Question about tunings

[K Odell]

Ok so what is everyone's feeling on bands using a different tuning live from their cds? Also how far would it be before you would consider it drastic?

 

[AudioPhile777]

I usually can't tell if its a half step off, but a step or more and I start to think, "What the hell?"

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

I usually can't tell if its a half step off, but a step or more and I start to think, "What the hell?"

+1, more is only acceptable if your singer recorded the parts >10 years ago

 

[kev]

Nickelback do this a lot. Bizzarely though, i've seen them raise the tuning as well sometimes.

 

[egan.]

Ok so what is everyone's feeling on bands using a different tuning live from their cds? Also how far would it be before you would consider it drastic?

We do it when we play songs off of our first record. No one ever noticed. Clean vocals would be a different thing.

 

[K Odell]

We do it when we play songs off of our first record. No one ever noticed. Clean vocals would be a different thing.

Yeah thats my concern. We were thinking about dropping our stuff a half step or a step for live just bc of all of our vocals, but I am a bit more reserved bc since its ALL clean vocals I feel like it would be more apparent. If we did switch I would probably just do the entire next album in that lower tuning.

 

[crillemannen]

Many times i wished bands would tune down when they play live especially when they recorded their tunes like a decade ago. I rather here a good performance in the wrong key then hear a singer not hitting the high notes and struggling all the way through the set.

 

[egan.]

I think half a step would go unnoticed by the vast majority of folks.

 

[StefTD]

half a step doesn't matter at all imho, a full step can get noticed, but for example, if you wrote some stuff
in E in the beginning, tuned down a half step for newer material and now want to tune this a bit lower for
live stuff, I would just play everything in D, so older stuff a full step and newer step just a half step down.
Main reason for this-it's way easier, just one guitar and so on.

 

[dcb]

i wouldnt do it. it affects the singers money notes and the whole feel of a vocal performance. moving out of the comfort zone can take a way alot of emotion and expression.
sure, its a lot easier to sing, but if i wait for "that" note in a song and the singer doesnt deliver, cause its being played a half step lower.... i want my money back!

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Many times i wished bands would tune down when they play live especially when they recorded their tunes like a decade ago. I rather here a good performance in the wrong key then hear a singer not hitting the high notes and struggling all the way through the set.

Can't possibly imagine what band you're referring to