Is the bass in Something Drop D?

[nukebass]

I have been wondering this for a couple of months. I have the isolated RockBand tracks and listened to them a bit and the recordings and it sounds to me like McCartney is hitting the low D at the end of the walkdown right before the guitar solo. If it is drop D, it strikes me as odd since this would be the only time that I am aware of drop D being used in the bass. Do you think maybe the whole bass is tuned down a step? Or, am I missing the note entirely? I do sometimes have trouble with octaves.

[jps]

Dig through your back issues of Bass Player magazine; a year or two ago they printed a complete transcription of the song.

[s4001]

Doesn't sound like a drop D. Just walking down on the third string resolving to the D on the second string.

[nukebass]

Dig through your back issues of Bass Player magazine; a year or two ago they printed a complete transcription of the song.

I don't have that!!

Besides, I bought their transcription of Oh Darling when I was college (yes, I think that was an issue in 99...man I'm getting old) and it missed the whole third verse! What's up with that??

[nukebass]

Doesn't sound like a drop D. Just walking down on the third string resolving to the D on the second string.

There's that octaves thing again

[wolfgang]

the bass is in standard tune
he played C (3rd),B (3rd), A(probably open 3rd), G (4th), F (4th), E (4th), C(3rd)

Well, he should have played C, B, A. G, E, D (2nd), C, but his version is quite right, too...
(lowest string (E) =4th, highest string (G)= 1st)
Wolfgang

[FabGearHead]

Guys, I've always thought it went (and played it this way), from the ''A" string, C, B, A open, G, E, G, C.

Paul would bounce off of octave notes in his playing to provide more dynamics, but in re-listening to the isolated bass track for 'Something', I can definately hear the drop down resolve at Low "D". From the "A" string C position, the bass decends like this; C, B, A open?), G, E, D, and back to the C position, "A" string for the start of the solo. Paul most definately altered his tuning at times with his acoustic guitars, and we've probably all seen the pics of Paul with a capo on his Rick bass in the Abbey Road studio while recording. Just my take...

This is from Rick Roosa's (congerz83) work in isolating tracks. Give it another listen with good headphones.

http://mp3upload.ca/music/view/30399

[wolfgang]

No, sorry,
when I listen to the isolated track I can hear clearly, as I mentioned above,
C (3rd),B (3rd), A(probably open 3rd), G (4th), F (4th), E (4th), C(3rd)

Wolfgang

[nukebass]

Guys, I've always thought it went (and played it this way), from the ''A" string, C, B, A open, G, E, G, C.

Paul would bounce off of octave notes in his playing to provide more dynamics, but in re-listening to the isolated bass track for 'Something', I can definately hear the drop down resolve at Low "D". From the "A" string C position, the bass decends like this; C, B, A open?), G, E, D, and back to the C position, "A" string for the start of the solo. Paul most definately altered his tuning at times with his acoustic guitars, and we've probably all seen the pics of Paul with a capo on his Rick bass in the Abbey Road studio while recording. Just my take...

This is from Rick Roosa's (congerz83) work in isolating tracks. Give it another listen with good headphones.

http://mp3upload.ca/music/view/30399

That's what I was hearing andy why I posed the question. I don't know of any other track where McCartney used anything other but standard bass tuning, so it seemed weird he would choose this song to detune the E string. Musically it makes sense to resolve to the D, but it does get a little muddy in the isolated track. I've tried it both ways and am still not 100% sure.

[FabGearHead]

After Wolfgang's post followed mine, I got curious and triple checked the track again. For what it's worth, to my ears, when Paul is playing notes on the "E" string, they sound different somehow. Almost flabby or "farty", just looser. The notes he plays on the "A", "D", and "G" strings sound even in response with a clarity that is consistent throughout.

Again, just what my ears are hearing...

[servant]

I have slowed it down and raised it up an octave. For some reason, the notes on the E string are noticeably out of tune and warble in pitch. It is, however, clearly standard (un-)tuning. The walk-down notes at the end of the bridge are:

C B A G F E (which really sounds like it is between Eb and E) C

[ShakyDave]

Another isolated track from "Something," this time bass & drums. Although the bass level drops off a bit in the bridge, it's clear to me that he plays D either on the 5th fret on the A string or open. The "Bass Player" magazine transcription show D below the staff, but it's wrong.

[wolfgang]

by the way:
the "funky" end of the bass track was not used for the record. For the last bars a not so busy version was overdubbed on the guitar track.

And yes, there are some bass overdubs in the bridge and the solo. If not from the bass guitar it could be from an organ bass pedal. I don't know.
But if you listen to the normal Abbey Road CD-version, but out of phase (karaoke), you may hear the bass guitar playing ...g f e and c, as we mentioned above.

Wolfgang

[Zurdo]

same sounds as in the White Album...