Writing with 8 strings discussion

[Mourningson]

Hey there,

I was wondering what people who write with 8 strings are doing for the bass players out there . My band was working with out a bass player for about a month and when we finally found one. The only problem we're having is if we tune him up he looses the "bass" in his bass and when tune a five string down it sounds like a loose change. And suggestions? String gauges maybe? Experience? By the way I play in quite an odd tuning (Low to high: F Bb Fb Bb Eb Ab C F). Our bass player likes to go back and forth between playing with the drums and guitar allot and I write riffs that cover allot of fretboard so please realize he would prob either play a five or a six string.

P.S. If your going to post a comment that says anything like "thats why 8 strings are excessive" or "Don't play that low" I'll do this this and a little bit of this

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Nobody is going to call you out on playing an 8 string here don't worry, the site is actually erg.org (or something like that) and SSO merged.

I would recommend using the search by the way.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/126368-bass-tuning-8-string-guitar.html

 

[TheBotquax]

Don't play that low, that's why 8 strings are excessive
/troll

I guess just play the bass in standard tuning, if you try to go much lower it'll just sound like "flub flubflub"

 

[DLG]

there are tons of guys on the bass section of the forum that can tell you all about that suboctave stuff if you are interested, they are all very knowledgable. I play bass in an 8 string band, but I just do the meshuggah approach of playing in the same octave when the guitar player is on his eighth string.

 

[fps]

I think having different tunings in the bass and 8 string might well result in a more harmonically interesting approach to the riffing. I think you want the bass in the same tuning so it can play, most of the time, exactly the same thing as what the guitars are playing, and if that's the case, then although bass sounds a bit different, you've just got 2 instruments playing EXACTLY the same thing, not even an octave difference, and that's not very creative.

See this as an opportunity to do something a bit different, using your different tunings.

 

[ChrisRushing]

I would use those moments as an opportunity for the Bass to potentially cover higher ground or have the instruments trade rolls. Sonically speaking, when the guitar is already that low, having the bass mirror it sounds like a recipe for MUD.
I don't play 8 strings in this band but I play a 7 and my bassist plays 6 string fretless. We often do the counterpoint thing I am talking about. The Universe Divide - Home might not be exactly what you are after but it definitely helps balance things out.

 

[anne]

Playing octave lower bass definitely sounds better IMO, but it does require a great deal of money and effort on your bassist's part to get the gear for it.

 

[remington]

In my opinion, the first problem with most things likethisis the bass following everyone, like a bass player is some kind of bad step child or something. Let them be and explore, even take the front of the sound sometimes, and not say, you play bass so you do what I do or what he does. Other than that I play in half step down and our bassist tunes the same way, andour stuff sounds great to me, but he doesnt always follow me or the other two guitarists when I play drums. Alot also has to do with the players equipment and the way they set their tone.