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Drop D Tuning for Bass Guitar

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Part of the video series: Advanced Bass Guitar Techniques

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Summary: Use drop D tuning as an advanced bass guitar technique; learn how from a professional bass player and teacher in this free music instruction video.

Views: 723 | Tags: bass, guitar, scales, advanced, key, bass lessons, music theory

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Ryan Larson Ryan Larson is a young jazz composer whose teaching technique focuses on the basics of music theory in all twelve keys. When applying his twelve-key technique... read more

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Video Transcript

Drop D Tuning for Bass Guitar

CASEY CORMIER: So not only can we use harmonics to play or to tune our strings relative to each other in standard tuning, but we can also use harmonics to drop our strings to different tunings and bring them back. Say we want this low E here, say we're playing a song in the key of D, and this is the lowest D we can get, which in some cases is not very low if you're playing with a keyboardist or a funk band that wants you to play lower. So what you can do is play your open D string and then play the 12th fret harmonic of your E string. Now, see there's a lot of vibration and tension there. Well, I'll play your D then your play your 12th harmonic D, then go to your tuning knob on your E string. Tune down until the vibration stops. Now try checking by playing that, where now it is supposed to be our open D, and your open D, the actual D string. So low D and D now, okay? So now if you're playing a song, make sure that you know that this is a D. and now if you want an E, you gotta play the 2nd fret. This is a G and then A is here, or open. So if you're playing a song in D, you don't have to just play [PLAYS HIGH BASS LINE IN D], you could play [PLAYS HIGH BASS LINE IN D]. To get back, we know A is already at A, so we can use the 7th fret harmonic of A and then the 5th fret harmonic of low E, or what is D now, and bring it back up. So try experimenting with going to D, dropped D, and getting back to E. if you have any problems, refer to an electric tuner.

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