Green Day · 2004 · Studio album
American Idiot tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 13 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Reprise (2004), MP3 copy | +1.7 ¢ | A 440.4 | 13 | +1.2 to +4.0 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
E Standard at concert pitch for most of the album, Whatsername in Drop D. American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbia, both in A♭, are listed in E♭ after TuneLit's audio check; Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams share their keys but the check cannot decide them, so they stay in E with the main tabs. In those keys both tunings give the record's notes: match your tuning to your tab.
13 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
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Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Listed in E♭: the audio check hears an E♭ low string and a popular Songsterr tab is half a step down. The most-viewed tab is in E Standard; in A♭ both give the record's notes.
Songsterr's most-viewed tab is in E Standard, but one of its three big versions ("Half-Step Down", over 130,000 views) and a smaller one put guitars and bass in E♭ Standard. The record is in A♭, the key of A-shaped chords a half step down.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E♭ as the lowest open string: E♭ sounds in the low octave and the D under it never does. Two Songsterr tabs say E♭ as well, so the song is listed in E♭. In A♭ both tunings give the record's notes: E♭ Standard with the half-step-down tab's A shapes, E Standard with the most-viewed tab's A♭ shapes.
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2. Jesus of Suburbia
Different tuning
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Listed in E♭ like the opener, after the audio check; the most-viewed tab is in E Standard.
Songsterr's most-viewed tab is in E Standard; a smaller version ("Half step down") puts guitars and bass in E♭ Standard. The record sits in A♭, like the album's opener.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears E♭ as the lowest open string, as on the album's opener, and a Songsterr tab says E♭ too, so the song is listed in E♭. The most-viewed tab is in E Standard; in A♭ it gives the same notes with shapes one fret lower.
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3. Holiday
E StandardMeasured
Notes
In F minor like Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The main tabs say E Standard and the audio check cannot decide; it may have been played in E♭, like the two songs before it.
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4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
E StandardMeasured
Notes
The main tabs say E Standard and the audio check cannot decide. In F minor both E Standard and E♭ give the record's notes.
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5. Are We the Waiting
E StandardMeasured
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6. St. Jimmy
E StandardMeasured
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7. Give Me Novacaine
E StandardMeasured
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8. She's a Rebel
E StandardMeasured
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9. Extraordinary Girl
E StandardMeasured
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10. Letterbomb
E StandardMeasured
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11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
E StandardMeasured
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12. Homecoming
E StandardMeasured
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13. Whatsername
Different tuning
Drop DMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Drop D: only the low string goes down, to D.
Tabbed in Drop D on Songsterr (guitars and bass) and Ultimate Guitar: only the low string goes down, to D.
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 American Idiot in?
Green Day recorded American Idiot (2004) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbia use E♭ Standard; Whatsername uses Drop D.