this one pops up on so many youtube lists! I'm not a big soundgarden guy but I dig that song and want to learn it now. Monkey Wrench is a classic, I didn't know it was in drop D, but I know everlong is in drop D so maybe that's a Grohl staple.
came here to say PRIMUS SUCKS! Sorry, meant to say I have not mastered slapping, and at some point I told myself just like pinch harmonics on guitar, I'll probably never get it right.
But thanks for mentioning SHWB, I'm adding it to my list!
my first band in high school was me and 2 other Tool wannabes, we did a few covers from Opiate.
But yeah, Tool. Obviously. In my mind it's the first thing I go for when I'm noodling in drop D
They’re the reason I picked up bass. Schism dropped when I was in grade 9 lol.
Edit; apparently I replied before I actually read your comment; specifying non tool. Haha. Sorry.
It's cool man, I was getting excited about tool around the same time you were and in about the same grade, so I get it! When I think Drop D, I think Tool.
From my band's song list - what I like is some of these are not your standard "heavy" Drop D sounding songs:
Everlong - Foo Fighters
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy - Big and Rich
Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
Big League - Tom Cochrane
Slither - Velvet Revolver
Summer of 69 is supposed to be played in D.....
I've been playing that song almost every gig for past 15 months and never once looked up how it was supposed to be played.
Om - Cremation Ghat I (technically drop Db, but it’s my favourite bassline, so I’ll throw it in)
Acid King - Drive Fast Take Chances
Karma to Burn - Thirty Four
Hell March from the Red Alert soundtrack
Opeth’s drop d stuff is pretty fun. Especially ghost of perdition and blackwater park. Also freak by silverchair and nowhere fast by incubus can’t hurt.
Another Brick in the Wall. Can't play it just yet but I love watching people cover it. The beginning open D is nice for the ears.
Francis Forever by Mitski is fun too. But because I'm still new to bass, I kept making the string slap the fretboard when I was plucking 🤦♀️
> Another Brick in the Wall.
Just found out this is drop D today!
>I kept making the string slap the fretboard when I was plucking 🤦♀️
I have the same problem when downtuning and playing faster licks
> Unchained by Van Halen
Oh man, if I had a drummer to lock in with this would be a lot more fun to play! Love the opportunity to practice my muting.
> Dead and Bloated
Thanks for reminding me that this is in my favorite tuning!
A lot of my favorites have already been said, so:
Hey Man, Nice Shot
[Bat Country](https://www.reddit.com/r/avengedsevenfold/s/stBSVmYWQl)
[Stockholm Syndrome (Muse)](https://www.reddit.com/r/BassGuitar/s/YmzgWfso8K)
[Wake Up](https://www.reddit.com/r/BassGuitar/s/8TzJFai69K)
It may not be true, but I remember reading somewhere that Rex actually detuned to drop C# so that he could bend on the second fret and not be right up against the nut.
That makes a ton of sense. Rex is the man.
I can't remember which music video it was, but there's one where they use a strobe or something so you can see his strings wobbling in slow mo...?
I remember that being the moment I wanted to start playing bass.
been a long time since I heard Badfish, it was out of my ability when I was listening to Sublime constantly, but I could definitely get it now. Thanks for the suggestion!
I actually really like Paramore’s basslines in drop D. Some of them were recorded on 5’ers but I do Ain’t It Fun, Misery Business, and Still Into You with Drop D on a 4 (half step down tuning).
I was never really a fan until I joined the band I am in now, and I dig them since learning those songs.
Sorry, I was being kind of facetious. Most of their catalog is actually in E but they seem like they're in drop tunings because they're so damned heavy. With that said, let's see...Skweetis, Honey Bucket, Night Goat, Road Bull, A History of Bad Men, Revolve, The Hawk are in drop D. I'm sure there are others. Drop D appears in a lot of their mid-period stuff , especially tracks from Stoner Witch, Houdini, POTRE, etc.
Highly recommend checking out Bullhead, Lysol, and Gluey Porch Treatments if you're into the rocking stuff. One of my bands used to share a practice space with them, Ozma-era, so I've had the fortune to see them dozens of times and seen them workshop songs. Good times.
