System of a Down · Mezmerize · song 2
B.Y.O.B. tuning.
B.Y.O.B. (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 alongMezmerize
Bass: Bass Drop C♯ Tune bass
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
System of a Down · Mezmerize · 2005
About B.Y.O.B.
B.Y.O.B., the lead single from Mezmerize (2005), won the 2006 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. It is in Drop C♯, C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, the half-step-higher tuning Malakian chose for the double album. He plays it on a Gibson SG Custom in the main tab, hammering the open low C♯ and frets 7 and 8 on String 6, and Wikipedia credits him with the bass on the record too.
TuneLit measured Mezmerize at concert pitch (about 2 ¢ sharp) and B.Y.O.B. about 3 ¢ sharp, so the Tune button sets Drop C♯ at A 440. The check from the audio confirms the low C♯.
The most common mistake with this song is the tuning, not the riffs. Songsterr has very popular versions in Drop C, Drop D and E Standard, and the Drop C one is especially convincing because the older System of a Down songs are in Drop C: it sits exactly a half step below the record. And since the reunion the band seems to play mostly in Drop C on stage, so live videos may not match the album either.
Tip: From Drop D, lower all six strings a half step; then the open String 6 should match 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 B.Y.O.B. 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. B.Y.O.B. sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play B.Y.O.B. 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 B.Y.O.B. 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 B.Y.O.B. 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 B.Y.O.B. in?
Drop C♯: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.