Black Sabbath · Master of Reality · song 8
Into the Void tuning.
Into the Void (Black Sabbath, 1971) is in C♯ 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.
Black Sabbath · Master of Reality · 1971
About Into the Void
The closing song of Master of Reality (1971): a slow, crushing opening riff, then a faster main riff under Ozzy Osbourne's vocal. Tony Iommi named it among the songs he tuned three semitones down, to C♯ Standard (C♯ F♯ B E G♯ C♯), and Guitar Player uses it as the example of how deep that tuning sounded.
TuneLit measured the 1986 Castle CD. The album sits at concert pitch (about 4 ¢ flat, stored as A 440), and Into the Void reads about 8 ¢ flat, within the album's spread, so Tune gives plain C♯ Standard. TuneLit's check from the audio agrees that the open low string is C♯.
An E Standard tab of the song is very popular. It moves the riffs up three semitones into standard tuning, so it will not line up with the record; the heavy, loose sound of the intro also depends on the slack strings. With strings this low, heavier gauges keep the open C♯ from going sharp when you pick hard, so check the tuning again after a few bars.
Tip: Tune String 6 to the slow intro riff, where the open C♯ rings longest.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to C♯ Standard, the notes Into the Void was recorded in.
- From E Standard: Every string down 3 half steps. No tuner that knows C♯ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 3, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to C♯ 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. Into the Void sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Into the Void 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 Into the Void instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in C♯ Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Into the Void moves up 3 half steps and 4 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 Into the Void in?
C♯ Standard: C♯ F♯ B E G♯ C♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.