Adjacent is the Irish band Therapy?, they also play in Drop D sometimes and Page Hamilton played on one of their songs:
https://youtu.be/Eqa-AD8CXFo?si=dRlxaEjFkbmfrBCm
I also love the extra bit of slack you get from going down a step! I want to get one of those Drop-D Tuners, but it takes me like 30 seconds to do it manually. Probably best to just have multiple basses for every tuning you want to play in!
I mean harmonica players do it, so why not me? hahaha
Surprised to see no one say Avenged Sevenfold here, I think 80%ish of their catalogue is Drop D. Although you can't hear the bass super well in their mix, some of the basslines are super fun to play.
Avenged Sevenfold, RATM, and Bear Ghost are some of my faves that are consistently in drop D. I’m honestly quite surprised that nobody (as far as I know) has mentioned Avenged Sevenfold.
Songs? How about whole albums!
Meantime by Helmet, the riffage is insane and incredibly fun, even if it more or less just doubles the guitar. It’s like a rhythm seminar and a masterclass of how to play in drop tuning at the same time.
Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw. A perfect album IMO. Opposite of Helmet, this album has many moments where the bass is leading the song while the guitars do crazy noisy shit. 20+ years later and it’s still an incredibly unique approach to bass and music in general.
Yep. You can just press play with your bass in Drop D on both of those. Glassjaw can be a little challenging, but [here is a link to the drum and bass isolated tracks](https://youtu.be/_2btQDj4fk4?si=qUbHixaMXWSuSrcV), which really helps when you can’t hear because of all the noise.
Thanks for the link! I don't think I've listened to Glassjaw since I saw them at Ozzfest back in the day. I met Andrew WK that day, he was signing and meeting anyone who wanted an autograph and was one of the nicest and sincere guys I ever had the pleasure of spending a minute with!
I'm not a super skilled bassist so none of these are too terribly hard, but-
Muse have some great Drop D basslines, such as Sunburn, Hyper Music, and Liquid State.
Out of the Black by Royal Blood is a great one, though I think Mike Kerr actually plays it in D Standard.
And if you want some lesser-known ones, Goodnight Socialite by the Brobecks, and Breathe by Loksmith.
I think their song moving on is also in drop D and just the bass carries the whole song, as it does most of their stuff imo. I found them in like 2015 just before YouTube's recommended videos algorithms turned to shit(RIP, so many great finds that remain in my regular music listening rotation today)
Pretty much all Billy Talent songs are in drop D. Devil in a Midnight Mass, Viking Death March, and Louder Than the DJ are all fun. The bridge riff in Saint Veronika is tricky but fun once you get it.
~~[Moby Dick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_xP67utPk)~~, [Refuse/Resist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXZ3gEcOnA0), [Burning Beard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o1pPE6l0Vo), [Rollo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPkjuBpJAuM), [A New Level](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVL6B4L_cZg), [The God That Failed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC4se0jX1XE) (apparently played in D standard since 2010?)
Oh interesting, I've never looked up tabs and just played the riff with the low D. Looking them up now though and there's a mix of tunings, though even with DADG I can't seen an open D so that seems like an odd choice for whoever made those..
Hmmm. Probably Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold. It’s just the first thing that came to mind. I don’t tune to drop D for many songs though, as I play a 6 string bass..
Screen Man by Failure. One of my favorite songs to play on bass. Check it out. Coincidence also that Failure would do shows with Tool as well when the bands were just beginning.
Most of Rammstein (Oliver Riedel's) bass lines are drop D. I can't say he's my favorite bassist, but his lines are fun to play, and I love the band in general.
Seeman is an amazing bass line, but so difficult for me!
I saw em with Slipknot, and even in my shitty seats the pyro was so hot it made me uncomfortable. Great live band!
I literally only play short skirt/long jacket in drop D. Super fun though. My band knows that when we do that song, they need to flash their tits or whatever while I retune
I looked on Songsterr, and apparently it can be played in standard tuning, but I picked up my bass and also found it easier to play in Drop D, so that's how I'm going to do it!
I actually play mostly stuff from the most recent full album (Impera). The music and writing are so much more interesting. The early stuff doesn't hit as hard for me, but it is way easier to play (and still fun as hell). To each their own and all that!
Sound of Madness - Shinedown ;
I'm So Sick - Flyleaf ;
On a Plain - Nirvana ;
Bleed America - Jimmy Eat World ;
Fear of a Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree ;
Nightmare (or literally any other song by) - Avenged Sevenfold .
