Soundgarden · 1987 · EP
Screaming Life tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440). 2 of 6 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440).
From tabs · not measured
Not measured yet
TuneLit has not measured this record. The tuning comes from community sources, at concert pitch unless they say otherwise.
Soundgarden's first record, six songs from 1987. Nothing to Say is where the band's Drop D story begins: Kim Thayil wrote it the day after Buzz Osborne of the Melvins told him how Tony Iommi dropped his low E to D. The rest is tabbed in E Standard. TuneLit has not measured this EP, so the tunings come from tabs and interviews, at concert pitch.
6 songs · 2 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. Hunted Down
E StandardFrom tabs · not measured
Notes
The band's first single. The main tab is in E Standard; one newer tab tunes everything a half step down, so check your low string against the opening riff.
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2. Entering
E StandardFrom tabs · not measured
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3. Tears to Forget
Different tuning
E♭ StandardFrom tabs · not measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
The only tab of this song is a half step down (E♭ Standard). Thayil remembers a whole track of guitar feedback mixed into it.
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4. Nothing to Say
Different tuning
Drop DOfficial · not measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Thayil wrote it in Drop D right after Buzz Osborne showed him the tuning, and named it as his first Drop D song.
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5. Little Joe
E StandardFrom tabs · not measured
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6. Hand of God
E StandardFrom tabs · not measured
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 Screaming Life in?
Soundgarden recorded Screaming Life (1987) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), from community sources. Tears to Forget uses E♭ Standard; Nothing to Say uses Drop D.