Queens of the Stone Age · 2000 · Studio album
Rated R tuning.
C Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 5 of 11 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
C 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, Interscope/UMe B0014461-02 (2010 Deluxe Edition, disc 1) | +2.6 ¢ | A 440.7 | 11 | +0.6 to +4.7 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: C Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys between December 1999 and February 2000, with Nick Oliveri on bass and vocals, Dave Catching on keyboards, lap steel and 12-string, and Mark Lanegan singing In the Fade. Homme kept the debut’s C Standard for most songs; the exceptions are the songs led by others: Oliveri’s Auto Pilot, Catching’s 12-string instrumental Lightning Song, and Leg of Lamb.
11 songs · 5 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. Feel Good Hit of the Summer
C StandardMeasured
Notes
Rob Halford of Judas Priest sings backing vocals.
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2. The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
C StandardMeasured
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3. Leg of Lamb
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string up 4 half steps.
The tabs put it in E Standard (one says it was worked out on an acoustic guitar), but the record’s bass reaches a low D that an E-tuned bass cannot play, so the album’s C Standard may be the real tuning.
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4. Auto Pilot
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string up 4 half steps.
Nick Oliveri sings and plays the guitar; Chris Goss plays bass and Homme the drums.
Songsterr and the most-voted UG tab are in E Standard; another UG tab plays it in C Standard.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +8.6 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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5. Better Living Through Chemistry
Different pitch
C Standard −11 ¢Measured
Notes
Most of the album is tabbed in C Standard, like the debut. Leg of Lamb and Auto Pilot are tabbed in E Standard, and Lightning Song is a 12-string piece in D Standard.
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6. Monsters in the Parasol
C StandardMeasured
Notes
The best-rated UG tab tunes to the album’s C Standard; Songsterr’s tab is in E Standard. The record stays above a low G, so it cannot tell the two apart.
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7. Quick and to the Pointless
Different pitch
C Standard +15 ¢Measured
Notes
Sung by Nick Oliveri. Songsterr has it in C Standard; a UG tab plays it in E Standard.
Most of the album is tabbed in C Standard, like the debut. Leg of Lamb and Auto Pilot are tabbed in E Standard, and Lightning Song is a 12-string piece in D Standard.
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8. In the Fade
C StandardMeasured
Notes
Sung by Mark Lanegan; it ends with a short reprise of Feel Good Hit of the Summer.
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9. Tension Head
C StandardMeasured
Notes
Sung by Nick Oliveri.
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10. Lightning Song
Different tuning
D StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
An instrumental for 12-string acoustic guitar, played by Dave Catching.
Songsterr tabs Dave Catching’s 12-string in D Standard, and the record’s bass note is mostly that low D.
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11. I Think I Lost My Headache
C StandardMeasured
Notes
Ends with a long horn section.
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 Rated R in?
Queens of the Stone Age recorded Rated R (2000) in C Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 5 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Rated R sound out of tune with my guitar?
Better Living Through Chemistry sits about 11 cents flat (A ≈ 437), 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.