Nirvana · In Utero · song 3
Heart-Shaped Box tuning.
Heart-Shaped Box (Nirvana, 1993) is in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440).
Not measured yet
TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from community sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.
Nirvana · In Utero · 1993
About Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Box was the first single from In Utero (1993), recorded with Steve Albini in February that year, and it moves between a quiet, brooding verse and a loud chorus. It is in Drop C♯ (C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯): the whole guitar half a step down, with String 6 dropped a further whole step. Wikipedia gives the key as A♭ minor, which fits that tuning.
TuneLit has not measured In Utero, so this tuning comes from the tabs and sources, at concert pitch (A 440). The studio tab and the live tabs use the same tuning, so whichever version you learn from, the setting stays the same.
The trap is Songsterr's very popular Drop D and Drop C versions. They are the same tab moved to other keys, so the fret numbers look right but the song comes out a half step above or below the record. The Drop C♯ tab is the one that matches. If the rest of your In Utero set is in E♭ Standard, you only need to lower String 6 a whole step, from E♭ to C♯; from standard tuning, every string goes down a half step and String 6 three half steps.
Tip: Start from E♭ Standard and drop only String 6 a whole step to C♯; skip the Drop D and Drop C tabs, which are transposed copies.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C♯, the notes Heart-Shaped Box was recorded in.
- From the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Heart-Shaped Box sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Heart-Shaped Box 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 Heart-Shaped Box 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 Heart-Shaped Box 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 Heart-Shaped Box in?
Drop C♯: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high.