Nirvana · 1994 · Live album
MTV Unplugged in New York tuning.
E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440). 3 of 14 songs are tuned differently.
Not measured yet
TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from community sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.
Taped on 18 November 1993 at Sony Music Studios in New York and released in 1994, with Pat Smear on second guitar and Lori Goldston on cello. Kurt played a 1959 Martin D-18E through his amp and pedals. Almost everything is in E♭ Standard, so Come as You Are sounds a half step higher than on Nevermind, while About a Girl, Polly and On a Plain sound a half step lower than their studio versions. On a Plain and All Apologies use Drop C♯; for Something in the Way the tabs split between Drop C♯ and Drop C. TuneLit has not measured this album.
14 songs · 3 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. About a Girl
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A half step below the Bleach version, which is in E Standard.
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2. Come as You Are
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
E♭ Standard here, a half step above the D Standard studio version.
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3. Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A Vaselines cover. The main tab is in E♭; an E Standard copy also circulates.
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4. The Man Who Sold the World
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A David Bowie cover. Tabbed in E♭ Standard; the popular E Standard version on Songsterr uses the same frets with every string a half step higher, so it sounds a half step above the record.
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5. Pennyroyal Tea
E♭ StandardCommunity
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6. Dumb
E♭ StandardCommunity
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7. Polly
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A half step below the Nevermind version.
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8. On a Plain
Different tuning
Drop C♯Community
Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
The Drop D studio song moved down a half step to Drop C♯, in line with the rest of the set.
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9. Something in the Way
Different tuning
Drop C♯Disputed
Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
Disputed: if Drop C♯ sounds a half step high against the record, try Drop C.
The tabs split: the more-viewed Unplugged tab is in Drop C, a less-viewed one in Drop C♯. TuneLit lists Drop C♯, which needs only the low string dropped from the E♭ Standard the rest of the show uses; nothing confirms it.
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10. Plateau
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A Meat Puppets cover, played with Curt and Cris Kirkwood.
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11. Oh Me
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A Meat Puppets cover.
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12. Lake of Fire
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
A Meat Puppets cover.
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13. All Apologies
Different tuning
Drop C♯Community
Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
Drop C♯, the same tuning as the In Utero version.
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14. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
E♭ StandardCommunity
Notes
Lead Belly's arrangement of the traditional song. Tabbed in E♭ Standard.
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.
- Community
- 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 MTV Unplugged in New York in?
Nirvana recorded MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), from community sources. On a Plain, Something in the Way and All Apologies use Drop C♯.