Sonic Youth · 1985 · Studio album
Bad Moon Rising tuning.
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3, about 10 cents flat (A ≈ 437), measured on the CD. 4 of 8 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 −10 ¢
About 10 cents flat (A ≈ 437), measured on the CD.
MeasuredOfficial
Tune like thisPlay alongAll 8 songs
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 .020 string, or a baritone guitar.
Measured by TuneLit
10 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Blast First BFFP 1 CD | −10.2 ¢ | A 437.4 | 8 | −11.0 to −3.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3, with no pitch given (official).
Recorded in 1984 with Bob Bert, the songs joined by guitar interludes. Most of it is in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B on both guitars, the tuning Thurston Moore calls the band's first written-down one; the LP's liner notes print the odd ones (I Love Her All the Time, I'm Insane, Justice Is Might). TuneLit measured the Blast First CD about 10 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437.4), the flattest of the studio albums; Intro and Death Valley '69 confirm it. The CD's bonus tracks (Satan Is Boring, Flower, Halloween, Echo Canyon) are left out here.
8 songs · 4 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. Intro
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
The same guitars as Brave Men Run, which it leads into.
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2. Brave Men Run (In My Family)
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
One of the first two songs Thurston wrote in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B, by his own account. Both guitars use it.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD −1.4 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −10 ¢.
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3. Society Is a Hole
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
Almost certainly F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B for both, as on the songs around it in 1984 sets. The LP notes show an E E B F♯ B E "Society" tuning for Lee, which may belong to Ghost Bitch instead.
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4. I Love Her All the Time
Different tuning
G2 G2 C3 C3 A♯3 A♯3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3: String 6 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 5 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 4 down 6 half steps (F♯ → C), String 3 down 6 half steps (F♯ → C), String 2 up 6 half steps (E → B♭), String 1 down a half step (B → B♭).
String 3 sits 7 half steps below its standard G3. On a normal set (.017) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .026 string, or a baritone guitar.
Lee's guitar is in D♯ D♯ C♯ C♯ G G with a screwdriver behind the 9th fret, also from the liner notes. With objects under the strings, the exact tuning matters less than the drone.
Thurston's guitar: G G C C A♯ A♯, played with a drumstick under the strings at the 12th fret. The LP's liner notes print the tunings for this song.
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5. Ghost Bitch
Different tuning
G2 G2 C3 C3 A♯3 A♯3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3: String 6 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 5 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 4 down 6 half steps (F♯ → C), String 3 down 6 half steps (F♯ → C), String 2 up 6 half steps (E → B♭), String 1 down a half step (B → B♭).
String 3 sits 7 half steps below its standard G3. On a normal set (.017) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .026 string, or a baritone guitar.
TuneLit's semitone check hears F♯ as the lowest note, which fits Lee's droning acoustic rather than Thurston's G strings.
Thurston keeps the G G C C A♯ A♯ guitar from I Love Her All the Time (seen on a live video). Lee's acoustic drone is not documented: it sounds mostly like F♯s.
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6. I'm Insane
Different tuning
D2 D2 D3 D3 E3 A3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3: String 6 down 4 half steps (F♯ → D), String 5 down 4 half steps (F♯ → D), String 4 down 4 half steps (F♯ → D), String 3 down 4 half steps (F♯ → D), String 1 down a whole step (B → A); the other strings stay.
String 5 sits 7 half steps below its standard A2. On a normal set (.036) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .054 string, or a baritone guitar.
On a live video Lee plays it in the F♯ tuning instead, so the exact tuning is not essential.
Lee Ranaldo's guitar: D D D D E A, as printed in the LP's liner notes. Thurston reads the words and plays no guitar on the 1985 video.
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7. Justice Is Might
Different tuning
A2 A2 E3 E3 F♯3 A3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from E Standard: String 6 up 5 half steps (E → A), String 4 up a whole step (D → E), String 3 down 3 half steps (G → E), String 2 down 5 half steps (B → F♯), String 1 down 7 half steps (E → A); the other strings stay.
String 1 sits 7 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 45 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .015 string, or a baritone guitar.
Lee's guitar: A A E E F♯ A, from the LP's liner notes. Thurston plays no guitar on it.
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8. Death Valley '69
F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 −10 ¢Measured
Notes
Both guitars in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B. Thurston names it as one of the first songs written in that tuning; Guitar Player printed it in 1989, 1991 and 1992. Lydia Lunch sings with Thurston.
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 Bad Moon Rising in?
Sonic Youth recorded Bad Moon Rising (1985) in F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3, about 10 cents flat (A ≈ 437), measured by TuneLit on the CD. I Love Her All the Time and Ghost Bitch use G2 G2 C3 C3 A♯3 A♯3 −10 ¢; I'm Insane uses D2 D2 D3 D3 E3 A3 −10 ¢; Justice Is Might uses A2 A2 E3 E3 F♯3 A3 −10 ¢.
Why does Bad Moon Rising sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 10 cents flat (A ≈ 437), 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.