Soundgarden · 1988 · Studio album
Ultramega OK tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 2 of 13 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard +4 ¢
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, SST CD 201 (1988) | +4.2 ¢ | A 441.1 | 12 | +0.3 to +7.7 ¢ | Medium |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The SST debut album. Tabs put most of it in E Standard, with Drop D for Flower and Beyond the Wheel; Thayil named both as early Drop D songs. 665 and 667 are short joke tracks, and One Minute of Silence is almost silent. TuneLit measured the SST CD about 4 ¢ sharp, practically concert pitch.
13 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. Flower
Different tuning
Drop D +4 ¢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: it is just the low E tuned down to D, which is how the fast chords work. The droning intro is him blowing across the strings in Drop D.
-
2. All Your Lies
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
-
3. 665
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
A short backwards joke track, not a guitar song.
-
4. Beyond the Wheel
Different tuning
Drop D +4 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Chris Cornell wrote it in Drop D soon after Thayil brought the tuning to the band; Thayil names it next to Nothing to Say and Flower.
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5. 667
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Another short backwards joke track.
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6. Mood for Trouble
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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7. Circle of Power
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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8. He Didn't
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
-
9. Smokestack Lightning
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
A Howlin' Wolf cover, played in E Standard.
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10. Nazi Driver
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabs disagree: some use Drop D because it is easier, but the riff sits on the same notes in E Standard, and nothing on the record goes below E.
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11. Head Injury
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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12. Incessant Mace
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
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13. One Minute of Silence
E Standard +4 ¢Measured
Notes
Almost no music to tune to.
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 Ultramega OK in?
Soundgarden recorded Ultramega OK (1988) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Flower and Beyond the Wheel use Drop D +4 ¢.