System of a Down · Toxicity · song 14
Aerials tuning.
Aerials (System of a Down, 2001) 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 alongToxicity
Bass: Bass Drop C Tune bass
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
The album's value, measured on the CD.
System of a Down · Toxicity · 2001
About Aerials
Aerials closes Toxicity (2001) and reached number 1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart; Loudwire later listed its main riff among the ten best metal riffs of the 2000s. It is in Drop C. In the main tab both the clean lead line and the distorted rhythm part keep returning to fret 8 on String 6, a G♯, around the open low C, while the bass plays that G♯ on almost half of its notes. Malakian also plays sitar on the track, but the guitar parts need nothing beyond Drop C.
TuneLit measured Toxicity at concert pitch (about 4 ¢ flat overall) and Aerials about 3 ¢ flat, so the Tune button sets Drop C at A 440, and the check from the audio agrees with the low C.
The slow intro is the place to tune: the tab starts at a much slower tempo before the song kicks in, which gives you time to hear whether your String 6 lines up. The same CD track also holds the hidden track Arto, an adaptation of an Armenian church hymn, after Aerials ends.
Tip: Check the open C and the G♯ at fret 8 of String 6 against the intro before the full band enters.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C, the notes Aerials was recorded in.
- From E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 3 down a whole step (G → F), String 2 down a whole step (B → A), String 1 down a whole step (E → D).
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Aerials sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Aerials 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 Aerials 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 Aerials moves up 2 half steps and 4 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 Aerials in?
Drop C: C G C F A D, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.