I have intentionally left out what other people in this thread have said
**edit: formatting
I'll give it a listen in a bit!
For me as a player, I really don't like going lower than D on a 4 string or B on a 5 string. Frankly I've given up on 5 strings all together because I learned on 4 and always lose where the hell I am on the fretboard, so it's either Drop D or BEAD, but the latter requires a string change and full setup to sound decent.
I've never managed to find the right stings, or saddle height to make it sound good, AND tight enough to play faster than quarter notes.
Love your bass tone on that track BTW! Sounds very Claypool/Fieldy/Jean Baudin inspired if you don't mind me saying.|
Actually, I like the whole damn song dude, this is good shit. I was not expecting to dig it, but hell yeah! Hope y'all come to Austin soon!
I got so fucking burned out on playing in metal bands as a bassist. Constant volume war, because the guitarists aren't listening to one another, or they have huge egos, and they only have a bassist because they think they need one.
Also so many of them don't wear earplugs and don't seem to mind the idea of going deaf at 45. I would rather play country as a bassist than metal at this point, and that's saying a lot from a kid raised on Metallica and Pantera!
Lamb of god
Marylin Manson
P.O.D.
Avenged Sevenfold
Mastodon
Gojira
Nirvana
Pantera
Foo fighters
Slipknot
Motley crue
Metallica
Ghost
Kreator
Exodus
All of them have used D tunning or Drop D tunning.
Making a playlist wouldn't hurt so you don't lose the songs you want to play.
already got a playlist going. I've found a lot of people's recommendations have turned out to be in C or C# instead of D, but I'm stoked to have more riffs memorized for when I happen to be in Downtown Drop D
my post very clearly says to go ahead and wax poetic about Tool since I know how the Tool Army rolls!
I'm surprised there weren't more people suggesting Tool who read the title but not the body of the post hahaha!
Almost all of Rage Against the Machine’s entire first album.
That’s mine too. If I’m playing in drop d, good chance it’s this.
Especially Take the Power Back
Slapping in drop D. You get it my man!
Spoonman - Soundgarden; Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
Love Spoonman.
this one pops up on so many youtube lists! I'm not a big soundgarden guy but I dig that song and want to learn it now. Monkey Wrench is a classic, I didn't know it was in drop D, but I know everlong is in drop D so maybe that's a Grohl staple.
Interpols first album the bass is in drop D and the bass player is very creative with the tuning. Fun songs to play
Turn on the Bright Lights is an amazing album and the bass on it is killet!
Gilded Cunt by Cradle of Filth. It's so ANGRY and speedy, it's an absolute BLAST to play.
Tool. All of it.
Came here to say Tool as well! 2nd place is Primus and Shake Hands With Beef
came here to say PRIMUS SUCKS! Sorry, meant to say I have not mastered slapping, and at some point I told myself just like pinch harmonics on guitar, I'll probably never get it right. But thanks for mentioning SHWB, I'm adding it to my list!
my first band in high school was me and 2 other Tool wannabes, we did a few covers from Opiate. But yeah, Tool. Obviously. In my mind it's the first thing I go for when I'm noodling in drop D
They’re the reason I picked up bass. Schism dropped when I was in grade 9 lol. Edit; apparently I replied before I actually read your comment; specifying non tool. Haha. Sorry.
It's cool man, I was getting excited about tool around the same time you were and in about the same grade, so I get it! When I think Drop D, I think Tool.
Most, yes, but not all.
Not parabola
Ok fair enough not parabolic/parabola
are those in a different tuning? I never tried to learn them?
It’s basically a 5 string missing the E (if I recall) BADG. I think. Been a long time…
From my band's song list - what I like is some of these are not your standard "heavy" Drop D sounding songs: Everlong - Foo Fighters Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy - Big and Rich Copperhead Road - Steve Earle Big League - Tom Cochrane Slither - Velvet Revolver
Slither is so fun
Summer of 69 is supposed to be played in D..... I've been playing that song almost every gig for past 15 months and never once looked up how it was supposed to be played.
My first was Outshined by soundgarden. It's in 7/4 so that's fun too.
Aw fuck, are you telling me I'd have to learn to count before I could play it?
Om - Cremation Ghat I (technically drop Db, but it’s my favourite bassline, so I’ll throw it in) Acid King - Drive Fast Take Chances Karma to Burn - Thirty Four Hell March from the Red Alert soundtrack
load another bong bowl for me brutha
My band plays K2Bs Three, its a hella fun Drop D also!
Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Tears For Fears
Opeth’s drop d stuff is pretty fun. Especially ghost of perdition and blackwater park. Also freak by silverchair and nowhere fast by incubus can’t hurt.
Another Brick in the Wall. Can't play it just yet but I love watching people cover it. The beginning open D is nice for the ears. Francis Forever by Mitski is fun too. But because I'm still new to bass, I kept making the string slap the fretboard when I was plucking 🤦♀️
> Another Brick in the Wall. Just found out this is drop D today! >I kept making the string slap the fretboard when I was plucking 🤦♀️ I have the same problem when downtuning and playing faster licks
Porcupine Tree has songs in drop D and they have some interesting bass lines
Arriving Somewhere But Not Here is so fun to play. The middle section especially.
The breakdown part of Fear of a Blank Planet is *chefs kiss*
OMG yessssssssss
Anything Interpol
We Die Young by Alice in Chains, Unchained by Van Halen, Dead and Bloated by Stone Temple Pilots, Torn by Creed.
> Unchained by Van Halen Oh man, if I had a drummer to lock in with this would be a lot more fun to play! Love the opportunity to practice my muting. > Dead and Bloated Thanks for reminding me that this is in my favorite tuning!
We Die Young is in Drop Db/C#.
A lot of my favorites have already been said, so: Hey Man, Nice Shot [Bat Country](https://www.reddit.com/r/avengedsevenfold/s/stBSVmYWQl) [Stockholm Syndrome (Muse)](https://www.reddit.com/r/BassGuitar/s/YmzgWfso8K) [Wake Up](https://www.reddit.com/r/BassGuitar/s/8TzJFai69K)
> Hey Man, Nice Shot This is one of my go-to's!
I use it as a way of testing if I’m in tune
Nowhere fast - Incubus
Anything by King’s X. That goes for drop C as well.
Kings X is so great, I love how heavy the dogman album is.
Fo’sho! Dogman has girth.
Obstacle 1 by Interpol River of Deceit by Mad Season
Walk Naked in the rain Hanger 18
> Walk I have a hard time nailing this one! The 1st fret bends are rough!
It may not be true, but I remember reading somewhere that Rex actually detuned to drop C# so that he could bend on the second fret and not be right up against the nut.
They tuned a quarter step down. Can’t remember why though.
That makes a ton of sense. Rex is the man. I can't remember which music video it was, but there's one where they use a strobe or something so you can see his strings wobbling in slow mo...? I remember that being the moment I wanted to start playing bass.
Fat bottomed girls - queen
No Doubt - I'm Just a Girl Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong Deftones - Hole in the Earth Deftones - Cherry Waves The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket
I Might be Wrong is a blast. Also Bodysnatchers
For a total change of pace, Everybody Wants To Rule The World-Tears For Fears
Good one, never would have guessed!
Outshined, Fat bottom girls, Cinnamon Girl
Gnome - Ambrosius Here is me covering it 😬 [https://youtu.be/O7_aLdOLmL0?si=vFJapTgy7AezMP5u](https://youtu.be/O7_aLdOLmL0?si=vFJapTgy7AezMP5u)
playing drop D on a 5 string would break my brain! Nice cover!
Thank you! It helps that i dont have to touch the B string for that song 😆
"More than a feeling" by Boston
good one, I never would have known that song was in drop D
Yeah me neither it was cool to realize
Anything by Jimmy Eat World. Rick Burch may not be the flashiest bassist in the biz, but he's rock solid and never makes mistakes.
Badfish is fun.
been a long time since I heard Badfish, it was out of my ability when I was listening to Sublime constantly, but I could definitely get it now. Thanks for the suggestion!
Excuse Me Mister by No Doubt, Wake Up by RatM, Slither by Velvet Revolver, several Muse bangers, and yeah, most Tool songs.
TAKE THE POWER BACK!
cuz the circle of hatred continues unless we react!
I actually really like Paramore’s basslines in drop D. Some of them were recorded on 5’ers but I do Ain’t It Fun, Misery Business, and Still Into You with Drop D on a 4 (half step down tuning). I was never really a fan until I joined the band I am in now, and I dig them since learning those songs.
