AC/DC · 1979 · Studio album
Highway to Hell tuning.
E Standard, about 50 cents flat (A ≈ 427). 7 of 10 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −50 ¢
About 50 cents flat (A ≈ 427).
Community
Not measured yet
TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from community sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.
E Standard about a quarter step flat, as fans describe it. TuneLit measured three songs from a compilation, and they are not slowed by the same amount: the title track 63 ¢ flat (A ≈ 424), Touch Too Much and If You Want Blood (You've Got It) about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431). Beating Around the Bush, Get It Hot, Love Hungry Man and Night Prowler are tabbed in E♭.
10 songs · 7 tuned differently
Every song, ready to tune
Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean
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1. Highway to Hell
Different pitch
E Standard A 424Measured
Notes
Measured E Standard at A 424 (63 ¢ flat), the same strings as E♭ Standard +37 ¢. Tabs say E♭ or E.
The song is played in A in E Standard (the official sheet music is in A major), and fans say it sounds about a quarter step low on the album. TuneLit measured it 63 ¢ below concert pitch (A ≈ 424). An A 440 tuner reads that as E♭ +37 ¢, which is why the most-viewed Songsterr tab is in E♭ Standard while others use E. The tab's notes match the record's low notes on that grid, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio agrees: the low string is E tuned 63 ¢ flat, the same strings as E♭ tuned 37 ¢ sharp. Measured from an unofficial compilation whose copy runs as long as the official track.
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2. Girls Got Rhythm
E Standard −50 ¢Community
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3. Walk All Over You
E Standard −50 ¢Community
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4. Touch Too Much
Different pitch
E Standard −34 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431.5).
Tabs play it in E Standard. TuneLit measured it about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431.5), well above the title track, from an unofficial compilation whose copy runs as long as the official track.
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5. Beating Around the Bush
Different tuning
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard.
Songsterr's tab is in E♭ Standard. The title track, also tabbed in E♭, measures E Standard 63 ¢ flat, the same as E♭ Standard 37 ¢ sharp, so if E♭ sounds a little flat against the record, raise the reference A.
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6. Shot Down in Flames
E Standard −50 ¢Community
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7. Get It Hot
Different tuning
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard.
Songsterr's tab is in E♭ Standard. The title track, also tabbed in E♭, measures E Standard 63 ¢ flat, the same as E♭ Standard 37 ¢ sharp, so if E♭ sounds a little flat against the record, raise the reference A.
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8. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
Different pitch
E Standard −34 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431).
Tabs play it in E Standard. Fans disagree whether this one was sped up or slowed; TuneLit measured it about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431), like Touch Too Much, from an unofficial compilation.
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9. Love Hungry Man
Different tuning
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard.
Songsterr's tab is in E♭ Standard. The title track, also tabbed in E♭, measures E Standard 63 ¢ flat, the same as E♭ Standard 37 ¢ sharp, so if E♭ sounds a little flat against the record, raise the reference A.
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10. Night Prowler
Different tuning
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard.
Songsterr's tab (guitars and bass) is in E♭ Standard, and a fan on ACDCfans.net says the song is a half step down. The title track, also tabbed in E♭, measures E Standard 63 ¢ flat (E♭ +37 ¢), so if E♭ sounds a little flat against the record, raise the reference A.
What the labels mean
- Measured
- TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
- Official
- The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
- Widely reported
- Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
- Community
- From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
- Disputed
- Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.
Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →
Questions
What tuning is Highway to Hell in?
AC/DC recorded Highway to Hell (1979) in E Standard, about 50 cents flat (A ≈ 427), from community sources. 7 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Highway to Hell sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 50 cents flat (A ≈ 427), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, song by song, so you only tune the strings.