D-Tune for a Big Boom
by Dan Pereira
It seems like alternate tunings are the trend these days in popular music. Just flip on the music video channel or tune in your favorite rock radio station and you'll hear bass guitar thumping in registers lower than Enron's stock value. So how do these players get that big bottom booming? Usually it's as simple as dropping the E string's tuning down a half step to D#, or one whole step to D, or, if you wear makeup that makes you look like Satan, two whole steps to C. For this article I'm going to focus on tuning to D because it's the easiest alternate tuning to learn, and it's the most used alternate bass tuning in popular music today.
So you've got your bass and you've cranked the Grover on your E string down so the string is flopping around like over-cooked spaghetti. Now you're ready to rock! Well...maybe not. First, let's make sure you're really in tune. Assuming you've tuned up with a tuner, fork, piano, or something, gently pluck the open D string with your second or third finger while gently strumming the E string with your thumb. Now slowly and gently turn the tuning peg on the E string down until the pitch between the two strings meshes nicely and they sound in tune. Next, hit a harmonic on the 12th fret of the now "high" D string and thump the "low" D string. Tuning down gets easier with practice. Heck, I do it in the middle of songs sometimes! OK, everything should be smooth at this point. If not, adjust the tuning on the low D until it sounds good. Now double check the tuning with a tuner, put on your nosering and Xtreme sports eyewear, and get set to make some big funky noise.
The first thing to remember when using an alternate tuning is that for all intents and purposes, you are out of tune! Those cool chord diagrams you downloaded no longer make sense. The way you learned how to play that Metallica song is all wrong now. What you have to do is follow the teachings of our little green Jedi friend Yoda. You must "unlearn what you have learned". The best way to do this is to play your favorite bass lines using the new tuning. Train your fingers to look for the notes a step higher than they did before. For example if you have a bass line that has a low G in it, you will now find that note on the fifth fret instead of the third fret. Hey wait a minute! If G is at fret five, where's the A that used to live there? Well, A has moved down the block to the seventh fret. As you practice with the new tuning you'll get used to the new note positions and learn to quickly transpose bass lines as you play them.
A few other interesting things happen when tuned down. Noticeably, the string feels loose. This may take some getting used to and some basses may get buzzy when tuned down. This is where "touch" has to be developed by the player. While fretting notes try different pressures and picking styles to find the sound you're trying to achieve. Also, your amp's EQ can help tighten up your D-tuned tone. If you have a compressor, use it. It'll help keep the lows and highs consistent.
Now the fun and funky part. Try slapping the low D string and plucking the high D string. Now, learn to play octaves in this tuning by holding your second or third finger on a note on the D string and using your index finger to hole the same note on the low D string. Turn on your disco ball and move this octave up and down the neck. Another nifty thing to try is alternating between open low D and the low D 12th fret. Experiment sliding from the 12th fret on the low D to the 5th fret on the A and back again. Also, try playing a simple one-note rhythm on the open D string but mute the string by lightly touching the string near the nut. The muted D string can add an almost keyboard pad-like bottom to a song. If you really want to impress your date, do some funky bends on the low D. Because the string is loose, you can really crank the bend into uncharted bottomness.
Have fun and don't break any windows with your sub-sonic cacophony.
