thejestersgate wrote:
Greetings, I've been pondering a few questions about the guitar and song writing in B for a while and I've decided to ask a few questions that I just can't seem to figure out for myself.
When playing b standard If use the notes in the E minor scale pattern over then entire fret board would that make it B minor?
That would depend on what you mean by notes. If you literally mean notes, than no, it would still be in E minor. If, however, you mean playing the same
frets (that is, the same positions on the neck), then yes, you would be playing in B minor.
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Would I want to do this? Or... would it be better to to take all the notes from the B string in standard tuning and use them on the low string. With the rest of the notes being the same as the e minor scale pattern? I'm not sure which one's correct if not both.
That's more a matter of personal choice than of being correct. If you wish to play everything you've written in E in B instead, than simply play the same frets in B tuning. If you decide this does not sound as good to you as it did in E, you can still play them in E---you'll just have to find E in your new B tuning. With B, this is pretty easy----B standard tuning is B-E-A-D-F#-B. In other words, whatever you were playing on the thickest string, simply move it up to the second-thickest string, since it's the same note (E).
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I've noticed too that songs in B aren't usually played as fast as thrashy D or standard tuning songs. Is this the norm? I've noticed bands like iced earth, slayer, and metallica play at tempo's that excede the likes of Bolt thrower, at the gates and carcass. Is there a speed limit on playing in this tuning due to string tension or is it just mainly personal preference??
It depends on the a few things. Your preferred string tension is one of them. Some bands have a very loose sound and like it that way, but usually they play a bit slower so it doesn't sound like utter shit. Now, I've never downtuned to B, but I imagine 14-gauge strings would make it tight enough that it wouldn't get that rubber-band sound, and since you say you've taken it to a shop I'm sure they made it good for B. My guess is you don't like the rubber-band sound, hence why you took it a shop. Regardless, it should be fine for faster speeds, if that is what you wish to play.
You should note, however, that there are bands who play fast in this tuning, or even lower. For example: Nile play in drop-A, and they play pretty fast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNQpLFns-CAthejestersgate wrote:
Actually I'm lost as shit. How do you tune the G string of a guitar to F#? And then transposing notes? How do notes on the high b string in standard tuning transpose to the low e string in b standard?
Tuning the G string to F# is just down tuning it half a step.
Transposing notes from the high B (in standard tuning) to a low B (in B standard) really isn't transposition---both of the notes will be the same, just lower in pitch. For example: if you want to play a riff made entirely for a high B on a low B, just play the exact same frets, except on the lowest string---they're both B's, it doesn't matter. One will just be lower than the other.