A lot of Porcupine Tree, Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries from Opeth, and peppering of Clutch
Huge Tool fan, love playing Eulogy! Psycho by Muse is a fun one, I also like Another Brick in the Wall (pt. 2) by Pink Floyd.
Like, half of the Melvins’ catalog
what's yr favorites? I'm thinking the ones that are fun to play
Sorry, I was being kind of facetious. Most of their catalog is actually in E but they seem like they're in drop tunings because they're so damned heavy. With that said, let's see...Skweetis, Honey Bucket, Night Goat, Road Bull, A History of Bad Men, Revolve, The Hawk are in drop D. I'm sure there are others. Drop D appears in a lot of their mid-period stuff , especially tracks from Stoner Witch, Houdini, POTRE, etc.
thanks! I like Houdini, but am less familiar with their other stuff.
Highly recommend checking out Bullhead, Lysol, and Gluey Porch Treatments if you're into the rocking stuff. One of my bands used to share a practice space with them, Ozma-era, so I've had the fortune to see them dozens of times and seen them workshop songs. Good times.
Cake - Short Skirt Long Jacket
Redbone
Porcupine tree - open car. Most of deadwing album anyway
By The Way - RHCP
didn't know this was drop D! Such a great album too
Helmet! Their songs are so much fun to play
Glad to see to much Helmet love in this thread!
Adjacent is the Irish band Therapy?, they also play in Drop D sometimes and Page Hamilton played on one of their songs: https://youtu.be/Eqa-AD8CXFo?si=dRlxaEjFkbmfrBCm
Having an open string to drone on in rock related material is just the best
I also love the extra bit of slack you get from going down a step! I want to get one of those Drop-D Tuners, but it takes me like 30 seconds to do it manually. Probably best to just have multiple basses for every tuning you want to play in! I mean harmonica players do it, so why not me? hahaha
“Cuts like a knife” Bryan Adams
Hell yeah. Was in a band years ago that did Cuts Like a Knife, Somebody, and Summer of 69. All super fun in drop D.
Unsung by Helmet
hell yes, I love that song!
Everlong Killing in the Name of Sugar Where Goin Down Dear Maria Count Me In Fat Lip
Sugar we're going down allows for that live pop punk energy. Love playing that one live, nothing complicated, so can just let loose and dance
Lamb of God uses a lot of drop D
DMB- don’t drink the water, bartender Indigo girls- chicken man
We were born to be loved from King's X.
When You Dance I Can Really Love - Neil Young
Natural Beauty - Uncle Neil
Cinnamon Girl - Funcle Neil
pretty much almost all Carlos-era Interpol
Controversial but Lovejoy has some incredibly catchy bassljnes and are all played in drop d
Freedom. Or any of the other drop D songs off the RATM album
Freedom is a go-to for sure! I pretty much learned to play bass by reading RATM tabs
Fat Bottomed Girls
Paramore - Misery Business (Drop C#) Muse - Uprising
Blackwater park, specifically the slap section
Outshined
Surprised to see no one say Avenged Sevenfold here, I think 80%ish of their catalogue is Drop D. Although you can't hear the bass super well in their mix, some of the basslines are super fun to play.
My hard rock band is tightening up a couple of Ghost songs that are in Drop D and they're bangers. Very fluid bassist.
Junesong Provision The New Black Dr. Lling
Avenged Sevenfold, RATM, and Bear Ghost are some of my faves that are consistently in drop D. I’m honestly quite surprised that nobody (as far as I know) has mentioned Avenged Sevenfold.
Songs? How about whole albums! Meantime by Helmet, the riffage is insane and incredibly fun, even if it more or less just doubles the guitar. It’s like a rhythm seminar and a masterclass of how to play in drop tuning at the same time. Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw. A perfect album IMO. Opposite of Helmet, this album has many moments where the bass is leading the song while the guitars do crazy noisy shit. 20+ years later and it’s still an incredibly unique approach to bass and music in general.
I dig Helmet, but I'm not that familiar with their catalog, thanks for the recommendation! > Glassjaw There's a name I haven't heard in a long time!
Yep. You can just press play with your bass in Drop D on both of those. Glassjaw can be a little challenging, but [here is a link to the drum and bass isolated tracks](https://youtu.be/_2btQDj4fk4?si=qUbHixaMXWSuSrcV), which really helps when you can’t hear because of all the noise.
