Linkin Park · Meteora · song 7
Faint tuning.
Faint (Linkin Park, 2003) is in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
Linkin Park · Meteora · 2003
About Faint
Faint is a fast, riff-driven single from Meteora (2003) that opens with a sampled string figure before the band crashes in. It is in Drop C♯ (C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯), the tuning of most of Meteora, and its Songsterr tab, among the most viewed of any Linkin Park song, writes lead, rhythm and overdub parts for Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, all in that tuning.
TuneLit measured Faint about 5 cents sharp, a touch above its album at concert pitch but not far enough for a value of its own, so Tune opens Drop C♯ at A 440. The audio check agrees with the low C♯ (0.998); on the record the bass sits mostly on E, C♯ and A.
The riff is fast and relentless, so tuning stability matters more than usual: hard picking on slackened strings pushes them sharp on every attack, and fresh strings keep settling flat. Tune with the guitar in playing position and re-check the 6th string after a few run-throughs. One Ultimate Guitar tab labels its tuning "Half-Step Down" in the header but explains in the text that the low string is dropped further; that is the same Drop C♯, not E♭ Standard.
Tip: Tune to Drop C♯ at A 440, then re-check the 6th string after the first fast run-through, since the riff works it hard.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C♯, the notes Faint was recorded in.
- From E Standard: String 6 down 3 half steps (E → C♯), String 5 down a half step (A → G♯), String 4 down a half step (D → C♯), String 3 down a half step (G → F♯), String 2 down a half step (B → A♯), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯).
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Faint sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Faint 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 Faint instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop C♯. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Faint moves up a half step, 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 Faint in?
Drop C♯: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.