Sounding Evil in Standard Tuning

BeZo

Well-known member
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?
 
I have always preferred standards,,,,,,,,, albeit Eb, D, and C# standards. I don't have one single guitar at E atm.
 
I felt this way for a long time and I think it had to do more with the feeling from my guitar rather than the actual sound. I have two guitars that sound great playing heavy shit in standard tuning and they’re both heavy as fuck guitars, my Edwards LP Custom and the Solar Explorer. You don’t want to play anything but heavy shit on them because the way they feel; you can feel the resonance through the body and it definitely lends itself to wanting to play heavy shit.

And since I use 10-52’s for drop C, I have a good amount of play/not a lot of tension in the strings, that gives them some weight in itself that lends itself to heavy riffs, for me anyway. Like a palm mute with those same strings in drop C feels entirely different than a palm mute in E with the same strings.

I think I spent so long dialing in my gear to work in drop C/D-standard that when I’m up in standard, it’s just not as familiar tonal territory for me. I went like 23 years not owning a single guitar in standard tuning.
 
There is some kind of difference in the tonal quality between, say, being in D standard and drop D. Even though the notes of a chord are the same, you’re combining different frets than you would in standard so you’re getting a different mix of harmonics/overtones and shit. To me a drop tuning has a more growly/guttural sound and feel to it (at least when you’re using the dropped string to make chords).
 
Getting familiar with the Lydian mode can yield some evil results. It naturally has an Augmented 4th in it. Building around that Augmented 4th leaves you open to an uneasy major 7th (or minor 2nd) when going back to the Ionian
 
The big one I notice is palm muting metal type riffs. In drop tuning, catching the open strings adds the 5th to the low note. In standard tuning, it's not as simple. I either need to make a conscious decision to drop down and play that second fret to add the 5th to my palm mutes, or omit it and only play the low note. The easier the chunk chunk splow stuff comes out, the heavier it will be.
 
It's not as much the tuning as the mindset.

Opeth, and tons of other bands sound heavy as fuck in standard.

Even when I played in B, I wrote riffs in standard. If it's heavy as fuck in standard, it's gonna be the same or heavier in C for you.

I would delve into Phrygian/harmonic minor a little further if you haven't done a deep dive yet, as well as learn some early Celtic Frost riffs (the usurper is a great starting point) and dissect them for ideas on how to create ominous intervals.
 
Ether Way, The Writing Is The Main Issue.
Standard Or Dropped? The Song Is There
Or Its Not. Hands Down The Only Issue.

But If The Band Can't Write As A Unit?
Or For That Matter?

Play And Write As A Unit?
Its The Band' Not The Writing.

Sounds Like You Got Skills.
This Is Why Your Wanted.

Bands Like Your Music?
Or They Don't.

Its Your Music'
Writing Is Always
Going To Be The Issue.
Just Keep Writing' And
Writing' And Wrigting.
Catalog your self
with a normal two track
Cassette recorder.

And Write' And ' Write.

Everything Else Can
Be Fixed After The
Writing' Basic
A And M Stuff.

Basic Pre Per Production.
One Thing A And M
Runied Back In The
Day Was Creativity.

Pure Formula Based'
And That Is Not Written
Creativity.
Would you mind specifying which lines are the verses, bridge and chorus? Thanks!
 
Just go to McDonald's and eat a large meal. Maybe listen to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. The physical discomfort will be inspiration.

Not to mention when you use standard or drop the entire resonance of the instrument changes. That's what your hearing and feeling.
 
Just my opinion but Iommi used the flat five and Lydian has a sharp four. I know they are the same note but it’s a different context as far as the other notes. Lydian is major and Iommi was usually minor.

Phrygian Dominant is a cool sound. Try playing the A harmonic minor scale over E major (yes major). That’s E Phrygian dominant.

Just the other day I was messing around with I am the Walrus and was playing that cowboy open C with the low G in the bass and with distortion it sounded heavy. So maybe just mess around with different voicings. Some of which might only sound good when you also have a bass note underneath.
 
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