TUNELIT

Black Sabbath · 1971 · Studio album

Master of Reality tuning.

C♯ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 4 of 8 songs are tuned differently.

Master of Reality album cover

Album tuning

C♯ Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredOfficial

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 8 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Castle Communications NELCD 6004 (1986)−3.6 ¢A 439.18−4.6 to −1.7 ¢Medium
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: C♯ Standard, with no pitch given (official).

C♯ Standard (C♯ F♯ B E G♯ C♯), three semitones down, at concert pitch (−3.6 ¢) on the 1986 Castle CD. Iommi tuned this low on Children of the Grave, Lord of This World and Into the Void (his own account); the tabs put Sweet Leaf, Embryo and Orchid there too. After Forever is a semitone higher (D Standard) and Solitude is in E Standard. Lord of This World and Orchid sit 12 and 20 ¢ flat.

8 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

  1. 1. Sweet Leaf

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Tabbed in C♯ Standard; standard-tuning versions online are simplified arrangements. The record is at concert pitch.

  2. 2. After Forever

    Different tuning

    D StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C♯ Standard: Every string up a half step.

    D Standard, one semitone above the rest of the album (Andy Cope; the tab agrees, and so does TuneLit's check from the audio). The record is at concert pitch.

    Andy Cope: two semitones down, D Standard, not three; the tab agrees.

  3. 3. Embryo

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. Children of the Grave

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    One of the three songs Iommi named as tuned three semitones down. TuneLit's reading is weak (confidence 0.21), so the button uses the album value; popular tabs in C or E♭ Standard are rearrangements.

  5. 5. Orchid

    Different pitch

    C♯ Standard −20 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The short acoustic piece is tabbed in C♯ Standard (an E Standard version is popular too); the record sits 20 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435).

    Iommi tuned three semitones down, to C♯ Standard, on Children of the Grave, Lord of This World and Into the Void (his own account, in Wikipedia and Andy Cope); Geezer Butler tuned the bass down with him.

  6. 6. Lord of This World

    Different pitch

    C♯ Standard −12 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    C♯ Standard, with slide overdubs in the same tuning. The record sits 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.9).

    Iommi tuned three semitones down, to C♯ Standard, on Children of the Grave, Lord of This World and Into the Void (his own account, in Wikipedia and Andy Cope); Geezer Butler tuned the bass down with him.

  7. 7. Solitude

    Different tuning

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C♯ Standard: Every string up 3 half steps.

    Tabbed in E Standard, with Iommi also on flute and piano. The record is at concert pitch.

    The quiet ballad (Iommi also plays flute and piano) is tabbed in E Standard.

  8. 8. Into the Void

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    C♯ Standard, Iommi's own example of the tuning; the record sits 8 ¢ flat, within the album's spread.

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 Master of Reality in?

Black Sabbath recorded Master of Reality (1971) in C♯ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 4 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.

Why does Master of Reality sound out of tune with my guitar?

Orchid sits about 20 cents flat (A ≈ 435), 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.