yet another singer rant

[charic]

I think the reason for the extra drop tuning is so that there's no need to "re-learn" the songs. Just play what you were before and it's lower. It's usually my approach in this situation too. But then my basses are currently tuned :

ACG: CGCF
P Bass : DADG / EADB
Yamaha : BEADGC

So I have most bases covered

[Dave Vader]

I think those of us suggesting key changes, playing in different parts of the neck etc. are probably those of us who have never played this particular style of super-metally grindy noise before. It's all about the open strings, which don't work if they aren't down tuned.

Same sort of crap you get from certain types of guitar player who say capos are cheating, and altered tunings are wrong.
Minds... open... now.

[toneknob]

Play in standard tuning until they make their minds up.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1358522153' post='1940784']
I think those of us suggesting key changes, playing in different parts of the neck etc. are probably those of us who have never played this particular style of super-metally grindy noise before. It's all about the open strings, which don't work if they aren't down tuned.

Same sort of crap you get from certain types of guitar player who say capos are cheating, and altered tunings are wrong.
Minds... open... now.
[/quote]
Yeah, frets is another kind of cheating.

[JTUK]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1358516568' post='1940634']
It all depends
[/quote]

Kinda.......I'll want more money.

[Toasted]

Just because they down tune doesn't mean you have to.
Just because they play open strings doesn't mean you have to.

[JTUK]

As for the mess around tunings... I'd only go so far for a make-do singer.
If they are going to be a waste of time, then I'll do enough to find out they are a waste of time. and no more esp if it meant a re set-up of the bass.

If they are going to be worth it then you have to make sure you keep them...but you can mostly tell in a few minutes how much further chance you are going to give them.

[richardjmorgan]

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1358451661' post='1939550']
It looks like it is the drop D equivalent of playing in C standard. Plenty of bands have use it without sounding like a complete inaudible mess (though that is open to subjective interpretation). I'm pretty sure that the Red Album by Baroness is in that kind of tuning. Kylesa play or played a lot of stuff in Drop A, as do Mastodon (though its basically D standard with a low A instead of a D).

In terms of set up, I'd imagine that for drop C you are using fairly hefty strings (115/120 on the low C) anyway, which would probably 'do' for trying a few songs in drop B flat in order to tell if the singer can sing at all. If the singer works out, then permanently change your set up. Or just transpose a couple of your songs into different keys in the drop C sharp tuning, in order to work out if the singer can sing at all. Or get some light strings and tune up to F standard, so you can play an open A string as the root B flat that I would imagine the guitarist will probably play off a lot of the time.

There is nothing inherently wrong with low tunings, though they also don't necessarily make the music any 'heavier' just by being lower. Don't assume that you always have to copy the guitar tuning. Think about how you personally want to approach the music and proceed accordingly. If the other band members aren't giving you that freedom, consider whether it is the right band for you.
[/quote]
+1 to pretty much all this.

Yeah, it's a bit of a faff (and yeah, more so for bass than guitar) to change tuning, fiddle with the intonation, etc, but in the long run it'll sound better than a singer being outside their comfortable range. Like it or not, that's going to be more noticeable to most people than a slight loss of definition in open notes on the bass.

This all assumes, of course, that this new singer is actually competent and not using the tuning to make excuses for their lack of ability. It's hard to judge this without hearing them, but it seems to me that if you get a better sound out of your singer by dropping tuning a couple of semitones, then it's worth the inconvenience.

If the singer's not yet a done deal, I'd suggest just tuning down a bit and just grin and bear the string floppiness/intonation wobbles for a bit, and see if the singer actually does do a better job. If so, and they end up becoming a permanent fixture, then you can go ahead and sort your setup accordingly.

Edited January 18, 2013 by richardjmorgan

[christhammer666]

thank you one and all for the advice.......how long do you get for murdering band members

[discreet]

[quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1358529346' post='1940983']
...how long do you get for murdering band members[/quote]

You'll be out before we decide which is the best bass for metal.

[mushers]

would be nice if the singer put a bit more effort into trying to hit the notes instead of just asking the band to change to suit her