Nirvana · Nevermind · song 12
Something in the Way tuning.
Something in the Way (Nirvana, 1991) is in Drop C♯, about 45 cents flat (A ≈ 429), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
45 ¢ flat
Measured on this song itself: Tune moves every string −45 ¢.
Nirvana · Nevermind · 1991
About Something in the Way
Something in the Way closes Nevermind (1991): a hushed song Kurt Cobain played on a battered Stella acoustic while sitting in the control room. Butch Vig said the guitar was tuned down a few steps and to no standard pitch, so Krist Novoselic's bass and Kirk Canning's cello were tuned to it. The main tab puts it in Drop C♯ (C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯).
The measurement shows how far off standard pitch that guitar was. TuneLit read the whole track about 45 ¢ flat (A ≈ 428.7), far below the album's +14 ¢, so its Tune button sets Drop C♯ −45 ¢. A normal A 440 tuner reads the low string as C♯ −45, almost halfway down to C. TuneLit's check from the audio confirms C♯ as the low string, not the D above it.
Because the record sits between notes, Drop C♯ at A 440 is clearly sharp of it and Drop C clearly flat; only the offset gets you there. Later CD pressings hide Endless, Nameless after a long silence at the end of this track, so expect a sudden noise if your copy has it. Tabs of the MTV Unplugged version split between Drop C and Drop C♯.
Tip: Tap Tune for Drop C♯ −45 ¢ rather than tuning by note name, and check the open low string against the first strummed chords.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C♯, every string −45 ¢, the notes Something in the Way was recorded in.
- 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♯).
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Something in the Way sits 45 cents flat on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much sharp against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Something in the Way 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 Something in the Way 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♯ −45 ¢. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Something in the Way moves up a half step and 45 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 Something in the Way in?
Drop C♯ −45 ¢: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.