TUNELIT

Radiohead · 2016 · Studio album

A Moon Shaped Pool tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the LP. 6 of 11 songs are tuned differently.

A Moon Shaped Pool album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 11 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
2LP, XL Recordings XLLP790 (2016, first issue)+2.1 ¢A 440.511−0.2 to +2.3 ¢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).

Mostly piano, strings and synthesisers, with Thom Yorke's acoustic songs in DADGAD (Desert Island Disk) and Drop C (The Numbers) and Jonny Greenwood's E G D G B E on Ful Stop. The 2016 XL LP sits at concert pitch (A ≈ 440.5). Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief is about 26 ¢ sharp, Ful Stop about 14 ¢ flat, True Love Waits 12 ¢ flat and Identikit about 7 ¢ flat.

11 songs · 6 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. Burn the Witch

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Built on strings struck with guitar plectrums instead of bowed (Wikipedia).

  2. 2. Daydreaming

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    A piano ballad with strings; Wikipedia says the band slowed the tape for the introduction.

  3. 3. Decks Dark

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. Desert Island Disk

    Different tuning

    DADGADMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D), String 2 down a whole step (B → A), String 1 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.

    Thom Yorke's acoustic in DADGAD with a capo at the 5th fret.

    The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's acoustic in DADGAD with a capo at the 5th fret, and the Songsterr tab has the same tuning and capo.

  5. 5. Ful Stop

    Different tuning

    E2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E4 −14 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 5 down a whole step (A → G); the other strings stay.

    Jonny Greenwood's guitar has its A string down to G (E G D G B E), with a partial capo on the top two strings at the 12th fret. About 14 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.4).

    The King of Gear lists Jonny Greenwood's guitar as E G D G B E (the A string down to G) with a small capo across the B and E strings at the 12th fret; the Songsterr tab uses the same tuning.

  6. 6. Glass Eyes

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Piano, processed with software by Jonny Greenwood (Wikipedia), and strings.

  7. 7. Identikit

    Different pitch

    E Standard −7 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Standard tuning, about 7 ¢ flat.

    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.

  8. 8. The Numbers

    Different tuning

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 3 down a whole step (G → F), String 2 down a whole step (B → A), String 1 down a whole step (E → D).

    Drop C (C G C F A D): every string down a whole step, the low one two whole steps. The riff rests on the open low C.

    The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's guitar in C G C F A D, and Howard Wright's transcription and the Songsterr tab use the same tuning: Drop D a whole step lower (Drop C).

  9. 9. Present Tense

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Standard tuning; the Songsterr tab puts a capo at the 1st fret on both guitars.

    The Songsterr tab puts a capo at the 1st fret on both guitars; no other source we found names one.

  10. 10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief

    Different pitch

    E Standard +26 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Standard tuning, about 26 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446.5), the highest song on the album.

    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.

  11. 11. True Love Waits

    Different pitch

    E Standard −12 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The album version is piano. For years the song was known from live performances, such as the 2001 live recording with Thom Yorke alone on acoustic guitar. About 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437).

    Built on keyboards, samples or loops, so the album's standard tuning stands for any guitar you add; TuneLit measured the 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.
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 A Moon Shaped Pool in?

Radiohead recorded A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the LP. 6 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.

Why does A Moon Shaped Pool sound out of tune with my guitar?

Ful Stop sits about 14 cents flat (A ≈ 436), 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.