Radiohead · 2011 · Studio album
The King of Limbs tuning.
E Standard, about 7 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured on the LP. 5 of 8 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −7 ¢
About 7 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured on the LP.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
7 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LP, XL Recordings XLLP787 (2016 reissue) | −7.0 ¢ | A 438.2 | 8 | Too few songs | Medium |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Built from loops and samples of the band's playing, with guitar on a few songs in unusual tunings. The LP's readings scatter more than on any other Radiohead album: about 7 ¢ flat overall (A ≈ 438.2), Little by Little 17 ¢ flat, Codex 4 ¢ sharp and Give Up the Ghost 20 ¢ sharp. Bloom, Morning Mr Magpie and Separator gave readings too weak to use. The LP runs about 0.33 % shorter than the CD, so on CD expect every value about 6 ¢ lower.
8 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. Bloom
E Standard −7 ¢Measured
Notes
A piano loop, drums and Colin Greenwood's bass. Its reading is too weak to use; Tune uses the album's value.
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2. Morning Mr Magpie
Different tuning
C2 G2 C3 F3 C4 E4 −7 ¢Measured
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 up a half step (B → C); the other strings stay.
Thom Yorke's guitar is in C G C F C E: the low strings form a C fifth and octave, the B string comes down to C. Its reading is too weak to use; Tune uses the album's value.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's guitar in C G C F C E, and the Songsterr tab uses it for all three guitars.
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3. Little by Little
Different tuning
DADGAD −17 ¢Measured
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.
DADGAD as The King of Gear lists it; one tab has Drop D. The four low strings (D A D G) are the same in both. About 17 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435.6).
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's guitar in DADGAD; the Songsterr tab uses Drop D (D A D G B E), with the bass dropped to D. The four low strings are the same either way.
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4. Feral
E Standard −7 ¢Measured
Notes
Loops of drums and voice.
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5. Lotus Flower
E Standard −7 ¢Measured
Notes
Synth bass, drums and handclaps.
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6. Codex
Different pitch
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
A piano song with horns and strings, about 4 ¢ sharp. The King of Gear lists Ed O'Brien's guitar for it on stage in E A D A B D.
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.
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7. Give Up the Ghost
Different tuning
Drop D +20 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Thom Yorke's acoustic in Drop D, about 20 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 445).
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's acoustic in Drop D, and the Songsterr tab and the Ultimate Guitar chord sheet agree.
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8. Separator
Different tuning
E2 A2 E3 G3 B3 E4 −7 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 4 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
E A E G B E (the D string up to E) with a capo at the 6th fret. Its reading is too weak to use; Tune uses the album's value.
The King of Gear lists Thom Yorke's and Jonny Greenwood's guitars in E A E G B E with a capo at the 6th fret, and the Songsterr tab has two of its guitars the same way.
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 King of Limbs in?
Radiohead recorded The King of Limbs (2011) in E Standard, about 7 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured by TuneLit on the LP. 5 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does The King of Limbs sound out of tune with my guitar?
Little by Little sits about 17 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.