Nirvana · 1991 · Studio album
Nevermind tuning.
E Standard, about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the CD. 6 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +14 ¢
About 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
14 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, DGC DGCD-24425 (US, 12 tracks, no hidden track) | +14.0 ¢ | A 443.6 | 12 | +9.4 to +14.4 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Mostly E Standard, with three songs a whole step down in D Standard (Come as You Are, Lithium, Drain You), On a Plain in Drop D and Something in the Way on a detuned acoustic. TuneLit measured the CD about 14 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443.6) on the songs from the May 1991 sessions, so a tuner set to A 440 leaves you slightly flat against the record. Polly, the one song kept from the 1990 Smart Studios session, sits at concert pitch, and Something in the Way about 45 ¢ flat. The CD measured has 12 tracks; later pressings hide Endless, Nameless after a long silence at the end of track 12.
12 songs · 6 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. Smells Like Teen Spirit
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
E Standard, built on F5, B♭5, A♭5 and D♭5 power chords. The riff never uses the open low E, which is why TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears F as the lowest note; the tab's notes match the record. Songsterr's C♯ Standard version is the main tab with every string tuned lower, a transposed copy, not another reading of the record. Live from 1992 the band played it a half step lower.
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2. In Bloom
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
Listed in E Standard. The record's low notes match the E Standard tab note for note, the open E is hardly used, and neither D nor C♯ ever sounds, so Butch Vig's memory of tuning down to D or C♯ does not fit this song. The E♭ Standard tab on Songsterr is a transposed copy that sounds a half step below the record.
The main tab is in E Standard. Butch Vig remembered the band tuning down to D or maybe C♯ after hearing that Black Sabbath tuned low, and MOJO prints that memory under In Bloom, while LiveNirvana's session notes attach it to Breed. A popular E♭ Standard tab is the main tab with every string a half step lower, so it plays a half step below the record.
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3. Come as You Are
Different tuning
D Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
D Standard. On MTV Unplugged the band played it a half step higher, in E♭ Standard.
Tuned a whole step down (D G C F A D); the main tab and its many copies agree. Kurt played the riff through an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus. Butch Vig recalled that Krist tuned his bass unusually for this song and ran it through a DBX sub-harmonic unit.
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4. Breed
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
E Standard, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio agrees. Songsterr's "Breed in D♯m" is the main tab moved down to C♯ Standard for singing lower, not another reading of the record.
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5. Lithium
Different tuning
D Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
D Standard. Live in 1991 it was played in E Standard, a whole step higher, and from 1992 in E♭.
The guitars are tuned a whole step down and played with E-major shapes, so the song sounds in D major; Wikipedia notes that the published sheet music ignores the lowered tuning.
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6. Polly
Different pitch
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Measured at concert pitch, the one Nevermind song recorded at Smart Studios in April 1990 (with Chad Channing on drums) rather than in the May 1991 sessions. The record's notes match the E Standard tab, so tune to E at A 440 whatever the old Stella's pegs said. MTV Unplugged has it in E♭.
Played on a cheap five-string Stella acoustic that Kurt never restrung. Butch Vig said in 1996 that it sat about a step and a half below E, and in 1998 that everything else had to be tuned to it, yet the record is in E minor and the main tab is in E Standard.
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7. Territorial Pissings
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
E Standard. A loud, noisy mix: TuneLit's reading of this track is uncertain, so it follows the album's value.
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8. Drain You
Different tuning
D Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
D Standard. A Songsterr version in Drop D also circulates; the main tab's notes match the record.
The main tab is in D Standard. Wikipedia notes that the December 1991 Del Mar live version is in standard tuning, unlike the studio recording, and the 1991 Paramount show is tabbed in E as well.
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9. Lounge Act
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
Notes
E Standard. At the very end the tape slows down so the last chord grinds to a halt (MOJO, 1998): a tape effect, not a retune.
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10. Stay Away
E Standard +14 ¢Measured
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11. On a Plain
Different tuning
Drop D +14 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Drop D. An E Standard version of the tab exists for players who do not want to retune.
Recorded in D major with the low string dropped to D (Wikipedia); the main tab agrees. On MTV Unplugged it moved down a half step, to Drop C♯.
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12. Something in the Way
Different tuning
Drop C♯ −45 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 3 half steps (E → C♯), String 5 down a half step (A → G♯), String 4 down a half step (D → C♯), String 3 down a half step (G → F♯), String 2 down a half step (B → A♯), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯).
Drop C♯, but far below the rest of the album: TuneLit measured the whole track about 45 ¢ flat (A ≈ 428.7), so a 440 tuner reads the low string as C♯ −45, almost halfway down to C.
Kurt played it on the battered Stella acoustic, which Butch Vig said was tuned down a few steps and to no standard pitch, so the bass and the cello had to be tuned to it. The main tab is in Drop C♯.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears C♯, about 45 ¢ flat, as the lowest open string: C♯ and F are the song's main low notes, the C under C♯ almost never sounds, and neither does the D above it. The main tab says Drop C♯ too, so the song is listed as Drop C♯ −45 ¢ rather than at the album's sharp offset, a semitone higher.
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 Nevermind in?
Nirvana recorded Nevermind (1991) in E Standard, about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 6 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Nevermind sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.