TUNELIT

System of a Down · 2001 · Studio album

Toxicity tuning.

Drop C at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 2 of 14 songs are tuned differently.

Toxicity album cover

Album tuning

Drop C

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredOfficial

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 14 songs

Bass: Bass Drop C Tune bass

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, American/Columbia COL 501534 9 (2001, Europe)−3.7 ¢A 439.114−6.1 to −2.8 ¢High
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: Drop C, with no pitch given (official).

The breakthrough album, number 1 in the US. Wikipedia, citing the official tab book, says most of it was written in Drop C, and the tabs agree for every song, including the acoustic parts of Chop Suey!, Prison Song and Needles. The sitar, banjo and keyboards on the record do not change what a guitarist needs: one Drop C for the whole album. TuneLit measured the CD about 4 ¢ flat, which counts as concert pitch; Needles (about 12 ¢ flat) and Deer Dance (about 21 ¢ flat) get their own settings.

14 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

  1. 1. Prison Song

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The tab has an acoustic overdub next to the electric riff, both in Drop C.

  2. 2. Needles

    Different pitch

    Drop C −12 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Measured about 12 ¢ flat, lower than most of the album.

    Tabbed in Drop C like the rest of the album, acoustic part included. TuneLit measured this song about 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.8) on the CD, about 9 ¢ below the album.

    Bass: Bass Drop C −12 ¢ Tune bass

  3. 3. Deer Dance

    Different pitch

    Drop C −21 ¢Measured

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    Notes

    Measured about 21 ¢ flat, the lowest reading on the album and in the whole catalogue.

    Tabbed in Drop C like the rest of the album. TuneLit measured this song about 21 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.6) on the CD, well below the album and the furthest from concert pitch on any System of a Down record; the Japanese CD agrees.

    Bass: Bass Drop C −21 ¢ Tune bass

  4. 4. Jet Pilot

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. X

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Chop Suey!

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The lead single (2001). The strummed acoustic intro and the heavy riffs are both tabbed in Drop C, so you never retune mid-song; the popular E Standard and Drop D versions are transpositions. Measured about 10 ¢ flat, a little under the album value, so lower Fine-tune a few cents if the acoustic intro beats against you.

    On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −9.9 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.

  7. 7. Bounce

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Forest

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  9. 9. ATWA

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    ATWA stands for Air Trees Water Animals. The clean verses and the heavy parts share one Drop C.

  10. 10. Science

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  11. 11. Shimmy

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +9.0 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's A 440.

  12. 12. Toxicity

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The second single. The clean opening figure, an acoustic layer and the heavy riffs are all tabbed in Drop C; a widely viewed E Standard tab is a transposition.

  13. 13. Psycho

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along

  14. 14. Aerials

    Drop CMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    A single that reached number 1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. Wikipedia credits Malakian with sitar here; the guitar parts are in Drop C. The CD track ends with the hidden track "Arto", an adaptation of an Armenian church hymn.

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 Toxicity in?

System of a Down recorded Toxicity (2001) in Drop C at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Needles uses Drop C −12 ¢; Deer Dance uses Drop C −21 ¢.

Why does Toxicity sound out of tune with my guitar?

Needles sits about 13 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.