Linkin Park · 2003 · Studio album
Meteora tuning.
Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 4 of 13 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
Drop C♯
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 copy (320 kbps), Warner Bros. 2003 | +0.5 ¢ | A 440.1 | 13 | 0 to +3.8 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: Drop C♯, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Drop C♯ again for most of the album, with the band's first Drop B songs and two songs that leave the shape: Somewhere I Belong with a low B♭ and Easier to Run in E♭ Standard. The MP3 copy of the CD sits at concert pitch (+0.5 ¢); Somewhere I Belong runs about 10 ¢ sharp.
13 songs · 4 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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1. Foreword
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
A 13-second intro of sound effects with no guitar; listed in the album's tuning.
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2. Don't Stay
Different tuning
Drop BMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop C♯: Every string down a whole step.
String 6 sits 5 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .061 string, or a baritone guitar.
TuneLit's audio check agrees with the low B. Drop B on a normal 6-string is slack; heavier strings help.
Drop B (B F♯ B E G♯ C♯), the band's first song in it, played on Delson's Ibanez RG470XL, an extended-scale guitar listed in Drop B.
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Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop C♯: String 6 down 3 half steps (C♯ → B♭), String 5 down 5 half steps (G♯ → E♭), String 4 down 5 half steps (C♯ → A♭), String 3 down 5 half steps (F♯ → D♭), String 2 down 5 half steps (A♯ → F), String 1 down 5 half steps (D♯ → B♭).
String 6 sits 6 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 50 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .065 string, or a baritone guitar.
Measured about 10 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 442.5). The record has low B♭ notes in both bass octaves and nothing under them, which fits the B♭ tab; TuneLit's audio check agrees with B♭, but it would also accept the Drop C♯ tab here, so it cannot settle the dispute. The same notes sit on the low six strings of a 7-string in B Standard tuned down a half step.
The most-viewed tab (Songsterr) tunes six strings down to B♭ Standard (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭), and a reader at Songfacts names the same tuning; the most-voted Ultimate Guitar tab plays it in the album's Drop C♯.
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4. Lying from You
Drop C♯Measured
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5. Hit the Floor
Drop C♯Measured
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6. Easier to Run
Different tuning
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop C♯: String 6 up a whole step (C♯ → E♭); the other strings stay.
TuneLit's audio check agrees with E♭ Standard. The low B♭ and B notes on the record belong to the bass.
Songsterr and the Ultimate Guitar chord sheet both tune to E♭ Standard; the bass tab goes a fourth lower, to B♭, and a reader at Songfacts lists the song in standard tuning down to B♭.
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7. Faint
Drop C♯Measured
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8. Figure.09
Drop C♯Measured
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9. Breaking the Habit
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
Tabbed in Drop C♯ (the most-viewed Songsterr tab; two small ones use E Standard). TuneLit's audio check cannot confirm it: the open low C♯ never sounds on the record, while the C and B under it do, so the bass or synths go below the guitars.
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10. From the Inside
Drop C♯Measured
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11. Nobody's Listening
Different tuning
Drop BMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop C♯: Every string down a whole step.
String 6 sits 5 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .061 string, or a baritone guitar.
The riff sits on D and E♭, and the audio check cannot tell Drop B from Drop C: a low C sounds a little, a low B hardly at all, which leans slightly towards the Songsterr tab but not enough to decide.
Drop B according to the best-rated Ultimate Guitar tab and Linkinpedia (the only other Drop B song besides Don't Stay); the Songsterr tab says Drop C.
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12. Session
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
An instrumental built on programmed drums and keyboards; the guitar part is small, and the few tabs of it are not reliable. Listed in the album's tuning.
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13. Numb
Drop C♯Measured
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 Meteora in?
Linkin Park recorded Meteora (2003) in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Don't Stay and Nobody's Listening use Drop B; Somewhere I Belong uses B♭ Standard +10 ¢; Easier to Run uses E♭ Standard.
Why does Meteora sound out of tune with my guitar?
Somewhere I Belong sits about 10 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), 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.