Alice in Chains · 1990 · Studio album
Facelift tuning.
E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 4 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard +4 ¢
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Columbia CK 46075 (1990, USA) | +4.3 ¢ | A 441.1 | 12 | +1.1 to +7.0 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Produced by Dave Jerden at London Bridge Studio in Seattle and Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Every song is in E♭ Standard except We Die Young and Sunshine, in Drop C♯. TuneLit measured the original Columbia CD about 4 ¢ sharp, close to concert pitch; two songs stand apart: Bleed the Freak about 15 ¢ sharp and It Ain't Like That about 21 ¢ flat.
12 songs · 4 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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Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
The album's Drop C♯ opener: the riff leans on the low C♯.
Both Songsterr tabs put the guitars and the bass in Drop C♯: E♭ Standard with String 6 taken down another whole step, to C♯.
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2. Man in the Box
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
E♭ Standard. The "talking" guitar is a talk box (producer Dave Jerden's idea), not a tuning trick.
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3. Sea of Sorrow
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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4. Bleed the Freak
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +15 ¢Measured
Notes
Songsterr's tab adds two acoustic overdubs, one of them a 12-string, also a half step down. TuneLit measured it about 15 ¢ sharp, 11 ¢ above the rest of the album.
E♭ Standard like the rest of Facelift (Cantrell's main Rampage tuning; every tab agrees). TuneLit measured this song on its own about 15 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443.9).
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5. I Can't Remember
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
The tab has two 12-string acoustic parts next to the electric guitars, all in E♭ Standard.
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6. Love, Hate, Love
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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7. It Ain't Like That
Different pitch
E♭ Standard −21 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured it about 21 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.7), a quarter of a semitone below the rest of Facelift. The audio check still hears E♭ as the low string, so it is E♭ Standard tuned flat, not D.
E♭ Standard like the rest of Facelift (every tab agrees). TuneLit measured this song on its own about 21 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.7); the audio check confirms E♭ as the lowest string.
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8. Sunshine
Different tuning
Drop C♯ +4 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
Drop C♯ like We Die Young.
Both Songsterr tabs put the main guitars and the bass in Drop C♯; the main tab has one extra guitar part in plain E♭ Standard.
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9. Put You Down
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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10. Confusion
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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11. I Know Somethin (Bout You)
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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12. Real Thing
E♭ Standard +4 ¢Measured
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 Facelift in?
Alice in Chains recorded Facelift (1990) in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. We Die Young and Sunshine use Drop C♯ +4 ¢; Bleed the Freak uses E♭ Standard +15 ¢; It Ain't Like That uses E♭ Standard −21 ¢.
Why does Facelift sound out of tune with my guitar?
Bleed the Freak sits about 15 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.