Queen · 1978 · Studio album
Jazz tuning.
E Standard, about 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the CD. 2 of 13 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +16 ¢
About 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
16 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Parlophone CDPCSD 133 (1994 Digital Master Series) | +15.5 ¢ | A 444 | 13 | +13.8 to +18.3 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
The sharpest Queen album: E Standard about 16 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 444) on EMI's 1994 CD. Fat Bottomed Girls is in Drop D and sits higher still; Dreamer's Ball is about 31 ¢ flat.
13 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. Mustapha
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Mercury's song; it sits with the album, about 16 ¢ sharp.
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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 by May's own account: he wrote it that way, around open-position chords, and the bass is in Drop D too. TuneLit measured it about 24 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446.2), 9 ¢ above the already sharp album. The audio check hears D as the lowest string.
Drop D, in May's own lesson for Total Guitar: the song was written in it. On stage he keeps a separate Red Special copy tuned to Drop D for it.
Bass: Bass Drop D +24 ¢ Tune bass
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3. Jealousy
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
May plays his Hallfredh acoustic with its buzzing fret-wire bridge, in standard tuning.
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4. Bicycle Race
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
A race of guitars in the middle section, all in E Standard. It reads about 10 ¢ sharp and shares the album's +16 ¢.
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5. If You Can't Beat Them
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Deacon's song, but May plays all the guitars.
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6. Let Me Entertain You
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
In E Standard on the Songsterr tab and on an Ultimate Guitar transcription of both album guitars.
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7. Dead on Time
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
May's song, never played in concert; only snippets turned up in his solos.
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8. In Only Seven Days
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Deacon's song; he plays acoustic and electric guitar on it.
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9. Dreamer's Ball
Different pitch
E Standard −31 ¢Measured
Notes
May's tribute to Elvis Presley. It sits about 31 ¢ flat (A ≈ 432.2), steady through the song and 46 ¢ below the album: use its own button.
Tabbed in E Standard.
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10. Fun It
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Taylor's song. It reads about 40 ¢ sharp, on this CD and the Japanese remaster alike, but at too low a confidence for a value of its own, so the button uses the album's +16 ¢. If that sounds flat against the record, try about 40 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 450).
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +40.3 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's +16 ¢.
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11. Leaving Home Ain't Easy
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
May sings every part, his voice sped up for the bridge; the guitars are in standard tuning.
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12. Don't Stop Me Now
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Mercury's piano drives it; May adds a short solo and backing vocals. It reads about 11 ¢ sharp, steady through the song and close to the album's +16 ¢.
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13. More of That Jazz
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
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.
- From tabs
- 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 Jazz in?
Queen recorded Jazz (1978) in E Standard, about 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Fat Bottomed Girls uses Drop D +24 ¢; Dreamer's Ball uses E Standard −31 ¢.
Why does Jazz sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 16 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.