Aerosmith · 1977 · Studio album
Draw the Line tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 9 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +4 ¢
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Columbia CK 34856 (1987) | +4.2 ¢ | A 441.1 | 9 | −0.4 to +5.0 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Recorded with Jack Douglas in an abandoned convent outside New York, the Cenacle, and finished at the Record Plant. Most songs are tabbed in E Standard; Joe Perry plays the title track in open A with a low A string, and there is slide on Get It Up and Milk Cow Blues. TuneLit measured the CD about 4 cents sharp, effectively concert pitch, with I Wanna Know Why about 7 cents flat and The Hand That Feeds about 14 cents sharp.
9 songs · 3 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. Draw the Line
Different tuning
A1 A2 E3 A3 C♯4 E4 +4 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 7 half steps (E → A), String 4 up a whole step (D → E), String 3 up a whole step (G → A), String 2 up a whole step (B → C♯); the other strings stay.
String 6 sits 7 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .069 string, or a baritone guitar.
Open A with the 6th string tuned down to a low A, an octave below the 5th: A A E A C♯ E. Plain open A (E A E A C♯ E) gets you most of the way. Tyler has said Perry first worked the lick out on a six-string bass.
Guitar World describes Joe Perry's slide on this song as a Dan Armstrong guitar in open A with the 6th string dropped all the way to a low A (A A E A C♯ E). Perry himself has said he wrote it in an open tuning that he adjusted to his taste. Fan tabs vary (open A with a low E, or open G for the slide parts), and the popular Songsterr tab plays it in standard.
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2. I Wanna Know Why
Different pitch
E Standard −7 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 7 cents flat (A ≈ 438.3).
Community tabs put the album in E Standard; the title track is in Joe Perry's open A tuning.
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3. Critical Mass
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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4. Get It Up
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Slide guitar throughout, with Karen Lawrence on backing vocals. No tab names a slide tuning; the song centres on A, like the title track.
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5. Bright Light Fright
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Joe Perry sings lead.
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6. Kings and Queens
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Producer Jack Douglas plays the mandolin and Paul Prestopino the banjo guitar; Brad Whitford plays the lead.
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7. The Hand That Feeds
Different pitch
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 443.5).
Community tabs put the album in E Standard; the title track is in Joe Perry's open A tuning.
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8. Sight for Sore Eyes
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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9. Milk Cow Blues
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Whitford plays the first solo, Perry the slide and the second solo.
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 Draw the Line in?
Aerosmith recorded Draw the Line (1977) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Draw the Line uses A1 A2 E3 A3 C♯4 E4 +4 ¢; I Wanna Know Why uses E Standard −7 ¢; The Hand That Feeds uses E Standard +14 ¢.
Why does Draw the Line sound out of tune with my guitar?
The Hand That Feeds sits about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), 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.