Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin IV · song 4
Stairway to Heaven tuning.
Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin, 1971) is in E Standard, about 8 cents sharp (A ≈ 442), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
8 ¢ sharp
Measured on this song itself: Tune moves every string +8 ¢.
Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin IV · 1971
About Stairway to Heaven
The eight-minute centerpiece of Led Zeppelin IV (1971). It builds from Jimmy Page's fingerpicked acoustic intro in A minor, with John Paul Jones on recorders, through a 12-string section to the electric solo. Every guitar part, acoustic, 12-string and electric, is in plain E Standard, so one guitar in standard tuning covers the whole song.
TuneLit measured an original 1980s Atlantic CD. Stairway sits about 8 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 442), while the album as a whole sits about 11 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437.2): the song is some 19 ¢ above the songs around it, enough to sound sour if you use the album's setting. It has its own value, so Tune sets E Standard 8 ¢ up. Other masterings, such as the remasters, may differ by a few cents.
The 12-string part is in standard tuning too, so a six-string plays the same notes. If you play the album straight through, move the reference between songs: from Stairway to Misty Mountain Hop it drops by 33 ¢.
Tip: Use the song's own +8 ¢ button rather than the album's, and check it against the fingerpicked intro before the recorders come in.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, every string +8 ¢, the notes Stairway to Heaven was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Stairway to Heaven sits 8 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Stairway to Heaven 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 Stairway to Heaven 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 +8 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Stairway to Heaven moves down 8 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 Stairway to Heaven in?
E Standard +8 ¢: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.