System of a Down · 2005 · Studio album
Hypnotize tuning.
Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 2 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
Drop C♯
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredOfficial
Tune like thisPlay alongAll 12 songs
Bass: Bass Drop C♯ Tune bass
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, American/Columbia 82876 72511 2 (2005, Europe) | −2.7 ¢ | A 439.3 | 12 | −3.8 to −0.8 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: Drop C♯, with no pitch given (official).
Released six months after Mezmerize, Hypnotize keeps its Drop C♯ for every song except Dreaming, which the tabs, and TuneLit's check from the audio, put a half step lower in the old Drop C. TuneLit measured the CD about 3 ¢ flat, concert pitch for a tuner; Dreaming and Stealing Society read 6 to 7 ¢ sharp.
12 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. Attack
Drop C♯Measured
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2. Dreaming
Different tuning
Drop C +7 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's Drop C♯: Every string down a half step.
The one Hypnotize song in the old Drop C, a half step below the album: lower all six strings a half step after Attack. TuneLit's audio check confirms the C. Measured about 7 ¢ sharp.
Every Songsterr tab of Dreaming, including one marked accurate and one labelled as the official tab, puts the guitars and the bass in Drop C, a half step below the rest of Hypnotize, and a 2006 version of Malakian's Wikipedia biography names it as one of the double album's two exceptions. TuneLit's check from the audio confirms the low C. TuneLit measured the song about 7 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.7) on the CD.
Bass: Bass Drop C +7 ¢ Tune bass
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3. Kill Rock 'n Roll
Drop C♯Measured
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4. Hypnotize
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
The title single, a number 1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. Malakian told Guitar World the clean intro was a red 1960s Hagstrom through a small Watkins Dominator amp, with a drone from the 12-string neck of his double-neck SG behind it.
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5. Stealing Society
Different pitch
Drop C♯ +6 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 6 ¢ sharp, above the rest of the album.
Tabbed in Drop C♯ like the rest of the album. TuneLit measured this song about 6 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.4) on the CD, about 8 ¢ above the album.
Bass: Bass Drop C♯ +6 ¢ Tune bass
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6. Tentative
Drop C♯Measured
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7. U-Fig
Drop C♯Measured
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8. Holy Mountains
Drop C♯Measured
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9. Vicinity of Obscenity
Drop C♯Measured
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10. She's Like Heroin
Drop C♯Measured
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11. Lonely Day
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
A single with Malakian on lead vocals, nominated for a Grammy in 2007. Every guitar part of the main tab, the harmony solo included, is in Drop C♯; E Standard and Drop D versions are transpositions.
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12. Soldier Side
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
The full song behind Mezmerize's opening intro, closing the double album.
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 Hypnotize in?
System of a Down recorded Hypnotize (2005) in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Dreaming uses Drop C +7 ¢; Stealing Society uses Drop C♯ +6 ¢.