AC/DC · 1975 · Studio album
T.N.T. tuning.
E Standard, about 22 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured on the CD. 6 of 9 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −21 ¢
About 22 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
22 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Albert Productions CDP 746272 2 (Australia, 1986) | −21.5 ¢ | A 434.6 | 9 | Too few songs | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The second Australian album (December 1975), again with Vanda and Young at Albert Studios. Seven of its nine songs became most of the international High Voltage and Rocker went onto the international Dirty Deeds; School Days, a Chuck Berry song, stayed here. Most songs are tabbed in E Standard, It's a Long Way to the Top sounds a half step up, and the tabs of T.N.T. and Can I Sit Next to You Girl split between E♭ and E. TuneLit measured the 1986 Albert CD about 21 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.6), with songs from 48 ¢ flat (T.N.T., halfway to E♭) to 40 ¢ sharp (High Voltage, A ≈ 450). It's a Long Way to the Top sits right on A 440 in F Standard, and Rocker, tabbed in E, is really in E♭ at concert pitch. The 1995 remaster reads the same within 1 ¢ (School Days 8 ¢ lower).
9 songs · 6 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. It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)
Different tuning
F StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string up a half step.
Sounds in B♭: tune up a half step to F Standard and play the usual A shapes, or put a capo on the first fret in E Standard. Measured right at concert pitch on this CD.
Bassist Mark Evans recalls that the record is in B♭ while the band played the song in A on stage, and a 2005 Guitar Legends transcription (quoted on ACDCfans.net) says the guitars are tuned up a half step. The most-viewed Songsterr tab uses F Standard; a less-viewed one plays it in E. Fans disagree whether the band tuned up to the bagpipes or the tape was sped up: either way, A shapes in F Standard match the record. TuneLit measured it at concert pitch (0 ¢) on the 1986 Albert CD, about 22 ¢ above the rest of the album, and the F Standard tab's notes match the record's low notes.
-
2. Rock 'n' Roll Singer
Different pitch
E Standard −39 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 39 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430.1), 18 ¢ under the rest of the album.
Every Songsterr tab is in E Standard. Measured about 39 ¢ flat on the 1986 Albert CD; the international High Voltage CD reads it 33 ¢ flat.
-
3. The Jack
E Standard −21 ¢Measured
-
4. Live Wire
E Standard −21 ¢Measured
-
5. T.N.T.
Different pitch
E Standard −48 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured 48 ¢ under concert E (A ≈ 427.9), almost exactly between E♭ and E, which is why its tabs split; TuneLit's check hears E.
The most-viewed Songsterr tab (guitars and bass) is in E♭ Standard; two other tabs play it in E Standard, and fans on ACDCfans.net are not sure either. TuneLit measured the record 48 ¢ under concert E on the 1986 Albert CD (A ≈ 427.9): about halfway between the two, so an A 440 tuner can read either note. The notes of the E Standard tabs match the record's low notes, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E, so it is listed as E Standard 48 ¢ flat, the same strings as E♭ 52 ¢ sharp.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the low E about 48 ¢ flat (A ≈ 428), not E♭: the record sits almost exactly between the E♭ of the most-viewed tab and the E of the others.
-
6. Rocker
Different tuning
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E Standard, but the record sits a half step lower: E♭ Standard at concert pitch (+4 ¢).
The main Songsterr tab is in E Standard; two less-viewed ones ("Rocker album version" and another) are in E♭. Measured 4 ¢ above the E♭ grid on the 1986 Albert CD: the notes of the E tab land a semitone under it on the record, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E♭, so it is listed in E♭ Standard. The same recording reads E♭ +11 ¢ on the international Dirty Deeds CD.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E♭, a half step under the E of the main tab, at concert pitch.
-
7. Can I Sit Next to You Girl
Different tuning
E♭ Standard −21 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed and measured in E♭ Standard. Its own reading, about 34 ¢ under E♭, is too uncertain (0.54) to replace the album's −21 ¢: if E♭ −21 ¢ sounds sharp, lower it.
Songsterr's tab is in E♭ Standard, and its notes match the record's low notes there. On the 1986 Albert CD the song reads about 34 ¢ under E♭, more than a half step below concert E, but at low confidence (0.54), so the Tune button keeps the album's offset. A fan on ACDCfans.net reports that tuning a half step down with A at 430 came close. This is the 1975 re-recording with Bon Scott, not the 1974 single with Dave Evans.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −33.9 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −21 ¢.
-
8. High Voltage
Different pitch
E Standard A 450Measured
Notes
Measured about 40 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 450), some 60 ¢ above the rest of the album: between two notes, and TuneLit's check hears E.
Every Songsterr tab of the studio song is in E Standard. Measured about 40 ¢ sharp on the 1986 Albert CD (A ≈ 450.2), about 60 ¢ above the rest of the album. The tab's notes match the record's low notes with the strings that sharp, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E there, not E♭ 40 ¢ sharp (the same as E 60 ¢ flat), so the song sits between two notes. Wikipedia lists George Young on bass and Tony Currenti on drums for this song and School Days.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the low E about 40 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 450), not 60 ¢ flat.
-
9. School Days
E Standard −21 ¢Measured
Notes
Chuck Berry's song, recorded with High Voltage; measured about 25 ¢ flat, with the album.
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.
- From tabs
- 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 T.N.T. in?
AC/DC recorded T.N.T. (1975) in E Standard, about 22 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 6 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does T.N.T. sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 22 cents flat (A ≈ 435), 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.