What Bands Play in D?

[KRZ4TELE]

What bands play down a whole step in D?
I can think of one: Motley Crue

Also what bands play in that metal tuning of D and then dropping the low D to C#? Disturbed would be one any others? I am not real familiar with metal.

 

[JCSouthpawtele]

Most of them..
Metallica - is dropped a full step to D for The Thing that should not Be on Master of Puppetts as well as Sad But True on the "Black Album" now they play in all kinds of tunings.

Alice In Chains - tuned down to Eb but then tuned to a dropped D so really Db for several songs ,We Die young the one I can think of.

Pantera - Dropped a full step D as they progressed to their third album Far Beyond Driven, a few before that "Walk" is the song that come to mind here.

Live - The band uses a C# tuning for Lakini's Juice,They are not heavy

Tool - is almost all drop D tuning some time Adams Jones will drop his e string down to B.

Queen - used drop D tuning for Fat Bottom Girls

Steve Vai - Bad Horsie is Dropped D down a full step to C

Pearl Jam - Evenflow is dropped D
...just a few i can think of sitting here going through my songs on my comp.

 

[Slow Reflexes]

What bands play down a whole step in D?
I can think of one: Motley Crue

Also what bands play in that metal tuning of D and then dropping the low D to C#? Disturbed would be one any others? I am not real familiar with metal.

For your first one, are you meaning D-Standard? Like, all strings down a full step?

Yesterday was played that way, and Paperback Writer. I have heard that POD uses that tuning extensively. Dream Theater also. I believe a lot of death metal types use D-standard.

I'm not sure what you mean for the second tuning - Like, D-Standard, and then drop the low string another half step? C#GCFAD? I think St. Anger was like that.

 

[Big John]

I know two bassists here who tune a whole tone down, sounds great too.

 

[Mark Davis]

Robin Trower plays 1 full step down in D.

 

[Tdub]

King's X

 

[Eric Karonen]

I know two bassists here who tune a whole tone down, sounds great too.

No need, if one plays a Gibson. Best bottom end ever ...

 

[mrmorrison]

No need, if one plays a Gibson. Best bottom end ever ...

I think Kim Kardashian has the best bottom end ever.

 

[KRZ4TELE]

Thanks guys for your responses! I am trying to see if I can justify having 1 guitar dedicated to tuning in D and with the d-tuna will drop it down to that C# 1st string. There is enough material here in the D tuning that I think I can for the heavier stuff.

 

[Jimo]

Luv dat D

Easier to play in as far as bending and MUCH easier to sing in for me. cheers!----JIMO

 

[trailboss]

I've got an acoustic set up (down?) that way. Works ok with 12g Martin strings on the flattop, but doesn't work so well on a strat. Mine is not so much "tone" driven, but "I can't sing a lick" driven. FWIW alot of 80's metal was detuned 1/2 step, Van Halen and Motley Crue come to mind.

 

[KRZ4TELE]

Yeah, Guns and Roses had most of their stuff in Eb.
I am really just looking at 80's rock, new rock, and some metal right now for a cover band so mentioning the obvious Eb players like Hendrix and SRV are not necessary, even though they are a great influence on me and I have a SRV strat that I played for years in Eb.
If you are in the cover band business you have a lot of 30 and unders that won't hang around a club if you are playing blues rock so you have to give them current tunes: Crazy *****, Bad Bad girlfriend, Disturbed etc. So we are try to work up some more current material. Hence the need for special tunings and bands that use them.
Oh yeah the singing is much easier. I was singing Crazy Train in standard tuning and I was blowing out like Ozzy on the chorus. Over the Mountain is in Eb I believe. I have that one on my to do list.
I am looking at having 3 guitars to take to a gig.
Standard tuning w/ D Tuna, Eb w/D Tuna and D w/ D Tuna.
Pain in the butt.
Keep the tunes and bands coming, I want to transform our song list with about 50% 80's rock, current rock, metal. added in the next few months.

 

[Jakester93]

I think Jimi Hendrix did it a lot.

 

[GhostofJohnToad]

I think Jimi Hendrix did it a lot.

Actually a 1/2 step.

Also add Soundgarden
Audioslave on some and Rage on on some

 

[KRZ4TELE]

Bump
Any more bands or songs guys?

 

[Jakester93]

You're right GhostofJohnToad.
i think Night Prowler by AC/DC is down 1/2 step.

 

[jazztele]

buck and don?

 

[63dot]

Lots of bands have done this, most famously Metallica who have also done some songs in C#, but found that a little too low.

I know Kiss played in Eb a lot.

I read an interview where Eddie Van Halen tried this on and off, but always experimenting and at times not liking it, so it's hard to say where they are now. Playing Led Zep stuff in Eb is a lot of fun though I don't know if they tried that tuning.