Slayer · Reign in Blood · song 9
Postmortem tuning.
Postmortem (Slayer, 1986) is in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
Measured on this song itself.
Slayer · Reign in Blood · 1986
About Postmortem
Postmortem, from Reign in Blood (1986), is the short, punishing song that runs straight into Raining Blood at the end of the album. It is in E♭ Standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), the half-step-down tuning Kerry King calls "D♯".
Reign in Blood is not one pitch: TuneLit measured the album about 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.8), but Postmortem sits right at concert pitch, about +2 ¢, some 12 ¢ above most of the album. It is measured clearly enough to get its own setting, so its Tune button sets plain E♭ Standard at A 440. TuneLit's check from the audio agrees on E♭.
That makes the end of the album tricky. Raining Blood, which follows without a break, sits about 18 ¢ flat and uses the album's −12 ¢, so keeping this song's setting leaves you sharp on the closer. Piece by Piece and Jesus Saves also read near concert pitch, but less clearly, so they keep the album value.
Tip: Use plain E♭ at A 440 for this song, then lower Fine-tune by 12 ¢ before Raining Blood starts.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E♭ Standard, the notes Postmortem was recorded in.
- From E Standard: Every string down a half step. No tuner that knows E♭ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 1, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to E♭ Standard. Check each string again afterwards, since a capo pulls the strings a little sharp.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Postmortem sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Postmortem along with the record: its lowest open note and your String 6 should ring together without a wobble.
Or the other way round
Move the record into your tuning
Rather keep your guitar as it is? Let Play along move Postmortem instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E♭ Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Postmortem moves up 98 cents, at its own speed. Slow it down or loop a few bars to learn it, and save the result as a WAV file.
Questions
What tuning is Postmortem in?
E♭ Standard: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.