listened to the song again because I figured there must be something I'm missing. I guess I'm missing the difficulty in playing this line on a 5 without detuning
Is this the song? Yes it's easier with an open Eb but it's far from difficult IMO on any of my fives. And if it doesn't sound good on a particlular five, all fives aren't created equal. And I use a .120 or .125 B because it's closer tonally to my E strings. I can play this line on the low B string alone OR a combination of the Eb on the low B (and let that note continue) and the rest on the E. So I can switch it up vs. having only one position that I have to play it in. It can be less repetitive on a five.
I don't have anything approaching carpel tunnel, that can be a product of technique just as easily as ergonomics.
BTW if anyone chooses to read any of this as "berating", there's nothing I can do about that. That's on you.
