Meshuggah · 1991 · Studio album
Contradictions Collapse tuning.
E♭ Standard, about 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), measured on the CD. 1 of 9 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard +21 ¢
About 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
21 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Nuclear Blast NB 049 CD (Germany, 1991) | +21.1 ¢ | A 445.4 | 9 | +16.6 to +23.2 ¢ | Medium |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The debut, and the only album with Jens Kidman on rhythm guitar next to Fredrik Thordendal; Mårten Hagström joined later. It is technical thrash on ordinary six-string guitars, a half step down by the tabs, and TuneLit's audio check hears the open E♭ on eight of the nine songs. The original CD sits about 21 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 445), the sharpest Meshuggah record; a 1991 repress and the 1995 Japanese CD read within a cent of it. Choirs of Devastation sits lower, about 7 ¢ sharp.
9 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
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1. Paralyzing Ignorance
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
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2. Erroneous Manipulation
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
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3. Abnegating Cecity
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
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4. Internal Evidence
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
Notes
One little-used tab puts this song in E Standard; the main tab and TuneLit's audio check say E♭.
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5. Qualms of Reality
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
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6. We'll Never See the Day
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
Notes
Reads about 9 ¢ sharp on all three CD editions, lower than the album, but not firmly enough for a setting of its own.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD +8.5 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's +21 ¢.
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7. Greed
E♭ Standard +21 ¢Measured
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8. Choirs of Devastation
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +7 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 7 ¢ sharp, lower than the rest of the album. TuneLit's audio check heard a D under it rather than the open E♭; no tab agrees, so it stays in E♭ (worth an ear check).
Tabbed in E♭ Standard like the rest of the album. TuneLit measured this song about 7 ¢ sharp, 14 ¢ below the album, and the 1991 repress and the Japanese CD read the same.
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9. Cadaverous Mastication
E♭ Standard +21 ¢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 Contradictions Collapse in?
Meshuggah recorded Contradictions Collapse (1991) in E♭ Standard, about 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Choirs of Devastation uses E♭ Standard +7 ¢.
Why does Contradictions Collapse sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), 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.