TUNELIT

Queens of the Stone Age · 2017 · Studio album

Villains tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 4 of 9 songs are tuned differently.

Villains album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 9 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Matador OLE-1125-2 (2017)−0.2 ¢A 439.99−3.0 to +0.8 ¢High
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).

Produced by Mark Ronson and recorded in early 2017 by Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita, Michael Shuman and Jon Theodore. Most songs are in E Standard; the opener is a whole step down and the first single uses Open G.

9 songs · 4 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. 1. Feet Don't Fail Me

    Different tuning

    D StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.

    Songsterr tabs both guitars and the bass in D Standard, and the best-rated UG tab agrees; one other UG tab uses Drop D.

  2. 2. The Way You Used to Do

    Different tuning

    Open GMeasured

    Tune Play along
    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), String 1 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.

    Songsterr and UG tab the guitars in Open G (D G D G B D). The bass also goes down to D: a whole step down on Songsterr, Drop D on UG.

  3. 3. Domesticated Animals

    Different pitch

    E Standard +8 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Most of the album is tabbed in E Standard; Feet Don’t Fail Me is in D Standard and The Way You Used to Do in Open G.

  4. 4. Fortress

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Head Like a Haunted House

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Un-Reborn Again

    Different pitch

    E Standard +10 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Most of the album is tabbed in E Standard; Feet Don’t Fail Me is in D Standard and The Way You Used to Do in Open G.

  7. 7. Hideaway

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. The Evil Has Landed

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  9. 9. Villains of Circumstance

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

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 Villains in?

Queens of the Stone Age recorded Villains (2017) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 4 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.

Why does Villains sound out of tune with my guitar?

Un-Reborn Again sits about 10 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, so you only tune the strings.