Iron Maiden · Powerslave · song 1
Aces High tuning.
Aces High (Iron Maiden, 1984) is in E Standard, about 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
5 ¢ sharp
The album's value, measured on the CD: Tune moves every string +5 ¢.
Iron Maiden · Powerslave · 1984
About Aces High
Aces High opens Powerslave (1984) at full speed, a song about a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain built on one of Iron Maiden's fastest riffs. It is in E Standard, but the riff sits above the open low E: in Songsterr's transcription neither guitar part plays the open low E at all, while the open A of String 5 and fretted notes on Strings 4 and 5 carry the riff. Adrian Smith's part includes some thirty harmonics, and Steve Harris's bass spends about six notes in ten on its D string.
TuneLit measured Powerslave about 5 ¢ sharp on the 1995 two-disc reissue (A ≈ 441.3), and Aces High reads the same, about 5 ¢ high. That is close to concert pitch; Tune sets E Standard +5 ¢ for the closest match.
Since the riff never uses String 6, you can play the whole verse with it out of tune and not hear it until a chord rings on the low string. The bigger trap is speed: at this tempo it is easy to grip hard and push fretted notes sharp. Tune carefully, then check the open A of String 5 against the riff, where Harris plays the same A at the 7th fret of his D string. TuneLit's check from the audio agrees that the low string is E.
Tip: Tune to E Standard +5 ¢, then match the open A of String 5 with Harris's A at the 7th fret of his D string.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, every string +5 ¢, the notes Aces High was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Aces High sits 5 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Aces High 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 Aces High 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 +5 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Aces High moves down 5 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 Aces High in?
E Standard +5 ¢: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.