Soundgarden · Superunknown · song 7
Black Hole Sun tuning.
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden, 1994) is in Drop E♭, about 29 cents flat (A ≈ 433), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
29 ¢ flat
Measured on this song itself: Tune moves every string −29 ¢.
Soundgarden · Superunknown · 1994
About Black Hole Sun
The slow, swirling ballad from Superunknown (1994) that became Soundgarden's biggest hit. Chris Cornell wrote it on a Gretsch and played the verse arpeggios himself through a rotating Leslie speaker; Kim Thayil added the heavier chorus parts and the solo. Every source and every main tab puts the guitars in Drop D, and the fingerings are Drop D shapes, so learn it there.
The record is the surprise. TuneLit measured it at Drop D♯ about 29 ¢ flat, the same pitch as Drop D sitting 71 ¢ sharp, nearly a semitone above where the tabs put it. The audio check hears no low D at all, and the tab's commonest bass notes only line up with the record one semitone higher. The rest of the album sits close to concert pitch, so this song is the odd one out. Tune sets Drop D♯ 29 ¢ flat; Play along can instead lower the record to a guitar in Drop D.
If your Drop D version sounds almost a half step out against the CD, nothing is wrong with your ears or your guitar. One tab, titled "original tuning", is written in Drop D♯ for exactly this reason. Do not chase the pitch by retuning string by string between takes; pick one method and keep it for the whole song.
Tip: Play the opening arpeggio against the record before anything else: if the open D sounds a whole lot flat, use the Drop D♯ −29 ¢ setting or let Play along lower the track.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop E♭, every string −29 ¢, the notes Black Hole Sun was recorded in.
- From the album's Drop D: Every string up a half step.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Black Hole Sun sits 29 cents flat on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much sharp against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Black Hole Sun 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 Black Hole Sun instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop E♭ −29 ¢. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Black Hole Sun moves down 71 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 Black Hole Sun in?
Drop E♭ −29 ¢: E♭ B♭ E♭ A♭ C F, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.