Soundgarden · Badmotorfinger · song 4
Jesus Christ Pose tuning.
Jesus Christ Pose (Soundgarden, 1991) is in Drop D, about 6 cents sharp (A ≈ 442), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
6 ¢ sharp
The album's value, measured on the CD: Tune moves every string +6 ¢.
Soundgarden · Badmotorfinger · 1991
About Jesus Christ Pose
The first single from Badmotorfinger (1991), with lyrics by Chris Cornell and music by all four members. It is a fast, relentless Drop D song: the low D drones under Matt Cameron's pounding drums, and Kim Thayil adds the swirling bends and feedback at the start and the end, while Ben Shepherd's loose, detuned bass line rumbles underneath. Thayil has compared the song's groove to helicopter blades.
TuneLit measured the album about 6 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.5). This song reads a few cents above that, not enough for its own value, so Tune uses the album's Drop D 6 ¢ setting; at A 440 you are close enough for a fast song like this.
The challenge is stamina and accuracy at speed. The open D keeps ringing, so mute it with the edge of your picking hand between phrases or it smears the riff. Thayil's noises come from feedback and from picking beneath the bridge, and they only sound right if the guitar holds its tuning, so stretch new strings well before trying them.
Tip: Check your Drop D against the record's opening feedback, then mute the open string firmly as the riff kicks in.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop D, every string +6 ¢, the notes Jesus Christ Pose was recorded in.
- From E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Jesus Christ Pose sits 6 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Jesus Christ Pose along with the record: its lowest open note and your String 6 should ring together without a wobble.
Or the other way round
Move the record into your tuning
Rather keep your guitar as it is? Let Play along move Jesus Christ Pose instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop D +6 ¢. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Jesus Christ Pose moves down 6 cents, at its own speed. Slow it down or loop a few bars to learn it, and save the result as a WAV file.
Questions
What tuning is Jesus Christ Pose in?
Drop D +6 ¢: D A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.