Pink Floyd · 1979 · Studio album
The Wall tuning.
E Standard, about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the original LP. 7 of 26 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +11 ¢
About 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the original LP.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
11 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Japanese 2LP, CBS/Sony 40AP 1750~1 (1979) | +11.1 ¢ | A 442.8 | 26 | +9.0 to +13.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Standard tuning for most of it, Run Like Hell in Drop D, and Gilmour's high-strung acoustic on Hey You. Measured from an original Japanese LP whose running time matches the CD within 0.1 %, so the turntable is not the cause: the record sits about 11 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443), and several songs higher still. In the Flesh? opens the album about 39 ¢ sharp, nearly halfway to F, Hey You and Run Like Hell sit about 26 ¢ sharp, In the Flesh and Outside the Wall about 20 ¢. Nobody Home is the one song at concert pitch.
26 songs · 7 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. In the Flesh?
Different pitch
E Standard +39 ¢Measured
Notes
About 39 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 450), steady through the whole song: a 440 tuner reads the low E as nearly halfway to F.
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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2. The Thin Ice
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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3. Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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5. Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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6. Mother
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
Waters' acoustic and Gilmour's solo are in standard tuning; Gilmour's second acoustic is high-strung, like the one on Hey You.
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7. Goodbye Blue Sky
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
Nylon-string acoustic in standard tuning.
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8. Empty Spaces
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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9. Young Lust
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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10. One of My Turns
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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11. Don't Leave Me Now
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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12. Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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13. Goodbye Cruel World
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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14. Hey You
Different tuning
E4 A3 D4 G4 B3 E4 +26 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 up 24 half steps (E → E), String 5 up 12 half steps (A → A), String 4 up 12 half steps (D → D), String 3 up 12 half steps (G → G); the other strings stay.
High-strung acoustic for the arpeggios. On a normal guitar, play the same shapes in standard tuning: you get the notes, just lower on four strings.
The arpeggios are played on Gilmour's high-strung Ovation: plain strings, the A, D and G an octave up and the low E two octaves up (E A D G B E, sounding E4 A3 D4 G4 B3 E4). The electric parts and the fretless bass are in standard tuning.
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15. Is There Anybody Out There?
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
The classical guitar part was played by session player Joe DiBlasi, in standard tuning.
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16. Nobody Home
Different pitch
E StandardMeasured
Notes
At concert pitch (A 440), the only song on the album that is.
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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17. Vera
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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18. Bring the Boys Back Home
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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19. Comfortably Numb
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
Black Strat solos in standard tuning. The chorus acoustics are high-strung like Hey You: Gilmour wrote the melody on that Ovation.
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20. The Show Must Go On
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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21. In the Flesh
Different pitch
E Standard +19 ¢Measured
Notes
The reprise sits about 19 ¢ sharp, lower than the opening In the Flesh?.
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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22. Run Like Hell
Different tuning
Drop D +26 ¢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 (D A D G B E), in Gilmour's own words.
Gilmour told Musician (1992) that Run Like Hell is in Drop D with chords built on D, and his tech Phil Taylor said he played it on a Drop D Telecaster on the 1994 tour.
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23. Waiting for the Worms
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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24. Stop
E Standard +11 ¢Measured
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25. The Trial
Different pitch
E Standard +43 ¢Measured
Notes
Orchestra, choir and voices; about 43 ¢ sharp.
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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26. Outside the Wall
Different pitch
E Standard +21 ¢Measured
Notes
About 21 ¢ sharp.
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.
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 Wall in?
Pink Floyd recorded The Wall (1979) in E Standard, about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured by TuneLit on the original LP. 7 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does The Wall sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), 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.