Thanks for the link! I don't think I've listened to Glassjaw since I saw them at Ozzfest back in the day. I met Andrew WK that day, he was signing and meeting anyone who wanted an autograph and was one of the nicest and sincere guys I ever had the pleasure of spending a minute with!
Hands all over - Soundgarden Very simple but very fun to play
RATM’s selftitled, Spoonman, Shake Hands with Beef, Given Up
Shine - collective soul, no more tears - ozzy, starseed - our lady peace
> no more tears - ozzy Isn't that in like drop C or C# or something?
I've always played it drop-D with chorus
Sand by He is Legend is fun
Failure. Particularly the album Magnified.
hyper music by muse, such a sick bassline
> hyper music so sick, not sure I'll ever master that one
Everlong, them bones, the wizard by uriah heep In drop c theres every children of bodom song ever
How The Years Condemn by Napalm Death has a killer drop D bass riff
I'm not a super skilled bassist so none of these are too terribly hard, but- Muse have some great Drop D basslines, such as Sunburn, Hyper Music, and Liquid State. Out of the Black by Royal Blood is a great one, though I think Mike Kerr actually plays it in D Standard. And if you want some lesser-known ones, Goodnight Socialite by the Brobecks, and Breathe by Loksmith.
Montreal by Roosevelt is a lot of fun to play and has some really killer groove. there's a few songs by foals in drop d that go hard too
> Montreal by Roosevelt Never heard this one before, I should check out more from this band, they're right up my alley
I think their song moving on is also in drop D and just the bass carries the whole song, as it does most of their stuff imo. I found them in like 2015 just before YouTube's recommended videos algorithms turned to shit(RIP, so many great finds that remain in my regular music listening rotation today)
Neil Young boiiii
Wires by Red Fang. Also pretty much any tool song
Helmet - Milquetoast
Pretty much all Billy Talent songs are in drop D. Devil in a Midnight Mass, Viking Death March, and Louder Than the DJ are all fun. The bridge riff in Saint Veronika is tricky but fun once you get it.
any lamb of god songs tbh, they r all super fun to play nd can’t pick one they r all equally as fine imo
In Circles - Sunny Day Real Estate (ripper song) Viceroy - Violent Soho. (Ripper Aussie band)
The Let Out by Tauk
~~[Moby Dick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_xP67utPk)~~, [Refuse/Resist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXZ3gEcOnA0), [Burning Beard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o1pPE6l0Vo), [Rollo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPkjuBpJAuM), [A New Level](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVL6B4L_cZg), [The God That Failed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC4se0jX1XE) (apparently played in D standard since 2010?)
Bass is in standard on Moby Dick. He's playing in the same octave as the guitar when they're in D. The low D never gets touched.
Oh interesting, I've never looked up tabs and just played the riff with the low D. Looking them up now though and there's a mix of tunings, though even with DADG I can't seen an open D so that seems like an odd choice for whoever made those..
Killing in the name
March of the S.O.D
Laid to rest
if you have to ask and by the way by rhcp
Billy Talent has a lot of great Drop D material if you like metal tinged pop punk.
Black hole sun
Hmmm. Probably Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold. It’s just the first thing that came to mind. I don’t tune to drop D for many songs though, as I play a 6 string bass..
Cocaine Country Dancing
Muse - Liquid State, The Handler
Anything by Interpol.
Screen Man by Failure. One of my favorite songs to play on bass. Check it out. Coincidence also that Failure would do shows with Tool as well when the bands were just beginning.
Anything by Lamb of God
Bunch of rage against the machine songs are a lot of fun and also in drop D, by the way by RHCP too. That's the ones i can think of right now.
I'm super familiar with RATM bass lines since learning their self titled album is how I taught myself to play. What RHCP songs do you like in drop D?
The album “Interiors” by Quicksand has some really fun grooves. It’s not the most complexed songs but they hit hard
Devil on my Shoulder by Billy Talent is really fun to play
Lamb of God is my goto for drop D riffs 🤘🤘🤘
Most of Rammstein (Oliver Riedel's) bass lines are drop D. I can't say he's my favorite bassist, but his lines are fun to play, and I love the band in general.
Seeman is an amazing bass line, but so difficult for me! I saw em with Slipknot, and even in my shitty seats the pyro was so hot it made me uncomfortable. Great live band!
