Explain "Double Drop D#" on a 7-String

[Deadpool_25]

They mention double drop D#. What is each string tuned to in that case?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

They mention double drop D#. What is each string tuned to in that case?

I guess they mean the first 6 strings are tuned to drop D2 and tuned up a half-step, then they drop the 7 string down an octave to D#1. That's what I'm hearing when I listen to their music.
I'm just making assumptions with the first 6 strings, but it definitely sounds like the B and E strings are tuned an octave apart.

 

[Deadpool_25]

I guess they mean the first 6 strings are tuned to drop D2 and tuned up a half-step, then they drop the 7 string down an octave to D#1. That's what I'm hearing when I listen to their music.
I'm just making assumptions with the first 6 strings, but it definitely sounds like the B and E strings are tuned an octave apart.

That would be my assumption too. Hmmm

 

[Ralyks]

I feel like that's what I'm tuning to when I attempt certain Sleep Token songs...

 

[Masoo2]

I know Invent Animate has tuned to some slightly modified versions of Drop Ab and Drop F for their previous releases (e.g. Ab-Eb-Ab-Db-F-Bb-Eb; F-A#-F-A#-D#-G-C) but as far as I'm aware their Drop D# is quite literally just regular 7 string Drop A taken down 6 steps

 

[profwoot]

I've always assumed "doubledropX" just means everything is an octave lower. I'd just say dropD1, but I guess most folks don't know that the low string in regular dropD is a D2 so maybe that's unclear.

 

[narad]

I feel like this is going to be the next question people are required to answer to register on the forum.

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

Drop-D# (Eb) down a full octave, tuned to what a normal 4-string bass guitar would be tuned to for Drop-D# (Eb).

How do people still not grasp this terminology in 2023 when “double-drop ____” is literally all that we see and hear in the extended range instrument world nowadays?

 

[Deadpool_25]

Are you guys saying all the strings are an octave lower? So kinda like taking a 6-string guitar that's tuned to Eb, then lowering everything by a full octave?

In that video they said "it's the D'Addario 8-string pack with the 6th string thrown out." (However, based on a rig rundown from a couple years ago, I think he might be tossing the 64-gage 7th string). Regardless, they mention using the 74 so I'd assume that's the NYXL 10-74 set. They're tuning the entire guitar down an octave even with the top 4 strings just being basically a set of 10s? Seems that would be floppy AF.

 

[c7spheres]

Double drop D is only the E and B dropped. D# would be everything a half step up, but these guys are doing all that an octave down it sounds like.

 

[CTID]

Are you guys saying all the strings are an octave lower? So kinda like taking a 6-string guitar that's tuned to Eb, then lowering everything by a full octave?

In that video they said "it's the D'Addario 8-string pack with the 6th string thrown out." (However, based on a rig rundown from a couple years ago, I think he might be tossing the 64-gage 7th string). Regardless, they mention using the 74 so I'd assume that's the NYXL 10-74 set. They're tuning the entire guitar down an octave even with the top 4 strings just being basically a set of 10s? Seems that would be floppy AF.

yeah, key has said that his strings are pretty loose, but most or all of his guitars have evertunes on them so it doesn't really matter too much for tuning stability.

 

[Chri]

Drop-D# (Eb) down a full octave, tuned to what a normal 4-string bass guitar would be tuned to for Drop-D# (Eb).

How do people still not grasp this terminology in 2023 when “double-drop ____” is literally all that we see and hear in the extended range instrument world nowadays?

Because a lot of people don't use the terminology correctly. God forbid someone doesn't have some niche knowledge that you clearly pride yourself on. Not everyone listens to, or cares much about super low tuned, double drop Djent-we used to be metalcore, but now we want to be taken more seriously so we've gone all ambient and arsty-core.

Dean Lamb regularly refers to the tuning he uses as double drop "x" when it's just Drop E with the 7 tuned to A.

 

[Strobe]

I feel like this is going to be the next question people are required to answer to register on the forum.

