Radiohead · 1997 · Studio album
OK Computer tuning.
E Standard, about 10 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the original LP. 5 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +10 ¢
About 10 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured on the original LP.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
10 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKNOTOK 1997 2017 3LP, XL Recordings XLLP868 (2017), the original album's sides | +10.1 ¢ | A 442.6 | 11 | +9.8 to +12.8 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Recorded with Nigel Godrich in the band's Canned Applause studio and at St Catherine's Court. Standard tuning for most songs; Airbag, Electioneering and The Tourist have their own tunings, and Exit Music (For a Film), Let Down and No Surprises use capos. Measured from the album sides of the 2017 OKNOTOK LP: about 10 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 442.6), and the cleanest tracks match the CD's running times, so that is the record, not the turntable. Exit Music sits at concert pitch and No Surprises about 17 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435.8). Fitter Happier, a spoken piece, is not measured.
12 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. Airbag
Different tuning
E2 A2 D3 G3 A3 E4 +10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 2 down a whole step (B → A); the other strings stay.
Thom Yorke's guitar has its B string down to A (E A D G A E); Jonny Greenwood's parts are in standard tuning.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's guitar with the B string down to A (E A D G A E), the tuning of (Nice Dream), and the Songsterr tab of his part uses it.
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2. Paranoid Android
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
All four sections are in standard tuning (Wikipedia).
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3. Subterranean Homesick Alien
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
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Notes
Thom Yorke's acoustic in standard tuning with a capo at the 2nd fret. At concert pitch, about 13 ¢ below the rest of the album.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's acoustic with a capo at the 2nd fret, and the Songsterr tab of his part has the same capo.
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5. Let Down
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning. The King of Gear and the Songsterr tab put a capo at the 7th fret on Ed O'Brien's part.
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6. Karma Police
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning (Wikipedia), on acoustic guitar and piano.
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7. Fitter Happier
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
No guitar: a computer voice over piano and samples. Not measured: its reading sits halfway between two notes and says nothing useful about a tuning.
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8. Electioneering
Different tuning
Double Drop D +10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D), String 1 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Both E strings down to D (Double Drop D); some tabs leave the high E string alone on Jonny Greenwood's and Ed O'Brien's guitars.
The King of Gear lists all three guitars in D A D G B D (Double Drop D). The Songsterr tab has Thom Yorke's guitar that way and Jonny Greenwood's and Ed O'Brien's in Drop D.
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9. Climbing Up the Walls
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
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Notes
Standard tuning with a capo at the 3rd fret on Thom Yorke's acoustic, so the D shapes sound in F. About 17 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435.8), 27 ¢ below the rest of the album.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's acoustic with a capo at the 3rd fret and Ed O'Brien's electric with one at the 15th, and the Songsterr tab has the same capos. Wikipedia: the song is in F major, and Nigel Godrich had the band record it at a faster tempo and slowed the playback for the vocal.
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11. Lucky
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning. The high chiming sound at the start is Ed O'Brien strumming the strings above the nut (Wikipedia).
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12. The Tourist
Different tuning
E2 A2 E3 G3 B3 E4 +10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 4 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
Jonny Greenwood's guitar has its D string up a whole step to E (E A E G B E); the other guitars are in standard tuning.
The King of Gear lists Jonny Greenwood's guitar with the D string tuned up a whole step to E (E A E G B E), as the Songsterr tab of his part has it. The other guitars are in standard tuning.
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 OK Computer in?
Radiohead recorded OK Computer (1997) in E Standard, about 10 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), measured by TuneLit on the original LP. 5 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does OK Computer sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.