Radiohead · 1995 · Studio album
The Bends tuning.
E Standard, about 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the LP. 8 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +16 ¢
About 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured on the LP.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
16 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LP, XL Recordings XLLP780 (2016 reissue) | +16.4 ¢ | A 444.2 | 12 | +15.6 to +16.8 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Produced by John Leckie at RAK, the Manor and Abbey Road. Standard tuning, except (Nice Dream) and Jonny Greenwood's part on My Iron Lung. The 2016 XL LP sits about 16 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 444), and four songs far higher: Planet Telex, Just and Black Star 46 to 48 ¢ sharp, close to a quarter tone, and the title song 36 ¢. Street Spirit (Fade Out) goes the other way, about 23 ¢ flat; Sulk is close to A 440. The LP runs about 0.45 % shorter than the CD, so on a CD or a stream everything sits roughly 8 ¢ lower.
12 songs · 8 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. Planet Telex
Different pitch
E Standard +47 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning, but about 47 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 452): nearly a quarter tone above A 440, as tab writers warn. Written and recorded in one evening at RAK (Wikipedia).
Standard tuning in every tab; an Ultimate Guitar chord sheet tells you to tune about a quarter tone sharp to match the record.
-
2. The Bends
Different pitch
E Standard +36 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning, about 36 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 449). The most-voted chord sheet on Ultimate Guitar warns that the recording is not at concert pitch.
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.
-
3. High and Dry
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning. The album take began as a 1993 demo recorded at Courtyard Studios with the band's live engineer, Jim Warren (Wikipedia).
-
4. Fake Plastic Trees
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
Notes
Thom Yorke's acoustic take in standard tuning, with organ, strings and electric guitars added later.
-
5. Bones
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
-
6. (Nice Dream)
Different tuning
E2 A2 D3 G3 A3 E4 +16 ¢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 a whole step to A (E A D G A E); the other guitars are in standard tuning.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's guitar with the B string tuned down a whole step to A (E A D G A E), and the Songsterr tab of his part uses the same tuning. Ultimate Guitar's chord sheets write the song in standard tuning.
-
Notes
Standard tuning, with Jonny Greenwood's octatonic runs and a solo pitched up by a DigiTech Whammy pedal (an effect, not a tuning). About 46 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 452), as tabs warn.
Standard tuning in every tab. One Ultimate Guitar tab says to tune all guitars up a quarter step; a bass tab says the CD sits sharp and the bass has to be tuned up to match.
-
8. My Iron Lung
Different tuning
E2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E♭4 +16 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯); the other strings stay.
Jonny Greenwood's part is in E G D G B E♭; Thom Yorke's and Ed O'Brien's guitars are in standard tuning. The album take is a live recording from the London Astoria (May 1994) with a new vocal. Jonny's octave-shifted sound comes from a DigiTech Whammy pedal and Ed O'Brien's drone from an EBow (Wikipedia).
The King of Gear lists Jonny Greenwood's guitar as E G D G B E♭ (the A string down to G, the high E down a half step), and the most-viewed Songsterr tab of his part uses it. Thom Yorke's and Ed O'Brien's guitars, and the Ultimate Guitar tabs, are in standard tuning.
-
9. Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was
E Standard +16 ¢Measured
-
10. Black Star
Different pitch
E Standard +48 ¢Measured
Notes
Recorded by Nigel Godrich and the band while John Leckie was away (Wikipedia). Standard tuning, about 48 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 452.5).
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. Sulk
Different pitch
E Standard +5 ¢Measured
Notes
Standard tuning, about 5 ¢ sharp: close to concert pitch, below the rest of 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.
-
Notes
Standard tuning. Ed O'Brien plays Thom Yorke's arpeggio (Wikipedia); The King of Gear and the Songsterr tab put a capo at the 12th fret on Jonny Greenwood's harmony part. The record sits about 23 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434), almost 40 ¢ below the rest of 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.
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 Bends in?
Radiohead recorded The Bends (1995) in E Standard, about 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured by TuneLit on the LP. 8 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does The Bends sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 16 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), 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.