Phew! Good thing I am grandfathered in. This one was new to me.

 

[Deadpool_25]

Lol. Damn it all I'm still confused. Sorry for being dense on this.

Maybe explain the mechanics of getting from standard BEADGBE into that tuning.

Drop the low B down to A = Drop A = AEADGBE

Drop all the strings down 6 half steps = Drop D# = D# A# D# G# C# F A#

Correct so far? If so, then what?

 

[JimboLodisC]

So to get the old definition, "double drop" usually meant dropping the low and the high strings, so previously on 6-strings it was Drop D with the high E also dropped down to D, therefore DADGBD would be Double Drop D.

But nowadays "double drop" is being used to describe dropping the low string a whole step and then all strings an octave down, and in some cases being also used to describe a simple drop of all strings down an octave... it gets confusing because no one is using the normal "E1, D1" labeling which would accurately and succinctly explain the low note and its octave

So I simply just take "Double Drop Anything" to mean a drop tuning (lowest note goes a whole step down) and then something tuned lower than what a 6-string would be at, so "Drop D" being "Drop D2", I'd take "Double Drop D" to just mean Drop D1.

---

So with that double drop stuff out of the way, looking to "Double Drop D#" the first thing I look at in a tuning is the note. It will always refer to the lowest note available on the instrument in that tuning. So starting there, I'm assuming it's a D#1/Eb1 (basically a half step down from a bass). From there, being a drop tuning that means you can infer that the guitar is basically in F1 Standard with the lowest string dropped a whole step.

Just remember that Standard tuning is all perfect fourths with a major third interval between the 2nd and 3rd string. That's the fancy way of saying you can play the 5th fret on a string and it'll be the open note of the next one, with the exception of the G and B having a half step difference. The regular E2 Standard tuning on a 6-string of EADGBE is just adding more perfect fourths as you go down adding more strings. BEADGBE for 7's (B1 Standard), F#BEADGBE for 8's (F#1 Standard), etc.

So for a 7-string, if I'm looking to retune it from B1 Standard to Drop D#1 then I'd probably come at it from the angle of changing B1 Standard to a drop tuning, which would be dropping the low B to an A, thus getting me to Drop A1. From there, just math out the half steps to get A1 down to D#1, which is 6 half steps, so you'd take your Drop A1 tuning and downtune every string by 6 half steps.
A different way to look at it would be to come from the bottom, starting with D#1 on the 7th string and then finding your perfect fourth interval for the 6th string, continuing on until you need the major third interval between the 3rd and 2nd string... it sounds complex but you're just counting to 5 except for one time when you count to 4. Tune the low string to D#1, tune the next string 5 half steps up, tune the next string 5 half steps up, tune the next string 5 half steps up, tune the next string 5 half steps up, tune the next string 4 half steps up, tune the last string 5 half steps up.

And as far as what gauges are needed to hit your desired tension for a given scale length, that's what a string tension calculator is for.

 

[Pippo]

I always assumed double drop meant dropping both the lowest and second lowest strings, e.g. Double Drop A = ADADGBE.
I got this from Within the Ruins, who play in Double Drop C (CFCFA#DG) according to their guitarist.

 

[Deadpool_25]

I swear when Invent Animate is in town I'm going to ask Keaton what each string is tuned to lol.

 

[gunch]

D#A#D#G#C#FA# Drop D#1 guitar tuning, chords & scales

drop d#1 tuning half a step above an on octave of drop D

gtdb.org

 

[Hollowway]

Yeah, there’s zero consistency to what people mean when they say double drop. And now I’m more confused than before I opened this thread.

 

[xzacx]

Drop-D# (Eb) down a full octave, tuned to what a normal 4-string bass guitar would be tuned to for Drop-D# (Eb).

How do people still not grasp this terminology in 2023 when “double-drop ____” is literally all that we see and hear in the extended range instrument world nowadays?

How do people not grasp that people call this stuff different things in 2023 and it’s not clear cut at all?