AC/DC · High Voltage · song 5
T.N.T. tuning.
T.N.T. (AC/DC, 1976) is in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440).
Not measured yet
TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from disputed sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.
AC/DC · High Voltage · 1976
About T.N.T.
A chanted Bon Scott-era anthem, first released on the Australian album T.N.T. (1975) and then on the international High Voltage (1976). The riff and the power chords are simple; the tuning is the open question.
TuneLit has not measured it. The most-viewed Songsterr tab (guitars and bass) is in E♭ Standard, another popular tab plays it in E Standard, and fans on the ACDCfans.net forum are not sure either. TuneLit lists E♭ Standard at A 440 and marks it as disputed. One clue points down: Can I Sit Next to You Girl, from the same 1975 sessions, was measured from a compilation copy and sits in E♭ Standard about 40 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430), more than a half step under concert E, though that was the least certain reading of the set.
So the record may sit between the two tunings rather than on either. Many 1970s AC/DC records run flat by varying amounts, and a tabber with an A 440 tuner hears a record a quarter step or more below E as E♭.
Tip: Play the opening riff in E♭ Standard against the record first: if it sounds a half step low, switch to E Standard, and if it is only a little off, move the reference A instead.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E♭ Standard, the notes T.N.T. was recorded in.
- From the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step. No tuner that knows E♭ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 1, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to E♭ Standard. Check each string again afterwards, since a capo pulls the strings a little sharp.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. T.N.T. sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play T.N.T. along with the record: its lowest open note and your String 6 should ring together without a wobble.
Or the other way round
Move the record into your tuning
Rather keep your guitar as it is? Let Play along move T.N.T. instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E♭ Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and T.N.T. moves up a half step, at its own speed. Slow it down or loop a few bars to learn it, and save the result as a WAV file.
Questions
What tuning is T.N.T. in?
E♭ Standard: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, low to high.