If you're interested in the late '80s / early '90s Seattle grunge scene, you're familiar with Drop D tuning, whether you realize it or not. The term refers to when a guitarist drops the low E string on their instrument down one full step to a D note. This sound became synonymous with the Seattle scene of the time, and Kim Thayil is taking credit.

In a new interview with Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougall, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil takes ownership of the Seattle grunge guitar style. "I think we certainly popularized it locally in Seattle, and probably the influence Seattle had, it probably extended nationally, and ultimately internationally with that genre of music," Thayil says.

McDougall put up highlights from the chat on Soundcloud, which you can stream below.

Thayil continued by saying there was one major band from Seattle who never copied that style. "Pearl Jam was a giant band that never did that," Thayil claims. "They're the only ones that didn't really take or borrow from us. They had their own vision about what they were doing."

As for the other acts? Thayil states, "We were pretty damn popular. We were probably the biggest band in Seattle for a while there, and many of our friends ended up borrowing, and sounding, more like us. Drop D was one of them, but then we started using other weird tunings and I think that’s where we left them aside." Thayil names Nirvana and Alice in Chains as bands who flourished with Drop D tuning.

Back in November, Soundgarden released a rarities collection called Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path. It was a project Thayil spearheaded and is very proud of. As for 2015, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell was in the studio recently working on new music for a solo album, and the band is expected to work on a new record later this year.

Soundgarden's Kim Thayil Talks to Lindsay McDougall

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