TUNELIT

Sonic Youth · 2000 · Studio album

NYC Ghosts & Flowers tuning.

F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 8 songs are tuned differently.

NYC Ghosts & Flowers album cover

Album tuning

F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3

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

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 8 songs

String 1 sits 10 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 30 % of its usual tension and flaps. For the usual feel use about a .018 string, or a baritone guitar.

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Geffen 069 490 650-2 (2000)+3.1 ¢A 440.880 to +6.3 ¢Medium
 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: F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3, with no pitch given (community).

Made after almost 30 of the band's guitars and basses were stolen in July 1999, on old instruments and prepared guitars. Thurston Moore plays F G C F A F♯ on most songs and Lee Ranaldo D F C D F F, plus a 12-string with only ten strings on three songs. TuneLit measured the 2000 Geffen CD at concert pitch (+3 ¢); Free City Rhymes reads 6 ¢ flat.

8 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. Free City Rhymes

    Different tuning

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 −6 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 1 down 5 half steps (E → B); the other strings stay.

    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.

    Jim O'Rourke plays bass.

    Thurston's guitar: C G D G B B with a mallet or drumstick wedged between the neck and the neck pickup. Lee plays a 12-string with only ten strings, tuned C G C C G A♯/C; Kim's guitar is in D G D D B B.

  2. 2. Renegade Princess

    Different tuning

    C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 1 down 5 half steps (E → B); the other strings stay.

    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.

    Thurston in C G D G B B; Lee on the ten-string 12-string in C G C C G A♯/C; Kim in D G D D B B.

  3. 3. Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)

    F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in F G C F A F♯, Lee in D F C D F F, Kim in D A D A B B (from the tuning list's compiler and a tech).

  4. 4. Small Flowers Crack Concrete

    F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston plays plinks with a file or chisel under the strings: F G C F A F♯ at first, later G A D B E G; with that part, the tuning hardly matters. Lee in D F C D F F, Kim in D A D A B B.

  5. 5. Side2Side

    F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in F G C F A F♯; Lee on the ten-string 12-string in C G C C G A♯/C (later retuned for the tour).

  6. 6. StreamXSonik Subway

    F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston in F G C F A F♯, Lee in D F C D F F.

  7. 7. NYC Ghosts & Flowers

    Different tuning

    D2 F2 C3 D3 F3 F3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3: String 6 down 3 half steps (F → D), String 5 down a whole step (G → F), String 3 down 3 half steps (F → D), String 2 down 4 half steps (A → F), String 1 down a half step (G♭ → F); the other strings stay.

    String 1 sits 11 half steps below its standard E4. On a normal set (.010) it keeps only about 30 % of its usual tension and flaps. For the usual feel use about a .019 string, or a baritone guitar.

    Lee Ranaldo's song and guitar: D F C D F F. Thurston plays F G C F A F♯.

  8. 8. Lightnin'

    F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Thurston's F G C F A F♯ guitar with a bicycle horn wedged under the strings; Lee plays a synthesizer and Kim mostly trumpet.

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 NYC Ghosts & Flowers in?

Sonic Youth recorded NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000) in F2 G2 C3 F3 A3 F♯3 at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Free City Rhymes uses C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3 −6 ¢; Renegade Princess uses C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 B3; NYC Ghosts & Flowers uses D2 F2 C3 D3 F3 F3.