Soundgarden · 2012 · Studio album
King Animal tuning.
Drop D at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 8 of 13 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
Drop D
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Seven Four / Universal Republic B0017722-02 (2012) | +3.9 ¢ | A 441 | 13 | +2.0 to +9.3 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: Drop D, with no pitch given (community).
The reunion album, 16 years after Down on the Upside. The old tunings come back: Drop D for half the songs, E E B B B E for Been Away Too Long (and, in a tab, Worse Dreams), C G C G G E for Thayil's A Thousand Days Before. The CD measures at concert pitch (about 4 ¢ sharp); Non-State Actor runs about 15 ¢ sharp.
13 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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1. Been Away Too Long
Different tuning
E2 E2 B2 B3 B3 E4Measured
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.
String 5 sits 5 half steps below its standard A2. On a normal set (.036) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .048 string, or a baritone guitar.
Cornell found the riff on an old Gretsch that hung on his wall in the E and B tuning from Somewhere. Ben Shepherd says the working title was "EBE" after it. Tabs write E E B B B B; Thayil says the top string of this tuning stays E.
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2. Non-State Actor
Different tuning
E Standard +15 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
Measured about 15 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443.8).
E Standard in the tabs.
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3. By Crooked Steps
Drop DMeasured
Notes
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +14.6 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's A 440.
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4. A Thousand Days Before
Different tuning
C2 G2 C3 G3 G3 E4Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 down a whole step (D → 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.
Thayil's song, in the open C G C G G E slide tuning; doubling the guitar in that tuning gave the bagpipe sound, he says.
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5. Blood on the Valley Floor
Different tuning
C2 G2 D3 G3 B3 E4Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 down a whole step (D → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G); the other strings stay.
The one hand-made tab is in C G D G B E, the Mailman tuning; an automatic tab says Drop C. Both have the low C and G the record is built on.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +10.3 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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6. Bones of Birds
Drop DMeasured
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7. Taree
Drop DMeasured
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8. Attrition
Drop DMeasured
Notes
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.3 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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9. Black Saturday
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
E Standard in the hand-made tab (an acoustic song); an automatic tab says Drop D, but the record's low note is E.
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10. Halfway There
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop D: String 6 up a whole step (D → E); the other strings stay.
Mostly acoustic, in E Standard.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.4 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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11. Worse Dreams
Different tuning
E2 E2 B2 B3 B3 E4Measured
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.
String 5 sits 5 half steps below its standard A2. On a normal set (.036) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .048 string, or a baritone guitar.
The one hand-made tab uses the E and B tuning (written E E B B B B). Thayil plays droning parts here like on A Thousand Days Before.
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12. Eyelid's Mouth
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
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 tab is in E Standard.
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13. Rowing
Drop DMeasured
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 King Animal in?
Soundgarden recorded King Animal (2012) in Drop D at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 8 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does King Animal sound out of tune with my guitar?
Non-State Actor sits about 15 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), 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.