That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: What theory to look for when playing dropped C and still sound fresh?
FWIW, I actually like Hoobastank a lot. While Nickelback regurgitates the same cliche rock hooks, Dan Estrin has a really great melodic sense; I've also met Dan in person and he's really down-to-Earth. You can't really judge the band by "The Reason" because they actually have quite a few really great rock songs (let's hear haters write something as catchy as "Same Direction" and get back to me). That's like saying Aerosmith sucks because they wrote crap like "Dude Looks Like a Lady". "Aerosuck"...hehe. Anyhow, terrible band name, but IMHO they carry a lot more artistic integrity than Nickelback.
Getting back to the topic at hand - many rock bands stick with the traditional bar chords and there's nothing wrong with that, but at that point you're relying on your rhythm and phrasing to keep things interesting. What I always liked about alternate tunings is that they open your mind to different voicings you may not have initially thought of just out of pure accident. I've always liked tunings like DADAAD where you play traditional power chords on the lower strings, but you play around with the b or e strings to get some really fun things happening and it's those notes that ring out that really paints a broader picture. Granted, I'm sure you could get there much faster with a background in theory, but just using your ears and having fun with it will carry you a long way. I seem to remember Dan wrote a few songs in open E (EBEG#BE) earlier in his career, too.
FWIW, I actually like Hoobastank a lot. While Nickelback regurgitates the same cliche rock hooks, Dan Estrin has a really great melodic sense; I've also met Dan in person and he's really down-to-Earth. You can't really judge the band by "The Reason" because they actually have quite a few really great rock songs (let's hear haters write something as catchy as "Same Direction" and get back to me). That's like saying Aerosmith sucks because they wrote crap like "Dude Looks Like a Lady". "Aerosuck"...hehe. Anyhow, terrible band name, but IMHO they carry a lot more artistic integrity than Nickelback.
Getting back to the topic at hand - many rock bands stick with the traditional bar chords and there's nothing wrong with that, but at that point you're relying on your rhythm and phrasing to keep things interesting. What I always liked about alternate tunings is that they open your mind to different voicings you may not have initially thought of just out of pure accident. I've always liked tunings like DADAAD where you play traditional power chords on the lower strings, but you play around with the b or e strings to get some really fun things happening and it's those notes that ring out that really paints a broader picture. Granted, I'm sure you could get there much faster with a background in theory, but just using your ears and having fun with it will carry you a long way. I seem to remember Dan wrote a few songs in open E (EBEG#BE) earlier in his career, too.
