39 Best Drop-B Songs
Contents
“These Colours Don’t Run” by Architects
It only makes sense to follow up a Rage Against The Machine track with a song by Architects. The song, These Colours Don’t Run, is about as honest as it gets when it comes to a metalcore band.
When listening to this song, you will be confronted with the travesties of modern society. There are some insane tapping passages as well as a downright brutal breakdown worthy of a hall of fame.
“Fault Line” by August Burns Red
If you want to break beyond traditional songwriting structures, August Burns Red’s Fault Line is worth learning. While the song has traditional-to-metalcore musical tropes, the song plays more like a prog track in its composition.
This song will have you going all over so you better make sure that your chops are up to snuff. You’ll be employing catchy lead riffs and rhythmic breakdown parts all with the intensity of napalm.
“Rocket Skates” by Deftones
Deftones is another group that has had a tenuous career, making a serious impact along the way. For many, the song Rocket Skates was akin to a nostalgic throwback to the Deftones of the late-1990s.
While this song is heavy, Rocket Skates has a surprisingly infectious groove underlying the majority of its composition. Early intermediates could fare well here as the guitar parts are designed to support rather than take center stage.
“Proof” by Tremonti
Let’s face it, Creed was one of the world’s biggest rock acts heading into the new millennium. Somewhere along the way, Creed’s popularity diminished as it was no longer “cool” to be a fan.
Mark Tremonti has had a surprisingly successful career despite the “stain” (if you’d call it that) of Creed. He’s also one of the main reasons that Paul Reed Smith guitars have gone mainstream.
Tremonti still has his chops, as is evident in his song, Proof.
“Alpha” by Sevendust
Sevendust is a band that literally kept their nose on the grindstone, and toured to their success. By touring, they sold over half a million copies of their debut album, which initially only sold a few hundred.
The song, Alpha, is the final track on the 2007 album of the same title. If you have a grasp of rhythmic metal grooves, Alpha should come relatively easy to you.
“Revive” by The Devil Wears Prada
Dayton, Ohio’s metalcore group, The Devil Wears Prada serves up hardcore music like it’s permanently 2006. If you want to revisit the glory days, check out the song Revive, which comes from the Zombie EP.
You’ll want to have this in your repertoire if you play in a multi-vocalist metalcore group.
“Tiny Birds” by Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo is a band that has been a constant presence in the indie-rock scene ever since the 1980s. They are one of the few examples of a group that has only gotten better as time has gone by.
The group’s career began to hit a serious stride in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A few of the albums released in that time period are considered indie-rock landmarks, including the album Summer Sun.
This album is full of classic Yo La Tengo tracks, including the song, Tiny Birds. If you’re primarily used to playing in E Standard, this might be a good one to try out.
Instead of detuning the entire guitar, you’ll actually only drop the 6th string down to B. This song will give you a tiny masterclass in composing melodic indie-rock guitar parts that are simple yet foundational.
“Heavy” by Theory Of A Deadman
Theory Of A Deadman’s track, Heavy, is almost reminiscent of Rob Zombie’s song, Dragula. Yet, once the chorus kicks in, the track has the same pop groove as the country music from 2010-2020.
It seems like a confused song, but it might have danceable merit with audiences that have been hitting the sauce.
“Pig” by System Of A Down
If you’re looking for street-cred with System Of A Down fans, try your hand at learning the song, Pig. This song was never actually released and is from a demo tape from the mid-1990s.
You’ll need to focus your ears to discern what’s happening on the lo-fi recording.
“Carry” by ISIS
If you’re into prog-metal but don’t know ISIS, you’re in for a treat. Learn the song Carry, which comes from their classic 2nd album.
For being a metal track, Carry is extremely meditative, as is much of ISIS’s music.
“Gaia” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
As far as current bands go, none is more prolific than Australia’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. In 2022 alone, the band released 5 full-length albums, which is a massive accomplishment, to say the least.
The crazy thing is, the band actually had a 5-album year in 2017 as well. What’s really interesting is that each album manages to be extremely distinct and unique.
The smorgasbord of musical genres has helped to make them one of the premier live acts of current times. After over a decade of outputting music like a factory, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is continually selling out shows.
The band is not afraid to experiment with tunings (they have multiple albums featuring microtonal tunings). Their track, Gaia, features the Drop-B tuning in a psychedelic stoner-rock setting complete with interesting rhythmic changes.
“Only” by Nine Inch Nails
In the early 2000s, Trent Reznor proved that Nine Inch Nails still held relevance for the modern millennium. The album, With Teeth, was the first album since the critically-acclaimed 1999 album, The Fragile.
Make no mistake about it, following The Fragile is no small feat because that album really is gold. But, With Teeth served up more of that classic Nine Inch Nails formula.
The song, Only, is an exceptional example of these classic Nine Inch Nails musical characteristics. Listen and you’ll find an irresistible dance groove complete with ambient soundscapes and Reznor’s signature raw lyrical delivery.
Playing this track is relatively simple as the song relies on the use of layers to build its massive sound. Because of this layered approach, each part needs to be simple enough to gel with the other layers.
At the end of the day, that is what makes the Nine Inch Nails music catalog worthy of study. Each song is designed with layering, using simplicity as a strength to build something larger than each individual part.
“Lazy Comet” by Polvo
Out of all the bands featured in this article, Polvo is perhaps the most obscure to mainstream audiences. With that being said, they are also one of the most influential underground groups of the 1990s.
Polvo helped to establish the math-rock genre, often featuring obtuse and unpredictable time signatures. They also have a distinct flair for dissonant guitars, which only makes their music more gripping.
Their album, Today’s Active Lifestyles, remains a landmark icon in the early formation of the genre. It is on this album that you’ll find the track, Lazy Comet, which utilizes the Drop-B tuning.
Keep in mind, if your ears are used to mainstream music, this is going to be a jarring listening experience. Part of what makes it so uncomfortable is the lackadaisical use of a guitar slide, imbuing a disjointed, drunken feeling.
Best Drop-B Songs, Final Thoughts
You’ll probably encounter some mechanical issues with your guitar if you’re primarily used to playing in E Standard. One of the most common aspects you’ll run into is excessive fret buzz from the loosened strings.
Sometimes, switching to a higher-gauge set of strings can help to alleviate this issue. However, depending on if the tuning is permanent, you might fare better in getting the guitar professionally set up.
More often than not, you’ll find baritone guitars being utilized with this tuning due to its longer neck. That doesn’t mean you can’t use your regular guitar to rock out to some of these classic Drop-B songs.
