TUNELIT

Sonic Youth · 1998 · Studio album

A Thousand Leaves tuning.

C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 7 of 11 songs are tuned differently.

A Thousand Leaves album cover

Album tuning

C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 11 songs

String 1 sits 5 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .013 string, or a baritone guitar.

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, DGC DGCD-25203 (1998)+3.4 ¢A 440.911+1.4 to +3.8 ¢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: C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3, with no pitch given (community).

A new family of tunings: Thurston Moore's C G D G B B (Pavement's C G D G B E with the top string down to a second B), Lee Ranaldo's G G D A G A and Kim Gordon's C G G D D D. TuneLit measured the 1998 DGC CD at concert pitch (+3 ¢). Contre le sexisme, an edited improvisation, reads 30 ¢ sharp and The Ineffable Me 17 ¢ sharp.

11 songs · 7 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. Contre le sexisme

    Different pitch

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 +30 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Not documented: cut down from a longer improvisation. Kim probably plays her C G G D D D guitar.

    Not documented: cut down from a longer improvisation. Listed with Thurston's album tuning C G D G B B; Kim Gordon probably plays her C G G D D D guitar.

  2. 2. Sunday

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in C G D G B B, Lee in G G D A G A with slide on the last verse (set lists and videos; the tab agrees). Live, Thurston later used C G D G C D, as the top strings hardly sound here.

  3. 3. Female Mechanic Now on Duty

    Different tuning

    E2 G2 D3 G3 E3 D4Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3: String 6 up 4 half steps (C → E), String 2 down 7 half steps (B → E), String 1 up 3 half steps (B → D); the other strings stay.

    String 2 sits 7 half steps below its standard B3. On a normal set (.013) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .019 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Thurston's guitar: E G D G E D, with slide in the verses. Lee plays G G D G G A and puts a capo at the 2nd fret halfway through; Kim's guitar is in D A D G G B.

    On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.0 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.

  4. 4. Wildflower Soul

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in C G D G B B, Lee in G G D A G A, Kim in C G G D D D, using a homemade distortion pedal as a slide in the intro.

  5. 5. Hoarfrost

    Different tuning

    G2 G2 D3 E3 G3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3: String 6 up 7 half steps (C → G), String 3 down 3 half steps (G → E), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G); the other strings stay.

    Lee Ranaldo's song and guitar: G G D E G B with a capo at the 5th fret. Thurston plays C G D G B B and Kim C G G D D D.

  6. 6. French Tickler

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in C G D G B B, Lee in C C G D G D (confirmed by Lee), Kim in C G G D D D.

  7. 7. Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)

    Different tuning

    E2 G2 D3 G3 E3 D4Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3: String 6 up 4 half steps (C → E), String 2 down 7 half steps (B → E), String 1 up 3 half steps (B → D); the other strings stay.

    String 2 sits 7 half steps below its standard B3. On a normal set (.013) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .019 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Thurston in E G D G E D, Lee in E E B B E F♯: the Goo and Dirty pairing (set lists and videos).

  8. 8. Karen Koltrane

    Different tuning

    G2 G2 D3 A3 G3 A♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3: String 6 up 7 half steps (C → G), String 3 up a whole step (G → A), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G), String 1 down a half step (B → B♭); the other strings stay.

    String 1 sits 6 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 50 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .014 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Lee's song and guitar: G G D A G A♯, his usual G G D A G A with the top string a half step higher. Thurston plays C G D G B B, Kim D A D G G B.

  9. 9. The Ineffable Me

    Different pitch

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 +17 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in C G D G B B, Lee in G G D A G A, Kim in C G G D D D.

    Thurston Moore's guitar: C G D G B B; Lee Ranaldo in G G D A G A, Kim Gordon in C G G D D D (set lists and videos).

  10. 10. Snare, Girl

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Very likely the same three tunings as The Ineffable Me (not confirmed).

  11. 11. Heather Angel

    Different pitch

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 −5 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in C G D G B B, beating the strings with a hammer or a screwdriver; Lee in G G D A G A, Kim in C G G D D D.

    Thurston Moore's guitar: C G D G B B; Lee Ranaldo in G G D A G A, Kim Gordon in C G G D D D (set lists and videos).

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 A Thousand Leaves in?

Sonic Youth recorded A Thousand Leaves (1998) in C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 7 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.

Why does A Thousand Leaves sound out of tune with my guitar?

Contre le sexisme sits about 30 cents sharp (A ≈ 448), 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.