Black Sabbath · 1989 · Studio album
Headless Cross tuning.
E♭ Standard, about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the CD. 2 of 8 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard +11 ¢
About 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
11 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, I.R.S. CDP 24105-2 (UK, 1989) | +10.6 ¢ | A 442.7 | 8 | +8.6 to +11.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (community).
E♭ Standard about 11 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 442.7) on the 1989 UK I.R.S. CD. When Death Calls is the outlier of the whole catalogue: E♭ Standard about 44 ¢ flat (A ≈ 429), 55 ¢ under the rest of the album, on all six editions. Call of the Wild sits at concert pitch.
8 songs · 2 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. The Gates of Hell
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
A one-minute keyboard intro.
-
2. Headless Cross
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
-
3. Devil & Daughter
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
-
4. When Death Calls
Different pitch
E♭ Standard −44 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabbed in E♭ Standard; Brian May plays the guitar solo. TuneLit measured the whole song about 44 ¢ flat (A ≈ 428.9), 55 ¢ under the album, and its check from the audio hears E♭ at that pitch.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard like the rest of the album; Brian May of Queen plays the guitar solo.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the low E♭ about 44 ¢ flat (A ≈ 429), not 56 ¢ sharp: the song sits half a semitone under the rest of the album.
-
5. Kill in the Spirit World
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
-
6. Call of the Wild
Different pitch
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
E♭ Standard at concert pitch, about 9 ¢ under the album value.
E♭ Standard: every song is tabbed a half step down.
-
7. Black Moon
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
-
8. Nightwing
E♭ Standard +11 ¢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 Headless Cross in?
Black Sabbath recorded Headless Cross (1989) in E♭ Standard, about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured by TuneLit on the CD. When Death Calls uses E♭ Standard −44 ¢; Call of the Wild uses E♭ Standard.
Why does Headless Cross sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), 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.