Soundgarden · Superunknown · song 13
4th of July tuning.
4th of July (Soundgarden, 1994) is in C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4, about 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Song tuning
C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4 +21 ¢
About 21 cents sharp (A ≈ 445).
Measured by TuneLit
21 ¢ sharp
Measured on this song itself: Tune moves every string +21 ¢.
Soundgarden · Superunknown · 1994
About 4th of July
The heaviest, slowest song on Superunknown (1994), written by Chris Cornell. Its tuning, C F C G B E from string 6 to string 1, appears on no other Soundgarden record: string 6 drops a major third to C, string 5 drops to F and string 4 to C, while the top three stay standard. Kim Thayil wrote the melodic solo himself and doubled it an octave up.
TuneLit measured it about 21 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 445.3), one of the sharpest songs on the album and some 15 ¢ above its Drop D songs. Against a guitar at A 440, the doomy low riff sounds clearly flat, so Tune sets the tuning 21 ¢ up.
Thayil says this tuning was hard to keep in tune: the band recorded it with heavy strings, and on stage used a separate guitar with heavier low strings and normal top strings. On a standard set the low C flops, goes sharp when you dig in and pulls the neck. Use a heavier string 6 if you can, retune twice, and press lightly on the low notes.
Tip: Fit a heavier string 6 before dropping it to C, then tune the low riff's open C against the record and check it again after a minute of playing.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4, every string +21 ¢, the notes 4th of July was recorded in.
- From the album's Drop D: String 6 down a whole step (D → C), String 5 down 4 half steps (A → F), String 4 down a whole step (D → C); the other strings stay.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. 4th of July sits 21 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play 4th of July 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 4th of July instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4 +21 ¢. Choose C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4 at A 440 and 4th of July moves down 21 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 4th of July in?
C2 F2 C3 G3 B3 E4 +21 ¢: C F C G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.