Aerosmith · Rocks · song 1
Back in the Saddle tuning.
Back in the Saddle (Aerosmith, 1976) is in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
Aerosmith · Rocks · 1976
About Back in the Saddle
Back in the Saddle opens Rocks (1976), Aerosmith's half-step-down album: every string goes down a half step, to E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭. Joe Perry wrote and recorded the riff on a Fender Bass VI, a six-string bass tuned an octave below a guitar, and the popular tab arranges that part for a normal guitar, also in E♭.
TuneLit measured the Rocks CD about 2 cents sharp and this song within half a cent of A 440, so Tune opens E♭ Standard at concert pitch, and the audio check confirms E♭ as the lowest open string. The E♭ itself comes from the tabs, which agree on seven of the album's nine songs, and from that check; no band member or book is on record about it.
On a regular guitar the riff sounds an octave higher than the Bass VI on the record, which is expected and not a tuning problem. Two songs on Rocks, Sick as a Dog and Home Tonight, are in E Standard, so check before you move on. The remix of Back in the Saddle on the 2025 EP One More Time keeps the E♭ tuning.
Tip: Lower all six strings a half step, then check open String 6 against the record's low E♭ before you start the riff.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E♭ Standard, the notes Back in the Saddle was recorded in.
- From E Standard: Every string down a half step. No tuner that knows E♭ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 1, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to E♭ Standard. Check each string again afterwards, since a capo pulls the strings a little sharp.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Back in the Saddle sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Back in the Saddle along with the record: its lowest open note and your String 6 should ring together without a wobble.
Or the other way round
Move the record into your tuning
Rather keep your guitar as it is? Let Play along move Back in the Saddle instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E♭ Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Back in the Saddle moves up 98 cents, at its own speed. Slow it down or loop a few bars to learn it, and save the result as a WAV file.
Questions
What tuning is Back in the Saddle in?
E♭ Standard: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.