TUNELIT

Iron Maiden · 1982 · Studio album

The Number of the Beast tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 1 of 8 songs are tuned differently.

The Number of the Beast album cover

Album tuning

E 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 1 of the 1995 two-disc reissue, EMI+1.8 ¢A 440.58−0.2 to +3.5 ¢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).

Bruce Dickinson's first album and Clive Burr's last, made at Battery Studios with Martin Birch. E Standard at concert pitch (the 1995 CD reads about 2 ¢ sharp), except Gangland, about 17 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 444.2). Total Eclipse, the B-side added to later CDs, is not part of the original album.

8 songs · 1 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. Invaders

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  2. 2. Children of the Damned

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. The Prisoner

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. 22 Acacia Avenue

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. The Number of the Beast

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Run to the Hills

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Adrian Smith says he now plays it live in Drop D; the 1982 recording is in E Standard.

  7. 7. Gangland

    Different pitch

    E Standard +17 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Measured about 17 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 444.2), 15 ¢ above the rest of the album.

    Tabbed in E Standard like the rest of the album. Measured about 17 ¢ sharp on the 1995 CD (A ≈ 444.2), 15 ¢ above the album; the band had weighed it against Total Eclipse for the B-side of Run to the Hills before it went on the album.

  8. 8. Hallowed Be Thy Name

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

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 Number of the Beast in?

Iron Maiden recorded The Number of the Beast (1982) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Gangland uses E Standard +17 ¢.

Why does The Number of the Beast sound out of tune with my guitar?

Gangland sits about 17 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), 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, so you only tune the strings.