Sounding Evil in Standard Tuning

Listen to Brian May on Sheer Heart Attack album.

Light strings, std tuning, fucking vox amp and treble booster.....MELTS FUCKING FACES!

You don't need 20 string guitars and fucking drop c to sound good.....lol
 
BeZo said:
I find myself in two doom bands all of the sudden. My drummer pulled me into a new project with a different guitarist, only he took my bass during our first practice and stuck me on guitar. Both bands are tuning to C, but one is drop C, while the other is standard C. I seem to he having a hard time writing stuff in standard that sounds evil or heavy enough for doom. Even when I play the same songs in both tunings, the drop songs sound better even though they are the same fucking chords and notes. What is this? Is standard tuning just weak sauce? Am I just more comfortable in drop tuning? Anyone else go through this?
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I know what you mean, this is why I bought a 7 string for my band where we have Drop A songs and E Standard. So the 7 string is tuned to AEADGBE so I get the best of both worlds and a regular guitar on top.

It might be something to do with the intonation of a power chord versus a barred drop tuning chord.
 
CLUBTURBO said:
Well, The Issues Of Verses, Bridge and Chorus Would Be
More Detailed Then I Am Digging to To. But Can Try Here.

I Am Outlining A Basic Means Of Writing At This Point.
Like Maybe 45, Or So Seconds Of Music Being Played.
Everything Else Depends On Whats Being Played Theoretically.
More Or Less Going On Theoretically Stable Ideas That Keep
The Music Flowing And The Listener's Attention.

Issues Of Verses, Bridge and Chorus Would Be Depended
On The Songs "Hook", Or Main Theme Musically Speaking.
Even The Rhythmic Idea Are More Complex.
Not Sure If I Can Give Exact Known Musical Examples Here
Due To Copy Write Issues?

But My Point Is?
The More We Know About What Chords Can Be
Used AROUND 15 Or 20 Seconds Of Music Is Our
Way To Fit Chorus's, etc In To The Main Idea We Have.
I Know Songs That Drop A Chord At Say 45 Seconds,
And Then Make Change Rhythmic Only.

Maybe 20, to 30 secs of music.



I Saw A Friend One Night? Time Came For Him To
Play A Guitar Part? He Didn't. He Just Stood There.
With His Arms Behind His Back.
Everyone Went Nuts Over Him Not Playing Anything.

The More Music We Have That We Like, Say 30 Seconds?
Then We Have Some "Safe" Areas To Use For Verses, etc.

I Will Think This Out Some And Come Up With "Relative
Chordal" Ideas, Mixed In With Some Simple Sonic Changes
As To Keep Things Reachable As I Write This Information Out.
I Am Talking Guitars And Maybe Some Effects?
Nothing To Extreme. But Usable With Out F**king Around.

But I Will Be Using Basic Chord Change And Close Scales
Ideas As To Let Us Have Room To Use The Stuff Before
We Give Up And Move On From This Structural Insight BS.

I Do Have To Say I Think Its Easier To Write 20 Or So
Songs Then It Is Not To. Always Moving In A Large
Musical Structural Song Framework. Always
Keeping Some Musical Ideas The Same?
But Adding In More Changes As We Keep Writing
Based On The ideas We Already Came Up With.

Some Ideas Are Light In Chords, But More Rhythmic.
Some Ideas Are Straight Guitar "Solo" Style And
Get Worked In To Later Music In The Next 10, or 20 Seconds.

But We Do Have To Keep Some Things The Same
As To Keep The Listener's Attention, And Just
Over All Stability Of The Creativity. And Our Sanity.

Sanity, Creativity, And A Butt Load Of Songs
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I think you just re-wrote Rime of the Ancient Mariner without realizing it.
 
I haven't found any band yet that has every song that sounds ominous. for a while I thought it was Bathory, then I thought it was Candlemass, but it's all not what I'm looking for
 
It's the writing, arrangement and performance/attitude that make a piece of music feel like something. Not really the tuning.
The tuning is just a tool to help the artist to express themselves the best way they can for what's in their head. It's a personal creative preference, not a fixed rule for how a piece of music will turn out.
Low tuned distorted guitars are prevalant across modern rock and pop, so not a guarantee for evil..lol
 
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Not sure if it's been mentioned but unless you're adjusting string gauge to accomodate you might be bending your chord ever so slightly leading to a little dissonance which could affect your perception. And in drop you play power chords differently (More easily), so maybe you're creating better riffs. Just some ideas.
 
But seriously, have a look at all the black metal guys and try to figure out what they are doing. In the Nightside Eclipse nails it IMO.
 
No matter what you tune the guitar to, you should be writing in various keys at various positions on the neck. I hate when a band writes everything/most at the key of their largest string open. Slayer gets a pass just because!
 
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