Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

Some members of the band would like us to try tuning 1/2 step down.
I think it would aid in creating that unique sound we are looking for. (not that alternate tuning is unique I think it would augment our style of music)
I and others also feel it would help our vocalist in pulling the harmonies together.
So what do you guys think? You have heard some of our music.
Do you think it would fit well??

why stop there... switch to seven strings and scream everything... it would give your band that juvenile flair...

yes, yes.... then right a song about how you don't want to clean your room... scream scream scream...

instant success.

on a serious note... you'll probably have to change intonation...
afa singing... you could just try things in a dif key...
altogether it's a fine idea... even a half step can really sound great... worked for van halen anyway!

LOL

Van Halen, KISS, too many successful bands to list really.









Hummm, how about I don't want to go to work in the morning?

I'm all for dropping a 1/2 step...but only for your 3rd string...

Would you care to elaborate ??

I tune down a whole step DGCFD and drop C. I also really like Eb. Eb is easier on vocalists and kinda has a darker tonality.

Thanks for the input raintree420

Vocalist pretty much put the kabosh on the whole idea.

Oh well, on ward through the fog.

we play in d standard (dgcfad) for guitar (adgcfb) for me on six string bass.

It sounds great and the ds sound great. d flat d d sharp are all harmonious.
Vivaldi claims that d flat is the most harmonious key in the world, and beethoven claims that a large majority of white noise is melodic to d, under the 60 hertz range.

e only came about because of the guage of each string best resonates in that key. being standard mediums that is.

Definitely; it really helps singers out, particularly for long gigs! Many many artists who record in concert pitch drop tunings a semitone for live purposes to save the singer's voice.

Slash plays mostly in Eflat and it's a key part of his sound. It's amazing how different GnR stuff sounds when you don't drop it.

Lower than this and the bottom strings can get a bit flappy on Gibson scale lengths so it's worth switching to 11s BUT it helps string bending provided you have a good ear as it can be toooo easy.

Do it dude!

I do agree that Eb is a way different sound. Part of it is atonal though. You can do a fair job of playing in tune in Eb, but you would definitely have to reset your tuning saddles. Even then, the guitar is set up to play in E.

If you drop a bass down to Eb as well, it seems to me intonation could really become a problem. Since the string length and fretting on a bass is so different than a guitar, it is unlikely they would respond the same way to a detune.

You'd definitely have to commit and get everything setup. Even then, I don't think you get ever get the whole fretboard sounding right. I honestly think all these slight intonation problems would really throw off a singer. 1/2 step flat isn't enough to save any vocal cords IMO.

So, I'm the naysayer. Just my best guess though. I only even sang/played one song in Eb, and it was just me and a guitar. It did screw me up royally when a friend asked me to do it at a party in E. That was really embarrassing. No more extemporaneous key changes for me.

Thanks for the input.

The more I ponder the question the less I see the intelligence in changing now so many years into the project.
Let the cards fall as they may and play the hand your dealt.

I've recently taken to playing in D Standard with a thicker set of strings. I have done the half step thing for years... but honestly, it was odd trying to sing songs written in standard starting from a half step perspective.

Maybe it was just me, but E Standard and D Standard seem much easier to "find the right note" when singing than half step down.

Exceptions of course being the things I have heard my entire life at half step down, Hendrix, Van Halen, ect... I still ponder why I can do them smoothly at any "starting point" if in range of course... while others seem "odd".

George I dont think it matters what tuning you use. From a guitar perspective, I play in standard these days and we do a lot of drop D songs, just drop the big E string down to D.

What matters is getting it keyed so your singer is comfortable. If he can sing better in Eb thne just do it. I dont think from your perspective you will notice unless you pick up your guitar and try to play with the radio.

There will also be less tension on the guitar strings so it is easier to bend.

The whole idea went over like a lead balloon anyways.
We're taking what we do and doing it in studio next month.
Damn the torpedoes, balls to the wall.

Question sanshouheil - why is your singer determining key of guitar riffs? Does he play guitar too? Seems kind of odd...