Green Day · 21st Century Breakdown · song 16
21 Guns tuning.
21 Guns (Green Day, 2009) is in E 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.
Green Day · 21st Century Breakdown · 2009
About 21 Guns
21 Guns, the power ballad from 21st Century Breakdown (2009), starts on acoustic guitar and grows into a full-band chorus with layered electric guitars. It is in E Standard on Songsterr's main tab, guitars and bass, and TuneLit's audio check confirms the open low E.
This is about as close to A 440 as a Green Day record gets. TuneLit measured the CD 1.1 cents flat, and 21 Guns at exactly the same value with high confidence (0.95), so Tune gives plain E Standard at A 440. Any ordinary tuner will match the record.
Unlike some songs on the album, nothing here is tuned down: the title track is a half step down and Restless Heart Syndrome a whole step down, but 21 Guns stays in standard. If you are working through the album in order, retune after those two. The bass on the main tab stays in standard tuning too. The acoustic opening is the best place to check your tuning, before the drums and the distorted guitars cover small differences.
Tip: Use plain E Standard at A 440 and tune against the acoustic opening, before the band comes in.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, the notes 21 Guns was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. 21 Guns sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play 21 Guns 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 21 Guns instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and 21 Guns moves up 1 cent, 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 21 Guns in?
E Standard: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.