System of a Down · Hypnotize · song 11
Lonely Day tuning.
Lonely Day (System of a Down, 2005) is in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Song tuning
Drop C♯
At concert pitch (A 440).
Tune like thisPlay alongHypnotize
Bass: Bass Drop C♯ Tune bass
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
System of a Down · Hypnotize · 2005
About Lonely Day
Lonely Day, from Hypnotize (2005), is the ballad Malakian sings himself; it was nominated for the 2007 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. It is in Drop C♯, and the main tab moves between 6/8 and 7/4. The rhythm part, on a Gibson SG Custom, sits low: frets 2 and 3 of String 6, D♯ and E, plus the open C♯, while the slow solo is built from up to five layered harmony guitars.
TuneLit measured Hypnotize at concert pitch (about 3 ¢ flat) and Lonely Day about 5 ¢ flat. The Tune button opens Drop C♯ at A 440; the check from the audio confirms the low C♯.
Few songs have as many alternative tabs: fingerstyle and acoustic versions in E Standard, simplified ones in Drop D, and a much-viewed Drop C version taken from live performances, where the band now seems to play it a half step lower. All of them sound fine on their own, but only Drop C♯ matches the album. For the harmony solo, the tiny 5 ¢ gap matters: lower Fine-tune slightly if the long notes beat.
Tip: Tune to Drop C♯ at A 440 and check your open String 6 against the low C♯ of the main riff.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C♯, the notes Lonely Day was recorded in.
- From E Standard: String 6 down 3 half steps (E → C♯), String 5 down a half step (A → G♯), String 4 down a half step (D → C♯), String 3 down a half step (G → F♯), String 2 down a half step (B → A♯), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯).
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Lonely Day sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Lonely Day 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 Lonely Day instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop C♯. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Lonely Day moves up a half step and 3 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 Lonely Day in?
Drop C♯: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.