City of Hope "Drop D Tuning"?

[Rick]

I asked about this in the "Reviews" thread, but didn't get any answers. Saint John was no help!

Anyone know if Neal and Ross used "Drop D Tuning" on this track? It sounds like they may have.

If you've never heard of it, this explains what it is.

Essentially, it's lowering the low "e" string on the guitar and bass one whole note to "d". It gives the guitar a heavier, meaner, ballsier sound.

You can hear it on City of Hope, or I'm pretty sure that's what they did.

When Neal and Ross roll down the scale at the end of the verses, you hear them hit the bottom note, and to me it sounds like they're going down to "d". Sounds great doesn't it?

I have a friend that is a guitar whiz, and in the early '80's, he explained it to me and had me listen to an example of it in one of Van Halen's songs. I forget which one it was now. And then demonstrated it on his own guitar. Sure sounds like what they did on City of Hope.

[StringsOfJoy]

I think the note you're referring to is simply an open E on the sixth string. Neal isn't using Drop-D tuning live when he plays this song and I don't hear a D in there, if I'm listening to the same note.

To most listeners, I think "heavier, meaner, ballsier" may sound a little different than something they'd describe as "darker," which dropped tuning can achieve very well. "Higher Place" used a brightly-voiced guitar with Drop-D tuning to exploit the contrast and provide wide audible texture, but "City of Hope" doesn't require a Drop-D guitar: in fact, that badass note you're talking about would probably lose something in dropped tuning because you wouldn't be able to play it on an open string and get the full length of the string vibrating.

I think you're simply hearing good tone achieved with good technique through very good equipment.

[Ehwmatt]

I think the note you're referring to is simply an open E on the sixth string. Neal isn't using Drop-D tuning live when he plays this song and I don't hear a D in there, if I'm listening to the same note.

To most listeners, I think "heavier, meaner, ballsier" may sound a little different than something they'd describe as "darker," which dropped tuning can achieve very well. "Higher Place" used a brightly-voiced guitar with Drop-D tuning to exploit the contrast and provide wide audible texture, but "City of Hope" doesn't require a Drop-D guitar: in fact, that badass note you're talking about would probably lose something in dropped tuning because you wouldn't be able to play it on an open string and get the full length of the string vibrating.

I think you're simply hearing good tone achieved with good technique through very good equipment.

Lol... missed Rick posting this as a separate thread after he asked it in the long Eclipse reviews thread. I wrote the SAME thing there that you did . Here it is:

Rick: No. I don't believe the main rhythm guitar is in drop D. To my ears, it's just your standard chunky E5 power chord riff. I'll have to double check on my guitar tomorrow though. It's a little late to be jamming (even though Dan, my buds, and I once had a drunken, post-Frontiers concert jam session at 4 AM here one time... can't imagine that pleased my neighbors downstairs).

Compare the City of Hope rhythm sound to that of Higher Place's chorus, which IS in Drop D, and I think you'll hear Higher Place is lower.

Rick, you can hear drop D tuning on some of these famous cuts: Unchained (VH), Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young), ANY Tool song, anything by Creed (garbage), Everlong (Foo Fighters), Spoonman (Soundgarden), Even Flow (Pearl Jam), Lots of Motley Crue songs.... geez, can mostly think of grunge/metal stuff right now. I know there's more 80s drop D classics that I can't think of right now.

[Hollywood]

Ross' basses are tuned to a traditional Nashville tuning which is BEAD. Essentially a five-string bass with out the high G string. City of Hope sounds like it is D tuned, but Ross doesn't need to do anything to accomplish this just Neal.

[Aaron]

It's a good question and I don't believe Neal is drop D tuned. It's lower than that, I think the low E string is tuned two full steps down in C. Its a low root note and I'm pissed about it. It gives the song that BioHazard evil tone which Journey is not and I hate it.

If you want to hear the originators of that "City of Hope" evil riff, listen to the Loverboy CD from a couple of years ago. They did it first.

[AlteredDNA]

The song is in E, but chord your referring to sounds like B, with F# as the root on guitar, and the bass guitar hitting F# and B an octave lower - in my opinion anyway...

[Ehwmatt]

The song is in E, but chord your referring to sounds like B, with F# as the root on guitar, and the bass guitar hitting F# and B an octave lower - in my opinion anyway...

Yep. Neal is not tuned down to C in this song. It wouldn't be physically possible for him to play the chunky E riff that is going on in the actual "there's a city of hope" chorus

[FishinMagician]

I just checked with my in tune guitar and the note at 4:46 is an open E.
Edge of the moment is in Eb though and I think chain of love is also

[brywool]

Ross' basses are tuned to a traditional Nashville tuning which is BEAD. Essentially a five-string bass with out the high G string. City of Hope sounds like it is D tuned, but Ross doesn't need to do anything to accomplish this just Neal.

I never realized Ross did that. Cool.