Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1991 · Compilation
The Sky Is Crying tuning.
E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 3 of 10 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Epic EPC 468640 2 (Austria, 1991) | −3.2 ¢ | A 439.2 | 10 | −5.6 to +0.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
A posthumous collection of studio outtakes from 1984 to 1989, compiled by Jimmie Vaughan, listed here as a compilation. E♭ Standard at concert pitch (the CD reads about 3 ¢ flat), with Boot Hill about 6 ¢ sharp and Chitlins con Carne about 12 ¢ flat. Life by the Drop, on a twelve-string acoustic, is the one song in E Standard.
10 songs · 3 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. Boot Hill
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +6 ¢Measured
Notes
Vaughan on slide guitar, recorded in Memphis in 1989; the tab keeps E♭ Standard. About 6 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.6), some 9 ¢ above the album's value.
Vaughan on slide guitar; the tab keeps E♭ Standard.
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2. The Sky Is Crying
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The Elmore James slow blues, recorded in Dallas in 1985. It sounds in B; TuneLit's audio check still sides with E♭ Standard.
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3. Empty Arms
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The 1984 Power Station take, a different recording from the one on Soul to Soul. TuneLit reads it about 9 ¢ flat, close enough to the album to share its setting; the audio check is not sure of the semitone.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −8.8 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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4. Little Wing
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Vaughan's instrumental version of the Hendrix ballad, recorded in 1984; it won a Grammy. E♭ Standard at concert pitch.
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5. Wham
E♭ StandardMeasured
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6. May I Have a Talk with You
E♭ StandardMeasured
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7. Close to You
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Recorded at the 1984 Power Station sessions; TuneLit reads it about 7 ¢ flat, close enough to share the album's setting.
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8. Chitlins con Carne
Different pitch
E♭ Standard −12 ¢Measured
Notes
Kenny Burrell's jazz instrumental, recorded in Dallas in 1985, about 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.9) throughout. The tabs are written in E Standard, one noting that its fingering was really for E♭; the audio check is not sure, so it stays in E♭ Standard.
Both tabs are written in E Standard, one noting that its fingering was really for E♭; Vaughan's usual tuning is E♭.
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9. So Excited
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The tab of this studio version is in E Standard, but TuneLit's audio check hears E♭ as the open low string, as the tabs of its live versions have it.
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10. Life by the Drop
Different tuning
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Vaughan alone on a twelve-string acoustic, recorded in Los Angeles in 1989. Unlike the rest of the album it is in E Standard: the tabs say so and TuneLit's audio check hears the open low E.
Vaughan alone on a twelve-string acoustic; the tabs put it in E Standard, unlike his electric records.
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 The Sky Is Crying in?
Stevie Ray Vaughan recorded The Sky Is Crying (1991) in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Boot Hill uses E♭ Standard +6 ¢; Chitlins con Carne uses E♭ Standard −12 ¢; Life by the Drop uses E Standard.
Why does The Sky Is Crying sound out of tune with my guitar?
Chitlins con Carne sits about 12 cents flat (A ≈ 437), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, so you only tune the strings.