Pantera · Cowboys from Hell · song 1
Cowboys from Hell tuning.
Cowboys from Hell (Pantera, 1990) is in E Standard at A 435, about 21 cents flat, measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
21 ¢ flat
The album's value, measured on the CD: Tune sets the reference A to 435.
Pantera · Cowboys from Hell · 1990
About Cowboys from Hell
Cowboys from Hell is the title track and opener of Pantera's 1990 major-label debut, the record that introduced their groove-heavy sound. The guitars are in E Standard (E A D G B E), and Dimebag Darrell's main riff is built around the open low E.
Sources date Dime's famous tuning, about 60 ¢ flat (A 425), from this album, but the CD tells a different story: TuneLit measured it only about 21 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.8). This song's own reading is too uncertain to use, so it takes the album value, and its Tune button sets E Standard at A 435. TuneLit's check from the audio agrees that the lowest open string is E.
The trap is the famous number. If you tune to A 425 because every forum says Dime was 60 ¢ flat, you will be far too low for this record; that figure fits Vulgar Display of Power two years later. A plain A 440 tuner is too high as well. Set the reference to A 435 and tune the strings to their usual E Standard notes.
Tip: Set the reference to A 435, not the A 425 often quoted for Dime, then tune to E and check the open low E against the opening riff.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard at A 435, the notes Cowboys from Hell was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Cowboys from Hell sits 21 cents flat on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much sharp against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Cowboys from Hell 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 Cowboys from Hell 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 at A 435. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Cowboys from Hell moves up 21 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 Cowboys from Hell in?
E Standard at A 435: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.