TUNELIT

Slipknot · 2014 · Studio album

.5: The Gray Chapter tuning.

Drop B at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 14 songs are tuned differently.

.5: The Gray Chapter album cover

Album tuning

Drop B

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

MeasuredWidely reported

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 14 songs

Bass: Bass Drop B Tune bass

String 6 sits 5 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .061 string, or a baritone guitar.

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Roadrunner RR7545-2 (EU standard edition)+1.3 ¢A 440.314−0.7 to +3.4 ¢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: Drop B, with no pitch given (widely reported).

The first album after Paul Gray's death. Drop B, with Sarcastrophe and The Devil in I in Drop A. The CD sits at concert pitch, and TuneLit's semitone check agrees with every song that has a riff. The droning opener XIX reads about 39 ¢ sharp. The deluxe edition reads the same.

14 songs · 3 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. XIX

    Different pitch

    Drop B +39 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    A slow, droning opener with no guitar tab. TuneLit reads its drone about 39 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 450).

    Premier Guitar’s 2015 Rig Rundown says the band used Drop B and Drop A on the tour for this album, with Thomson’s Drop B Ibanez behind most of its rhythm parts; the tabs put every song but two in Drop B.

    Bass: Bass Drop B +39 ¢ Tune bass

  2. 2. Sarcastrophe

    Different tuning

    Drop AMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's Drop B: Every string down a whole step.

    String 6 sits 7 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .069 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Drop A.

    Premier Guitar’s 2015 Rig Rundown says Thomson kept one of his Ibanez guitars in Drop A for Sarcastrophe, which opened the shows; the tabs agree (A E A D F♯ B).

    Bass: Bass Drop A Tune bass

  3. 3. AOV

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. The Devil in I

    Different tuning

    Drop AMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's Drop B: Every string down a whole step.

    String 6 sits 7 half steps below its standard E2. On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .069 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Drop A.

    Tabbed in Drop A on both guitars (A E A D F♯ B), with the bass at A E A D.

    Bass: Bass Drop A Tune bass

  5. 5. Killpop

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Skeptic

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Lech

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Goodbye

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Corey Taylor plays the bass on this song, according to the liner notes.

  9. 9. Nomadic

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  10. 10. The One That Kills the Least

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  11. 11. Custer

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

  12. 12. Be Prepared for Hell

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    A short interlude with Shawn Crahan’s voice; there is no guitar riff to tune to.

  13. 13. The Negative One

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.7 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's A 440.

  14. 14. If Rain Is What You Want

    Drop BMeasured

    Tune Play along

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 .5: The Gray Chapter in?

Slipknot recorded .5: The Gray Chapter (2014) in Drop B at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. XIX uses Drop B +39 ¢; Sarcastrophe and The Devil in I use Drop A.

Why does .5: The Gray Chapter sound out of tune with my guitar?

XIX sits about 39 cents sharp (A ≈ 450), 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, so you only tune the strings.