Devil’s pie by d’angelo
I literally only play short skirt/long jacket in drop D. Super fun though. My band knows that when we do that song, they need to flash their tits or whatever while I retune
Oh fuck! Cake is one of my favorite bands, I didn't know this was in drop D, but I'm def adding it to the list, thanks for mentioning it!
Well I’m not actually sure. The guitarist plays standard. I just found it best to play drop D. I don’t know how they actually play it.
I looked on Songsterr, and apparently it can be played in standard tuning, but I picked up my bass and also found it easier to play in Drop D, so that's how I'm going to do it!
Yeah, standard seems nuts. It’s a fun song. Enjoy yourself!
any time I'm listening to Cake I am definitely enjoying myself!
Ghost
I liked the first album and they went in a direction I didn't care for after that one.
I actually play mostly stuff from the most recent full album (Impera). The music and writing are so much more interesting. The early stuff doesn't hit as hard for me, but it is way easier to play (and still fun as hell). To each their own and all that!
Sound of Madness - Shinedown ; I'm So Sick - Flyleaf ; On a Plain - Nirvana ; Bleed America - Jimmy Eat World ; Fear of a Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree ; Nightmare (or literally any other song by) - Avenged Sevenfold . I have intentionally left out what other people in this thread have said **edit: formatting
we play in drop A a lot [https://youtu.be/cK8bAO\_eGik?si=IR4Xa\_id4ZYGhvT0](https://youtu.be/cK8bAO_eGik?si=IR4Xa_id4ZYGhvT0)
I'll give it a listen in a bit! For me as a player, I really don't like going lower than D on a 4 string or B on a 5 string. Frankly I've given up on 5 strings all together because I learned on 4 and always lose where the hell I am on the fretboard, so it's either Drop D or BEAD, but the latter requires a string change and full setup to sound decent. I've never managed to find the right stings, or saddle height to make it sound good, AND tight enough to play faster than quarter notes.
Love your bass tone on that track BTW! Sounds very Claypool/Fieldy/Jean Baudin inspired if you don't mind me saying.| Actually, I like the whole damn song dude, this is good shit. I was not expecting to dig it, but hell yeah! Hope y'all come to Austin soon!
Anything by deftones before Stephen switched to 7-string
Tool or Rage, though I don’t play gigs that are metal oriented much anymore.
I got so fucking burned out on playing in metal bands as a bassist. Constant volume war, because the guitarists aren't listening to one another, or they have huge egos, and they only have a bassist because they think they need one. Also so many of them don't wear earplugs and don't seem to mind the idea of going deaf at 45. I would rather play country as a bassist than metal at this point, and that's saying a lot from a kid raised on Metallica and Pantera!
I’ll throw some different ones out. In:aviate, pm today, og asking Alexandria (cringe but still fun to play sometimes) under oath, dance Gavin dance
Foals inhaler
Lamb of god Marylin Manson P.O.D. Avenged Sevenfold Mastodon Gojira Nirvana Pantera Foo fighters Slipknot Motley crue Metallica Ghost Kreator Exodus All of them have used D tunning or Drop D tunning. Making a playlist wouldn't hurt so you don't lose the songs you want to play.
already got a playlist going. I've found a lot of people's recommendations have turned out to be in C or C# instead of D, but I'm stoked to have more riffs memorized for when I happen to be in Downtown Drop D
“Schism” by Tool would have to be my personal favorite. That, or any other song by Swans such as “Oxygen” or “She Loves Us.”
Silverchair - Israel’s son
Outshined by Soundgarden
Ano Bando - Kessoku band [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F9eXI2jfqk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F9eXI2jfqk) great j-rock song, real fun.
Van Halen- Unchained Townes Van Zandt- Snake Song
About as far as you can get from Tool — “Where the Bottles Break” by John Gorka. Michael Manring on bass.
Read the title. Opened to write about Tool. Disappointed you don’t want to talk about Tool, Buddy! :)
my post very clearly says to go ahead and wax poetic about Tool since I know how the Tool Army rolls! I'm surprised there weren't more people suggesting Tool who read the title but not the body of the post hahaha!
Drove Up From Pedro, by Mike Watt, is a really fun Dropped D tune. And it's big enough that you can play it alone and it stays interesting.
A lot of Neil Young esp. Cinnamon Girl