Megadeth · Rust in Peace · song 2
Hangar 18 tuning.
Hangar 18 (Megadeth, 1990) is in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Song tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440).
Tune like thisPlay alongRust in Peace
Bass: Bass Drop D Tune bass
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
Measured on this song itself.
Megadeth · Rust in Peace · 1990
About Hangar 18
Hangar 18 is the second track on Rust in Peace (1990): a mid-tempo song that turns into a long instrumental run of solos traded between Mustaine and Marty Friedman. The guitars are tabbed in E Standard throughout. The bass is the twist: Songsterr's main tab drops David Ellefson's low string to D (D A D G).
TuneLit measured the album at concert pitch (about 2 ¢ flat), and this song reads about 4 ¢ sharp, so its Tune button sets plain E Standard for the guitars with the Drop D bass included. The record backs the bass tab up: a low D, below anything the guitars can reach, is by far the most common bass note.
That low bass D is also why TuneLit's check from the audio cannot judge the guitars here. It works by listening for the open low string and the silence just under it, and a bass going below the guitars breaks that rule. The tabs agree on E Standard for both guitars, so that is what the button gives. The sequel, Return to Hangar on The World Needs a Hero (2001), is in E Standard too.
Tip: Guitarists tune to plain E Standard; bass players lower only the E string to D before the song starts.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, the notes Hangar 18 was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Hangar 18 sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Hangar 18 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 Hangar 18 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. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Hangar 18 moves up 2 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 Hangar 18 in?
E Standard: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.