Pink Floyd · 1973 · Studio album
The Dark Side of the Moon tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 2 of 10 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Toshiba-EMI CP35-3017 (Japan, first CD issue) | −1.4 ¢ | A 439.6 | 9 | −4.6 to +0.7 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Standard tuning for the guitars; the steel on Breathe and The Great Gig in the Sky is in open G6 (D G D G B E). The first Japanese CD sits at concert pitch (A 440), with two exceptions: Time is about 23 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434) from start to finish, and The Great Gig in the Sky about 11 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443).
10 songs · 2 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. Speak to Me
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Sound collage, no guitar.
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2. Breathe
E StandardMeasured
Notes
The chords are the Black Strat in standard tuning. The slide fills are Gilmour's Fender 1000 steel in open G6 (D G D G B E), the tuning gilmourish.com and the detailed tab give.
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3. On the Run
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Synthesizer piece; no guitar.
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4. Time
Different pitch
E Standard −23 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning, about 23 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434): the whole song, not only the clock-and-drums intro, sits lower than the rest of the album.
Tabbed in standard tuning like the rest of the album; TuneLit measured this song on its own because its pitch differs from the album's.
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5. The Great Gig in the Sky
Different tuning
D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E4 +11 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D), String 5 down a whole step (A → G); the other strings stay.
Piano, voice and steel guitar. The steel is in open G6 (D G D G B E); play it with a slide on a spare guitar.
The only guitar on the track is Gilmour's Fender 1000 steel, in open G6 (D G D G B E): open G with the top string raised to E. He kept that tuning on every lap steel he played the song on live.
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6. Money
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Standard tuning, in B minor. The last part of the solo is on a 24-fret guitar.
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7. Us and Them
E StandardMeasured
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8. Any Colour You Like
E StandardMeasured
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9. Brain Damage
E StandardMeasured
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10. Eclipse
E StandardMeasured
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 The Dark Side of the Moon in?
Pink Floyd recorded The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Time uses E Standard −23 ¢; The Great Gig in the Sky uses D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E4 +11 ¢.
Why does The Dark Side of the Moon sound out of tune with my guitar?
Time sits about 23 cents flat (A ≈ 434), 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.