Quarter-Step Tuning? Song out of pitch? Halp!

[MenaceMartin]

Hi folks, just looking for some input regarding a case of strange tuning I've only just discovered.

I hear the new Airbourne single and I think "Yes! I must learn this and cover it. It sounds fun".

So, I tune my guitar to standard E (common for Airbourne), and nope, this doesn't sound right, my guitar sounds too sharp, so it must be Eb tuning. Nope, now the guitar is too flat. What gives?

Is there something blatantly obvious that I'm missing? Is there an unusual tuning they are using that I'm not aware of, or is it a slight change in pitch due to some error during mixing?

So far, the only way I can play the song is if I raise it's pitch in Audacity until it sounds playable... but it's not the ideal solution, imo, and would rather play the song at the pitch it was intended.

Any ideas? Anyone come across this before? Is it some sort of tuning I'm missing out?

PS. Oddly enough, they certainly use standard E in the live footage of them playing the song.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZvBIgEPLrA"]Airbourne - Rivalry[/ame]

 

[rabidhamster]

sometimes they slightly alter the playing speed of a track on a recording after the fact, for any number of reasons. Punchiness, play length, etc. There are hundreds of other examples of this, some more pronounced.


If they play in E live, thats the best you can hope for

 

[huw]

Tune your guitar to the track.

In the "old days" we had to do that all the time - tapes would stretch, machines would run a hair fast/slow, or sometimes the band went into the studio and tuned to themselves, rather than to a tuner. There are hundreds of instances, although it's less common nowadays.

 

[Roberteaux]

sometimes they slightly alter the playing speed of a track on a recording after the fact, for any number of reasons. Punchiness, play length, etc. There are hundreds of other examples of this, some more pronounced.


If they play in E live, thats the best you can hope for

This.

My former instructor told me that if I meant to figure out and woodshed a song directly off a recording, to tune my guitar to the one I'm attempting to cover.

He told me that the tuning of the guitar in the recording would almost always be off by at least several cents.

--R

 

[MenaceMartin]

sometimes they slightly alter the playing speed of a track on a recording after the fact, for any number of reasons. Punchiness, play length, etc. There are hundreds of other examples of this, some more pronounced.


If they play in E live, thats the best you can hope for

This.

My former instructor told me that if I meant to figure out and woodshed a song directly off a recording, to tune my guitar to the one I'm attempting to cover.

He told me that the tuning of the guitar in the recording would almost always be off by at least several cents.

--R

Tune your guitar to the track.

In the "old days" we had to do that all the time - tapes would stretch, machines would run a hair fast/slow, or sometimes the band went into the studio and tuned to themselves, rather than to a tuner. There are hundreds of instances, although it's less common nowadays.

Thanks for the replies guys! That's actually pretty interesting and does make sense, especially taking into account previous sound engineering techniques. I had no idea it was such a common occurrence. I guess even with modern tuners and so on, nothing is actually ever precisely in tune.

I'm just that used to covering/playing along with songs that are perceived to be in-pitch in the recordings. This is the first time I've ever experienced this and I'll need to give tuning my guitar to the song a go. It'll put my ear to the test but I'm sure it'll sound bril.

Thanks peeps

 

[Pete M]

Almost everything is a bit out of tune. Sometimes they did 85 takes of a song. Its not going to be in tune. In the age before digital tuners forgedaboutit.

 

[sk8rat]

I know jimmy page played slightly out of tune at times. sometimes they would slow down or speed up the track to bring it up to pitch (I believe they did this on when the levee breaks) other times they left it. iirc tangerine is tuned down like 1/8 step.

 

[foxtrot]

Others have already said the two most likely reasons: they either altered the speed of the recording a tad; or the group tuned to themselves in the studio.

Black Hole Sun has this issue. It's like 30 cents off of standard tuning in the studio recording.

If you use a program like Amazing Slow Downer you can alter the pitch of a song so that you don't need to change your tuning if you don't want to when playing along/practicing.

 

[Tone deaf]

sometimes they slightly alter the playing speed of a track on a recording after the fact, for any number of reasons. Punchiness, play length, etc. There are hundreds of other examples of this, some more pronounced.


If they play in E live, thats the best you can hope for

This

Tune your guitar to the track.

In the "old days" we had to do that all the time - tapes would stretch, machines would run a hair fast/slow, or sometimes the band went into the studio and tuned to themselves, rather than to a tuner. There are hundreds of instances, although it's less common nowadays.

and this.

I'll try to get one root note dialed in and then turn the rest of the guitar to it.

 

[MenaceMartin]

Nice one folks! Thanks again I'm planning on recording/attempting a cover of it today (though no promises). I'm gonna try tuning my guitar to the song at first and hopefully that should work out good. If not, I'll just resort to using the version of the song that I've altered the pitch on. Thanks guys!

EDIT: After listening to their new album which was released yesterday, it appears half of the songs on the album are recorded in such a way. Unusual, and certainly a first for them!