Black Sabbath · 1970 · Studio album
Paranoid tuning.
E Standard, about 25 cents sharp (A ≈ 446), measured on the CD. 1 of 8 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +25 ¢
About 25 cents sharp (A ≈ 446), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
25 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Castle Communications NELCD 6003 (1986) | +24.5 ¢ | A 446.3 | 8 | +23.4 to +29.7 ¢ | Medium |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
E Standard, about 25 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446.3) on the 1986 Castle CD, the opposite of the flat debut. Fairies Wear Boots sits at concert pitch, and Hand of Doom reads close to it at low confidence. A 1987 Vertigo CD runs another 5 ¢ sharp; every other edition agrees with Castle within 2.5 ¢.
8 songs · 1 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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1. War Pigs
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
E Standard, 25 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446.3) through the main riff. The end of the song was sped up by the producer and engineer, so the last minute climbs higher still.
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2. Paranoid
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabbed in E Standard everywhere; TuneLit reads the song about 30 ¢ sharp, at moderate confidence, so the album's +25 ¢ is close.
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3. Planet Caravan
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
Iommi's jazzy clean guitar is tabbed in E Standard; the record reads about 29 ¢ sharp, with the album.
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4. Iron Man
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
The riff is in E Standard; TuneLit reads Iron Man about 31 ¢ sharp, 6 ¢ above the album value. If the album setting sounds a touch flat, raise the reference to about A 448.
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5. Electric Funeral
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
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6. Hand of Doom
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit's reading of Hand of Doom is about 8 ¢ sharp, at low confidence (0.45), not the album's 25 ¢: it may sit near concert pitch like Fairies Wear Boots. Check by ear.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD +7.7 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's +25 ¢.
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7. Rat Salad
E Standard +25 ¢Measured
Notes
A drum feature: the short guitar riff is in E Standard; the reading is weak, so the button uses the album value.
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Notes
The one song of the album at concert pitch: TuneLit measured 3 ¢ sharp, stored as A 440, 21 ¢ under the rest of Paranoid.
The last album in E Standard before Iommi tuned down (Andy Cope, Guitar Player); every song is tabbed in E Standard.
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 Paranoid in?
Black Sabbath recorded Paranoid (1970) in E Standard, about 25 cents sharp (A ≈ 446), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Fairies Wear Boots uses E Standard.
Why does Paranoid sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 25 cents sharp (A ≈ 446), 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, so you only tune the strings.