Soundgarden · 1996 · Studio album
Down on the Upside tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 9 of 16 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredOfficial
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, A&M 540 683-2 (1996, album disc) | +3.2 ¢ | A 440.8 | 16 | +1.4 to +8.4 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (official).
Thayil said the album has much more standard tuning than Superunknown. The big exception is C G C G G E, which he was writing in at the time: Pretty Noose, Burden in My Hand, Never the Machine Forever and, by his account, Dusty. Rhinosaur, No Attention and Switch Opens use Drop D, and Overfloater and Boot Camp sit a whole step down. The CD measures at concert pitch (about 3 ¢ sharp); Dusty and Never the Machine Forever run about 13 ¢ sharp.
16 songs · 9 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 E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G); the other strings stay.
C G C G G E, the tuning Ben Shepherd introduced on Head Down. Cornell wrote it; Thayil plays the wah riff.
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2. Rhinosaur
Different tuning
Drop DMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Thayil played it in Drop D. Accounts differ about the others: once he said the rest of the band stayed in standard, once that Shepherd was in Drop D too.
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3. Zero Chance
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Standard tuning, Thayil says, with Shepherd's angular chords on open strings.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +10.2 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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4. Dusty
Different tuning
C2 G2 C3 G3 G3 E4 +13 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G); the other strings stay.
Measured about 13 ¢ sharp.
Thayil listed it with the C G C G G E songs in 1996. Guitar magazine printed G G D G B D in 1997, and the most-viewed tabs use D G D G B E, but the record's low notes are C and G, with no low D, which fits Thayil's tuning.
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5. Ty Cobb
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Standard tuning; the fast riff is played on mandolin and mandola by Shepherd and Cornell.
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6. Blow Up the Outside World
E StandardMeasured
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Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G); the other strings stay.
C G C G G E. Cornell strummed a National resonator in that tuning, Guitar Player reported.
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8. Never Named
E StandardMeasured
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9. Applebite
E StandardMeasured
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10. Never the Machine Forever
Different tuning
C2 G2 C3 G3 G3 E4 +13 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 down 4 half steps (B → G); the other strings stay.
Measured about 13 ¢ sharp.
Thayil's own song, in C G C G G E and 9/8. He says the big harmonics are all on frets 4 and 5.
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11. Tighter & Tighter
E StandardMeasured
Notes
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.0 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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12. No Attention
Different tuning
Drop DMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Drop D, Thayil says.
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13. Switch Opens
Different tuning
Drop DMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Drop D in the tabs; Thayil did not mention it.
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14. Overfloater
Different tuning
D StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
Thayil: standard tuning with every string brought down a whole step, so D Standard. The most-viewed tabs use Drop D instead.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.2 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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15. An Unkind
E StandardMeasured
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16. Boot Camp
Different tuning
D StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
Thayil listed it with the standard-tuned songs, but the record's lowest note is a D, and the tabs agree: D Standard in one, Drop D in another.
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 Down on the Upside in?
Soundgarden recorded Down on the Upside (1996) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 9 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Down on the Upside sound out of tune with my guitar?
Dusty sits about 13 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), 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.