The Beatles · 1965 · Studio album
Help! tuning.
E Standard, about 19 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured on the CD. 6 of 14 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −19 ¢
About 19 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
19 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Parlophone CDP 7 46439 2 (1987, George Martin's 1987 stereo remix) | −18.9 ¢ | A 435.2 | 14 | −21.9 to −12.6 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
E Standard, about 19 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435.2) on the 1987 CD (George Martin's 1987 stereo remix), and the vinyl copies agree. Yesterday is in D Standard. The songs spread widely: Ticket to Ride and Another Girl sit close to a quarter tone flat, Act Naturally and Yesterday 7 to 10 ¢ flat.
14 songs · 6 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. Help!
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
Notes
Lennon strums a 12-string acoustic in standard tuning; Harrison adds the descending riff.
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2. The Night Before
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
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3. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
Notes
Lennon's 12-string acoustic, in standard tuning; one tab puts Harrison's second acoustic in Drop D.
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4. I Need You
Different pitch
E Standard −30 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured about 30 ¢ flat (A ≈ 432.3), 11 ¢ below the album.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard, except Yesterday (D Standard); It's Only Love uses a capo (Songsterr).
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5. Another Girl
Different pitch
E Standard −45 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured about 45 ¢ flat (A ≈ 428.7): almost a quarter tone flat, the lowest song on the album and confirmed on vinyl. A 440 tuner reads the strings as E, but well flat.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard, except Yesterday (D Standard); It's Only Love uses a capo (Songsterr).
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6. You're Going to Lose That Girl
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
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Notes
TuneLit measured about 38 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430.3), 20 ¢ below the album, and the vinyl copies agree. A 12-string or a six-string in standard tuning plays the riff.
Harrison's riff is on his Rickenbacker 12-string in standard tuning; Lennon and McCartney add six-string electric parts.
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8. Act Naturally
Different pitch
E Standard −7 ¢Measured
Notes
Ringo Starr's country cover. TuneLit measured about 7 ¢ flat (A ≈ 438.1), 11 ¢ above the album. One tab writes Harrison's Gretsch lines in Drop D.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard, except Yesterday (D Standard); It's Only Love uses a capo (Songsterr).
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9. It's Only Love
Different pitch
E Standard −31 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured about 31 ¢ flat (A ≈ 432.1), 12 ¢ below the album.
The tab puts both acoustic rhythm parts at the 5th fret (G shapes sounding in C); the electric parts need no capo.
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10. You Like Me Too Much
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
Notes
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD −5.6 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −19 ¢.
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11. Tell Me What You See
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
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12. I've Just Seen a Face
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
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Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a whole step.
D Standard (a whole step down), McCartney alone with the string quartet. TuneLit measured about 10 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437.4), 8 ¢ above the album.
McCartney's Epiphone Texan was tuned down a whole step: he plays the song in G shapes and the record sounds in F.
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14. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
E Standard −19 ¢Measured
Notes
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD −9.1 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −19 ¢.
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 Help! in?
The Beatles recorded Help! (1965) in E Standard, about 19 cents flat (A ≈ 435), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 6 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Help! sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 19 cents flat (A ≈ 435), 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.