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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 22:16:32 GMT
You need a 6 string bass!
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Post by GKon on Feb 20, 2016 6:35:55 GMT
Technically speaking, there's no reason not to do it if you feel more comfortable. You might need to do.a setup to have no fretbuzz but other than that, sure, go for it. The difficulty lies in having to transpose everything if you will be playing off of sheet music or tablature.
I have to ask though, the E A D G is exactly like a guitar so why is it difficult for you to play like you would those strings on your guitar?
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Post by JAC on Feb 20, 2016 9:06:16 GMT
Whatever tuning is best for you is fine, but as GKon says, you will probably need to do a setup. Also, depending on your current string gauge, and the tuning you want to achieve, sometimes it is necessary to change strings to a thicker gauge, which can also mean a little but filing in some cases. I know how you feel, the only guitar I have is tuned to BEADGC as it is the only way I can play a few things without practicing for hours before. I hardly ever play the guitar, so I refer to it as a 6 string ultra short scale piccolo bass
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Feb 20, 2016 10:50:06 GMT
Thanks for these replies. I'm definitely going to give it a go. I don't sight read GKon so that's not going to be a problem (you've no idea how annoyed I get trying to teach my son the sax which, I discovered three weeks in, is a 'transposing instrument' which seems to mean, "we call the notes one thing but you call them something else". It takes about a life time for me to work a tune out for him..."Eb on my guitar so that makes it a C, no hang on, are you a THIRD lower or higher than concert pitch? Do you know C? Well just blast a few notes and I'll tell you when you've got it...yes...yes...that's it. What's that note? ? ? ? ? ? Hmm..?.....But you must know!"). I know the bottom strings are the same as the guitar but, I don't know, my fingers seem to think, 'here we go, we're on the top string now. We're on the runway to oblivion.' That's guitarists for you. Always keen to get to the top end. And that's why we must be steered away from the bass at every opportunity. JAC is my polar opposite.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 11:01:19 GMT
My fingers do the same on bass as you describe! And the frets are soooo far apart on a bass neck so when I go back to the guitar my fingers get totally lost for a few minutes. I think its all about habit, getting used to it. I think all strings should be tuned to Drop D its simple and easy to remember
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Feb 20, 2016 11:18:50 GMT
My fingers do the same on bass as you describe! And the frets are soooo far apart on a bass neck so when I go back to the guitar my fingers get totally lost for a few minutes. I think its all about habit, getting used to it. I think all strings should be tuned to Drop D its simple and easy to remember I had a tele tuned to Keith Richards' favourite open G ( but I left the bottom E on, well, why wouldn't you?). It was like that for a year during which everything I played sounded like the Rolling Stones. Except for one little riff that I quite liked but which I learned I could play in standard tuning anyway. The tele's back to standard and is now one of my faves. I think The Manic's 'Kevin Carter' is in open G too. That's one of my favourite finger stretching exercises. I have one tune in Dropped D but frequently forget to detune and get to the last note and suddenly have to rush up to the tenth fret. It sounds ridiculous.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 13:26:01 GMT
I never ever tried any sort of Drop tuning it scares me to think about all those new chords I have to learn Im staying in the safe harbor of standard tuning thank you
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Post by GKon on Feb 21, 2016 14:05:04 GMT
I never ever tried any sort of Drop tuning it scares me to think about all those new chords I have to learn Im staying in the safe harbor of standard tuning thank you When we drop tuned in my band, we drop tuned the entire instrument by a whole step, so my bass was tuned DGCF and the guitar DGCFAD. However, and here's the part you'll like Che, we still played as if we hadn't drop tuned. So if the song was played in G, you still played a G as you would without the drop tuning, so no new chords to learn.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 14:28:32 GMT
So I assume the only reason for you to drop all is to suit the vocals/singing capacity of the singer right?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 15:37:36 GMT
Are you saying that I can get those strange JAZZ chords by simply changing my tuning? How should I tune each string then? tell me all, wanna know
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Post by GKon on Feb 21, 2016 15:57:07 GMT
So I assume the only reason for you to drop all is to suit the vocals/singing capacity of the singer right? For me and my band, it was. I had to sing such a huge variety of songs from so many different artists that we had to drop tune so that I could sing them all! As defjef says, though, there are other reasons, as well.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Feb 21, 2016 16:16:04 GMT
This is a brilliant book. Straight forward and full of great examples. Guitar on tapOne that I love is 'Nashville tuning'. This is really the same as normal tuning but uses the thinner 6 strings from a set of 12 strings. All your favourite fingerpicked parts sound alien because the bottom three strings are an octave HIGHER than the other two. It can make you sound like two guitarists and is great for adding to a mix because it doesn't stray into the fearsome 'middle frequencies' and just zings along on top of them. This one freaked out the only guitar teacher I ever had. He literally flung my guitar back at me saying, "you'll never learn on that". He was right. Have a listen to Goodbye Blue Sky for an example of it fingerpicked. Or try one of these: Open G: drop the bottom E, the G and the top E by 2 semi tones. All major chords are now just a one finger barre chord. Double dropped D: drop BOTH E strings by a tone DADGAD: drop both E's by a tone (hey you're already there if you just tried Double dropped D) then drop the B by a tone too. EVERYTHING will sound new and sometimes very interesting using this. Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake were big fans of inventing tunings and would often tune strings UP too but beware, this will really require a few lighter strings. The other advantage of different tunings is that you have a rock solid, water-tight and bulletproof excuse for buying more guitars and keeping them all tuned differently. Ooh, and whack a capo on too anywhere you fancy for a whole new lease of life again.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 16:49:36 GMT
I just tried the EADGCF and it feels strange will try the DADGAD or maybe I could tune them like your user name d.e.f.j.e.f (how do I get the J )
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