TUNELIT

AC/DC · 1978 · Studio album

Powerage tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440). 2 of 9 songs are tuned differently.

Powerage album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440).

Community

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 9 songs

Not measured yet

TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from community sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.

E Standard; Gimme a Bullet is tabbed in E♭. This is the track list of every CD: Rock 'n' Roll Damnation, recorded last as a radio single, replaced Cold Hearted Man of the first UK pressing. TuneLit measured Rock 'n' Roll Damnation about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431).

9 songs · 2 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

  1. 1. Rock 'n' Roll Damnation

    Different pitch

    E Standard −34 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Measured about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431).

    Community tabs play it in E Standard. TuneLit measured it about 34 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431), from an unofficial compilation. It was the last song recorded for the album, added as a single, so it need not share the rest of the album's pitch.

  2. 2. Down Payment Blues

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. Gimme a Bullet

    Different tuning

    E♭ StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.

    Tabbed in E♭ Standard.

    Songsterr's tab (both guitars and the bass) is in E♭ Standard; no other source. A Bon Scott-era song tabbed in E♭ may also be E Standard sitting well below A 440.

  4. 4. Riff Raff

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Sin City

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. What's Next to the Moon

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Gone Shootin'

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Up to My Neck in You

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

  9. 9. Kicked in the Teeth

    E StandardCommunity

    Tune Play along

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 Powerage in?

AC/DC recorded Powerage (1978) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), from community sources. Rock 'n' Roll Damnation uses E Standard −34 ¢; Gimme a Bullet uses E♭ Standard.

Why does Powerage sound out of tune with my guitar?

Rock 'n' Roll Damnation sits about 34 cents flat (A ≈ 431), 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, so you only tune the strings.