TUNELIT

Black Sabbath · 1973 · Studio album

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath tuning.

C♯ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 8 songs are tuned differently.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album cover

Album tuning

C♯ Standard

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 8 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Castle Communications NELCD 6017 (1986)−2.0 ¢A 439.58−3.2 to +2.2 ¢High
 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 (community).

C♯ Standard at concert pitch (−2 ¢) on the 1986 Castle CD. The title track sits 24 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446) and Who Are You? 23 ¢ flat; Fluff is in E Standard. Japanese CDs of 1989 and 1996 and the 1996 Castle reissue play several songs 6–⁠17 ¢ sharper (and, on the 1996 ones, the title track 11 ¢ flatter).

8 songs · 3 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. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

    Different pitch

    C♯ Standard +24 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    C♯ Standard, about 24 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446): a quarter of a semitone above the rest of the album.

    Every heavy song is tabbed in C♯ Standard, as on Vol. 4.

  2. 2. A National Acrobat

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. Fluff

    Different tuning

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

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

    Iommi's acoustic instrumental, named after the DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman, is in E Standard at concert pitch.

    Iommi's acoustic instrumental (steel, nylon and clean electric guitars, piano, harpsichord) is tabbed in E Standard.

  4. 4. Sabbra Cadabra

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    C♯ Standard at concert pitch; Japanese CDs of 1989 and 1996 and the 1996 Castle CD play it about 17 ¢ sharp.

  5. 5. Killing Yourself to Live

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Who Are You?

    Different pitch

    C♯ Standard −23 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Ozzy Osbourne wrote it on an ARP synthesizer; there is little guitar to tune to. The record sits 23 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.1).

    Every heavy song is tabbed in C♯ Standard, as on Vol. 4.

  7. 7. Looking for Today

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Spiral Architect

    C♯ StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    C♯ Standard at concert pitch, with Will Malone's string arrangement.

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 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in?

Black Sabbath recorded Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) in C♯ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath uses C♯ Standard +24 ¢; Fluff uses E Standard; Who Are You? uses C♯ Standard −23 ¢.

Why does Sabbath Bloody Sabbath sound out of tune with my guitar?

The record sits about 24 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.