Aerosmith · 1989 · Studio album
Pump tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 10 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Geffen 22P2-2954 (Japan, 1989) | −0.1 ¢ | A 440 | 10 | −1.6 to +3.6 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The second Bruce Fairbairn album, with short instrumental links between several songs (Going Down, Water Song, Dulcimer Stomp, Hoodoo) played on instruments such as glass harmonica, dulcimer and a Thai khaen. Most songs are in E Standard. Janie's Got a Gun is the odd one out: Joe Perry tunes the whole guitar up a half step. TuneLit measured the CD at concert pitch, apart from Janie's Got a Gun (about 12 cents flat) and What It Takes (about 34 cents flat).
10 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. Young Lust
E StandardMeasured
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2. F.I.N.E.
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Brad Whitford's part is in E Standard. One fan tab puts Joe Perry's slide part in open A with an extra-low A string (A A E A C♯ E); another tab keeps everything in standard.
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3. Love in an Elevator
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Opens with the spoken intro Going Down. The official bass transcription is in E Standard.
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4. Monkey on My Back
Different tuning
Open AMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: 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.
Open A (E A E A C♯ E) for the slide. The main riff on the low strings works the same in standard tuning.
Joe Perry plays this song's slide on his Supro Ozark (Premier Guitar 2018), which his 2014 gear list shows tuned to open A; a fan tab also says open A. The Songsterr tab writes the riff in standard, where it fingers the same on the low strings.
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5. Janie's Got a Gun
Different tuning
F Standard −12 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string up a half step.
Tune every string up a half step, to F B♭ E♭ A♭ C F. Measured about 12 cents flat against that tuning (A ≈ 437). Water Song, the glass-harmonica intro, runs into it.
Joe Perry tunes the whole guitar up a half step for this song so that the open strings ring (Premier Guitar, 2014); the official bass transcription is tuned up a half step too, and the sheet music is in F. The popular Songsterr tab writes it in E Standard, a half step higher than the record.
Bass: 5-string bass C Standard −12 ¢ Tune bass
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6. The Other Side
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Opens with Dulcimer Stomp, played on an Appalachian dulcimer.
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7. My Girl
E StandardMeasured
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8. Don't Get Mad, Get Even
E StandardMeasured
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9. Voodoo Medicine Man
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Opens with Hoodoo, played on a Thai khaen.
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10. What It Takes
Different pitch
E Standard −34 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 34 cents flat (A ≈ 431), far below the rest of Pump. The tab barely touches the 6th string, so the open E is not a useful check; tune by the reference.
Community tabs put most of Pump in E Standard, and the official bass transcription of Love in an Elevator is in standard tuning. Janie's Got a Gun is tuned up a half step, F.I.N.E. and Monkey on My Back have slide parts in open 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 Pump in?
Aerosmith recorded Pump (1989) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Monkey on My Back uses Open A; Janie's Got a Gun uses F Standard −12 ¢; What It Takes uses E Standard −34 ¢.
Why does Pump sound out of tune with my guitar?
Janie's Got a Gun sits about 12 cents flat (A ≈ 437), 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.