Stevie Ray Vaughan · In Step · song 3
Tightrope tuning.
Tightrope (Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1989) is in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
Stevie Ray Vaughan · In Step · 1989
About Tightrope
A driving rock-blues from In Step (1989), one of the album's songs about getting sober. Its main riff sits on the seventh fret of the low string, a B in the tab's naming, and on his guitar, tuned a half step down, that note sounds as B♭.
TuneLit reads the song about 2 ¢ sharp, on an album that sits at concert pitch throughout, so the Tune button opens E♭ Standard at A 440. TuneLit's audio check agrees with E♭ as the lowest open string, even though the riff itself lives higher on the neck.
Because the riff is fretted, the open strings are not much help when you check your tuning by ear during the song. Tune first, then play the seventh-fret riff note against the record: on a guitar in E Standard it would sound as B, a half step sharp. Official transcriptions give the key as B♭, which is the sound, while most tabs name the shapes as B. Keep the fretting hand light on the low strings, since heavy pressure there pulls notes sharp.
Tip: After tuning down, play the riff's seventh-fret note on the low string with the record to confirm it sounds as B♭.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E♭ Standard, the notes Tightrope was recorded in.
- From E Standard: Every string down a half step. No tuner that knows E♭ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 1, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to E♭ Standard. Check each string again afterwards, since a capo pulls the strings a little sharp.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Tightrope sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Tightrope 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 Tightrope instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E♭ Standard. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Tightrope moves up 98 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 Tightrope in?
E♭ Standard: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.