Queen · 1984 · Studio album
The Works tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 9 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, Parlophone CDPCSD 136 (1994 Digital Master Series) | +1.6 ¢ | A 440.4 | 9 | +1.5 to +4.9 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
E Standard at concert pitch on EMI's 1994 CD, except Hammer to Fall, about 33 ¢ flat, and Man on the Prowl, 12 ¢ sharp. Is This the World We Created...? is tabbed in E♭ Standard.
9 songs · 3 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
-
1. Radio Ga Ga
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Taylor's song; May plays the solo with a glass slide. It sits at concert pitch.
-
2. Tear It Up
E StandardMeasured
-
3. It's a Hard Life
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Mercury's song; it sits at concert pitch.
-
4. Man on the Prowl
Different pitch
E Standard +12 ¢Measured
Notes
A three-chord rockabilly song with May's solo on a Telecaster. About 12 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443).
Tabbed in E Standard.
-
5. Machines (or 'Back to Humans')
E StandardMeasured
-
6. I Want to Break Free
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Deacon's song in E, on a twelve-bar blues pattern; the solo on the record is a synthesiser, played on guitar by May live. It sits at concert pitch.
-
7. Keep Passing the Open Windows
E StandardMeasured
-
8. Hammer to Fall
Different pitch
E Standard −33 ¢Measured
Notes
May's hard, angular riff, in E Standard. The record sits about 33 ¢ flat (A ≈ 431.7) from start to end, 34 ¢ below the album: use the song's own button.
Tabbed in E Standard.
-
9. Is This the World We Created...?
Different tuning
E♭ Standard −17 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Played on an Ovation acoustic. The song is usually written out in B minor, the record sounds a semitone lower, and the Songsterr tab gets there by tuning a half step down. The record sits about 17 ¢ below E♭ Standard (A ≈ 435.6), and the audio check hears E♭ as the lowest string.
The Songsterr tab tunes the acoustic guitar a half step down. Wikipedia notes the song is written in B minor but the record sounds a semitone lower.
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 The Works in?
Queen recorded The Works (1984) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Man on the Prowl uses E Standard +12 ¢; Hammer to Fall uses E Standard −33 ¢; Is This the World We Created...? uses E♭ Standard −17 ¢.
Why does The Works sound out of tune with my guitar?
Man on the Prowl sits about 12 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.