TUNELIT

Sonic Youth · 1986 · Studio album

EVOL tuning.

F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 5 of 9 songs are tuned differently.

EVOL album cover

Album tuning

F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 9 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 .019 string, or a baritone guitar.

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, DGC DGCD-24513 (1994 reissue)+0.7 ¢A 440.29−6.8 to +1.8 ¢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: F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3, with no pitch given (community).

Steve Shelley's first album on drums. F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B is still the base, with F♯ F♯ G G A A for Tom Violence, G G D D D♯ D♯ for Green Light and E G♯ E G♯ E G♯ for the long slide ending of Expressway to Yr. Skull. TuneLit measured the 1994 DGC CD at concert pitch (+1 ¢). Secret Girl, a piano piece, reads 31 ¢ sharp. The CD bonus track Bubblegum is left out.

9 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

  1. 1. Tom Violence

    Different tuning

    F♯2 F♯2 G3 G3 A3 A3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3: String 4 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 3 up a half step (F♯ → G), String 2 up 5 half steps (E → A), String 1 down a whole step (B → 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.

    Both guitars in F♯ F♯ G G A A: two low F♯s, then G and A pairs that rub a whole step and a half step apart. Confirmed by live videos and set lists.

  2. 2. Shadow of a Doubt

    F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B; Lee Ranaldo in F♯ F♯ A A E E, which he confirmed himself.

  3. 3. Starpower

    F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Both guitars in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B (a 1986 video).

  4. 4. In the Kingdom #19

    F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Not documented: Lee's spoken song, with Mike Watt on bass. One of the F♯ tunings is the usual guess.

  5. 5. Green Light

    Different tuning

    G2 G2 D3 D3 D♯3 D♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from E Standard: String 6 up 3 half steps (E → G), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 3 down 5 half steps (G → D), String 2 down 8 half steps (B → E♭), String 1 down 13 half steps (E → E♭); the other strings stay.

    String 1 sits 13 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 20 % of its usual tension and flaps. For the usual feel use about a .021 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Both guitars in G G D D D♯ D♯, confirmed by videos.

  6. 6. Death to Our Friends

    F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    An instrumental; both guitars in F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B (a 1986 video).

  7. 7. Secret Girl

    Different pitch

    F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 +31 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    String 2 sits 7 half steps below its standard B3 (counting the record’s pitch). 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.

    Built on a piano recording played through an amplifier; the guitars only add feedback, in whatever tuning was at hand.

    No real guitar tuning: a piano recording played through an amplifier, with feedback from whatever guitars were at hand. Listed with the album's F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ E B.

  8. 8. Marilyn Moore

    Different tuning

    G2 G2 C3 C3 D♯3 D♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    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 down a half step (E → E♭), String 1 down 8 half steps (B → E♭).

    String 1 sits 13 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 20 % of its usual tension and flaps. For the usual feel use about a .021 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Lee plays slide on a small guitar held flat like a lap steel, in C C D♯ G G D.

    Thurston's guitar: G G C C D♯ D♯ is a best guess from a 1986 video (G G C C A♯ A♯ is the other candidate).

    On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −11.4 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's A 440.

  9. 9. Expressway to Yr. Skull

    Different tuning

    E2 G♯2 E3 G♯3 E3 G♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3: String 6 down a whole step (F♯ → E), String 5 up a whole step (F♯ → G♯), String 4 down a whole step (F♯ → E), String 3 up a whole step (F♯ → G♯), String 1 down 3 half steps (B → G♯); the other strings stay.

    String 1 sits 8 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 40 % of its usual tension and flaps. For the usual feel use about a .016 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Also known as Madonna, Sean and Me. The long, quiet ending is the two guitars ringing in this major-third tuning.

    Both guitars in E G♯ E G♯ E G♯, a tuning Guitar Player printed in 1991 and the band named in many interviews. Lee plays slide.

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 EVOL in?

Sonic Youth recorded EVOL (1986) in F♯2 F♯2 F♯3 F♯3 E3 B3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 5 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.

Why does EVOL sound out of tune with my guitar?

Secret Girl sits about 31 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, so you only tune the strings.