Question on bass tuning

I have been looking at several songs to learn on bass but as I am not too familiar with the scales and steps I was wondering how many steps down it would be to tune for A# and C.

I plan on taking lessons sometime in the near future but will more than likely wait to see if I have to have surgery on my arm first.

TIA,
Travis

taprater said:

I have been looking at several songs to learn on bass but as I am not too familiar with the scales and steps I was wondering how many steps down it would be to tune for A# and C.

I plan on taking lessons sometime in the near future but will more than likely wait to see if I have to have surgery on my arm first.

TIA,
Travis

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Just wanted to say good luck to you! I never really fooled around with alternate tunings all that much except Dropped D tunning (for the guitar anyway). Whenever you can, learn Seek and Destroy or For Whom The Bell Tolls

Walker said:

Just wanted to say good luck to you! I never really fooled around with alternate tunings all that much except Dropped D tunning (for the guitar anyway). Whenever you can, learn Seek and Destroy or For Whom The Bell Tolls

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I have for whom the bell tolls about down I just have to work on speed. I'm having some issue with seek and destroy though.

The two songs I'm looking at now are Black label society's Graveyard Disciples and Funeral Bell.

On a side note I looked at the tabs for Ozzy's new song "Let me hear you scream" and all I have to say is Oh H3!! no

taprater said:

I have been looking at several songs to learn on bass but as I am not too familiar with the scales and steps I was wondering how many steps down it would be to tune for A# and C.

I plan on taking lessons sometime in the near future but will more than likely wait to see if I have to have surgery on my arm first.

TIA,
Travis

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It's hard to answer your question fully, because I'm not sure what your asking.
I'll take a couple of stabs.

1: You can play in the key of A# or C without retuning the bass at all. You simply have to know the scales and notes on the frets in standard tuning to play in those keys.

By the way the note A# is the same as Bb, they are called enharmonic notes, since on a piano you press the same lever to play either an A# or a Bb. The same on a bass, you would play the same fret/string for either note. They are written differently to fit better in the tonal key of the song you are playing.

2: If you are asking how many steps to tune down a string so that a C becomes an A#, the answer would be 1 whole step (whole-tone), or two half steps (semi-tones). There is one note between Bb (A#) and C, being the B natural.

Try the following links for explanations better than I can likely write.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar_tuning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enharmonic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_signature
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatonic_scale

I am wanting to tune the whole bass down from standard E to C(for graveyard disiples) and A#(for funeral bell)

I know that 1 whole step down is D so I need how many whole/half steps down it is for the others.

I hope this helps

Hope you have a bass that can handle that. The low E on my Jazz is already a bit buzzy without even tuning down. I can't imagine going to C or A#.

PS Go buy a Korg Guitar/Bass Tuner and a metronome if you haven't already.

2 whole steps down for C. 3 whole steps down for A#.

Heavier strings would help with the tension loss, but a five string would work as well.

The proper way to tune a bass.
.
.

Egads man! what are you playing?
A# is 3 steps down. Maybe some Cannibal Corpse?

I used to play a lot of Pantera and we'd tune down to C#, but that's only a step and a half.

All I ever did was use an electric tuner or tune off the guitar player.

maxman said:

Egads man! what are you playing?
A# is 3 steps down. Maybe some Cannibal Corpse?

I used to play a lot of Pantera and we'd tune down to C#, but that's only a step and a half.

All I ever did was use an electric tuner or tune off the guitar player.

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Black label society

taprater said:

Black label society

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oh yeah! BLS rocks hard. I saw them a bunch of times at Ozzfest.
Zakk Wylde is the best metal guitarist out there.

good choice.

luvmysuper said:

The proper way to tune a bass.
.
.

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I seems to remember REO had a album that was named, "You can tune a piano but you can't tune a fish"