Soundgarden · 1991 · Studio album
Badmotorfinger tuning.
Drop D, about 6 cents sharp (A ≈ 442), measured on the CD. 8 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
Drop D +6 ¢
About 6 cents sharp (A ≈ 442), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
6 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, A&M 75021 5401 2 (1992 two-disc edition, album disc) | +5.9 ¢ | A 441.5 | 12 | +4.1 to +11.3 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: Drop D, with no pitch given (widely reported).
The album where the tunings went wild. Drop D carries the best-known songs, but Cornell dropped his low string all the way to B for Rusty Cage, Searching with My Good Eye Closed and Holy Water, tuned every string to E for Mind Riot, and new bassist Ben Shepherd brought an E and B tuning for Somewhere. Cornell said at the time that the band used about seven tunings on stage. TuneLit measured the CD about 6 ¢ sharp, with every song close to it.
12 songs · 8 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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Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 down 3 half steps (D → B); the other strings stay.
Cornell dropped the low E all the way to B (B A D G B E). Thayil called the string all wobbly, and said a heavier low string helps.
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2. Outshined
Drop D +6 ¢Measured
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3. Slaves & Bulldozers
Drop D +6 ¢Measured
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4. Jesus Christ Pose
Drop D +6 ¢Measured
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5. Face Pollution
Different tuning
D2 A2 D3 G3 B3 B3 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 1 down 5 half steps (E → B); the other strings stay.
Drop D with the high E tuned down to B, so the top two strings ring in unison; Thayil compared it to a 12-string. Some tabs keep the high E.
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6. Somewhere
Different tuning
E2 E2 B2 B3 B3 E4 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from E Standard: String 5 down 5 half steps (A → E), String 4 down 3 half steps (D → B), String 3 up 4 half steps (G → B); the other strings stay.
Ben Shepherd's song and his tuning: low to high E E B B B E. Cornell said this E and B tuning later gave him My Wave and Been Away Too Long. Tabs write the top string as B; Thayil says it stays E.
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7. Searching with My Good Eye Closed
Different tuning
B1 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 down 3 half steps (D → B); the other strings stay.
The low string goes down to B, as on Rusty Cage and Holy Water.
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8. Room a Thousand Years Wide
Drop D +6 ¢Measured
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9. Mind Riot
Different tuning
E2 E2 E3 E3 E4 E4 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from E Standard: String 5 down 5 half steps (A → E), String 4 up a whole step (D → E), String 3 down 3 half steps (G → E), String 2 up 5 half steps (B → E); the other strings stay.
Cornell tuned every string to an E, after a joke from Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament. The octaves are the tabs': E2 E2 E3 E3 E4 E4; one tab puts string 2 an octave lower, on E3.
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10. Drawing Flies
Different tuning
E Standard +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
Matt Cameron's song, the one Badmotorfinger track the tabs put in plain E Standard.
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11. Holy Water
Different tuning
B1 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 down 3 half steps (D → B); the other strings stay.
Low string down to B, as on Rusty Cage.
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12. New Damage
Different tuning
D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E4 +6 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 5 down a whole step (A → G); the other strings stay.
Tabbed in D G D G B E: Drop D with the A string down to G, the tuning Thayil says the band called "digga digga" and used a lot from Badmotorfinger on. One older tab uses plain Drop D.
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 Badmotorfinger in?
Soundgarden recorded Badmotorfinger (1991) in Drop D, about 6 cents sharp (A ≈ 442), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 8 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.