TUNELIT

Iron Maiden · 2015 · Studio album

The Book of Souls tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 2 of 11 songs are tuned differently.

The Book of Souls album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 11 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
2CD, Parlophone / Sanctuary (2015)+3.9 ¢A 44111+2.5 to +4.9 ¢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: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).

The band's first studio double album, recorded in Paris in late 2014; Empire of the Clouds runs about 18 minutes, with Bruce Dickinson on piano. E Standard about 4 ¢ sharp, which counts as concert pitch, with Shadows of the Valley a touch flat. If Eternity Should Fail is in Drop D.

11 songs · 2 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. If Eternity Should Fail

    Different tuning

    Drop DMeasured

    Tune Play along
    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, guitars and bass, the band's first song recorded that way according to Loudwire. Bruce Dickinson wrote it for a planned solo album.

    Loudwire reported in 2015 that the song is in Drop D, a first for Iron Maiden; Wikipedia calls it the band's first collective use of the tuning. Bruce Dickinson wrote it for a planned solo album. All three guitar parts of the Songsterr tab are in Drop D, and TuneLit's check from the audio hears the low D.

    Bass: Bass Drop D Tune bass

  2. 2. Speed of Light

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. The Great Unknown

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. The Red and the Black

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. When the River Runs Deep

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. The Book of Souls

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Death or Glory

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Shadows of the Valley

    Different pitch

    E Standard −4 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Measured 4.5 ¢ flat (A ≈ 438.9), about 8 ¢ below the rest of the album.

    Tabbed in E Standard like the rest of the album. Measured 4.5 ¢ flat (A ≈ 438.9), about 8 ¢ below the album.

  9. 9. Tears of a Clown

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.1 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.

  10. 10. The Man of Sorrows

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  11. 11. Empire of the Clouds

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    About 18 minutes long, with Bruce Dickinson on piano.

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 The Book of Souls in?

Iron Maiden recorded The Book of Souls (2015) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. If Eternity Should Fail uses Drop D; Shadows of the Valley uses E Standard −4 ¢.