Metallica · The Black Album · song 5
Wherever I May Roam tuning.
Wherever I May Roam (Metallica, 1991) is in E Standard, about 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
5 ¢ sharp
The album's value, measured on the CD and the original LP: Tune moves every string +5 ¢.
Metallica · The Black Album · 1991
About Wherever I May Roam
Wherever I May Roam is the road song of the Black Album (1991), opening with an Eastern-sounding intro before a heavy, mid-tempo riff takes over. It is in E Standard (E A D G B E), like ten of the album's twelve songs, and the main riff rides on the open low E.
TuneLit measured the Black Album about 5 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.3) on the CD and 6 ¢ on the original LP, and this song reads 5 ¢ on both. Tune sets E Standard +5 ¢. That is only a hair above concert pitch, close enough that a plain A 440 tuner also works, though the Tune button gets you the last few cents.
The tuning itself is not in doubt, and TuneLit's check from the audio agrees on E. The trap is live material: since the Load era Metallica have played the song half a step down in E♭, so live videos and tabs made from them are a half step below the album. Make sure the tab you use was made from the 1991 studio version.
Tip: Tap Tune for E Standard +5 ¢ and check the open low E against the main riff once the band comes in.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, every string +5 ¢, the notes Wherever I May Roam was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Wherever I May Roam sits 5 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Wherever I May Roam 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 Wherever I May Roam 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 +5 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Wherever I May Roam moves down 5 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 Wherever I May Roam in?
E Standard +5 ¢: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.