Somebody Told me - the Killers

[Paul S]

One of my bands has decided they want to cover 'Somebody Told Me'. Every now and then he seems to pay a low D. I've watched vids of them playing live and he uses a 4 string but I can't quite get my head around whether he has just dropped the E to D or detuned the lot. I suspect the first but can't really tell.

Any tips from anyone who plays it?

Ta.

Edit - I'm not sure he does now... I think what I was hearing as a D was just an E... anyone know for sure?

Edited July 6, 2010 by Paul S

[charic]

Theres a tab on ultimate guitar not sure how accurate it is though. Sounded alright to me in the past.

Fun bassline to play btw!

[WalMan]

[quote name='Paul S' post='887245' date='Jul 6 2010, 01:12 PM']One of my bands has decided they want to cover 'Somebody Told Me'. Every now and then he seems to pay a low D. I've watched vids of them playing live and he uses a 4 string but I can't quite get my head around whether he has just dropped the E to D or detuned the lot. I suspect the first but can't really tell.

Any tips from anyone who plays it?

Ta.

Edit - I'm not sure he does now... I think what I was hearing as a D was just an E... anyone know for sure?[/quote]
Not a clue, but perhaps he has a [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?c=6&m=product_list"]Hipshot D-Tuner[/url]? Great bit of kit I have had on my Wal for years, and so easy to fit even I could manage it!

[dave_bass5]

We play it in Bb and ive not noticed a low D. then again, maybe im not playing it exact. Lowest i go is a F.

[darwin]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='887372' date='Jul 6 2010, 03:04 PM']We play it in Bb and ive not noticed a low D. then again, maybe im not playing it exact. Lowest i go is a F.[/quote]

What he said.... the lowest I go is F and sounds Ok to me.

Great song to play.

[OldGit]

Came up in conversation yesterday. Anyone do a blues rock conversion job on it?
Don't really want to do it as they do 'cos we "adjust" stuff as a style thang...

[Dubs]

We play it in the original key - standard tuning. Same as dave_bass5 - lowest note is F.

[Paul S]

If you listen here it is quite clear, around 30 secs in, it goes up to Db then down an octave - it does this whenever this chord change comes along in the verses.



But I am not sure what his tuning is to do that.

I guess it isn't important.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Paul S' post='887455' date='Jul 6 2010, 04:03 PM']If you listen here it is quite clear, around 30 secs in, it goes up to Db then down an octave - it does this whenever this chord change comes along in the verses.


But I am not sure what his tuning is to do that.

I guess it isn't important.[/quote]

Ah, that could well be happening BUT thats a Db and not D. It would make sense that he is sliding a tone up if its in Bb i guess.

come to think of it im sure somebody told me (no, really thats not an intended pun) that they down tune anyway. Maybe this is the answer.
It looks like the bass player is fretting a A at the start of the chorus (1:10) so i guess they are downtuned.

Bloody awful version though.

Edited July 6, 2010 by dave_bass5

[Paul S]

In case anyone is remotely interested I resolved this. To learn it I tuned a bass up a tone except the low string which is down a tone. Can do all that octave juggling a treat now. When we play it we'll do it in A and I'll just drop the E to D.