The Beatles · 1967 · Studio album
Magical Mystery Tour tuning.
E Standard, about 9 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured on the CD. 2 of 11 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −9 ¢
About 9 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
9 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Parlophone CDP 7 48062 2 (1987, stereo) | −8.9 ¢ | A 437.7 | 11 | −13.7 to −5.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
E Standard, about 9 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437.7) on the 1987 CD of the 1967 US album (in Britain the film songs came out as a double EP; the album adds the year's singles). Most songs sit within a few cents of the album value. Magical Mystery Tour itself runs about 20 ¢ flat and All You Need Is Love at concert pitch; Strawberry Fields Forever joins two takes at different speeds, so its pitch drifts.
11 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
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1. Magical Mystery Tour
Different pitch
E Standard −20 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured about 20 ¢ flat (A ≈ 434.8), 11 ¢ below the album.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard (Songsterr).
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2. The Fool on the Hill
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
McCartney's piano song with recorders and flutes; it shares the album value.
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3. Flying
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
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4. Blue Jay Way
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
An organ drone and phased voices; it shares the album value.
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5. Your Mother Should Know
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
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6. I Am the Walrus
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
The reading is weak and close to concert pitch; the button uses the album value.
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7. Hello, Goodbye
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
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8. Strawberry Fields Forever
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
Two takes in different keys and tempos, joined by speeding one up and slowing the other down: the first minute sits between A and B♭, the rest nearer B♭. TuneLit reads the main part about 14 ¢ flat (A ≈ 436.5), close to the album but weakly, and the vinyl copy reads about 41 ¢ flat. The tab's parts disagree too (standard, Drop D, D Standard). Check by ear.
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9. Penny Lane
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
Piano-led, in B with the chorus in A. TuneLit measured about 16 ¢ flat (A ≈ 435.9), 7 ¢ below the album: just short of a value of its own, so lower the reference a little if you sound sharp.
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10. Baby, You're a Rich Man
E Standard −9 ¢Measured
Notes
The reading is weak; the button uses the album value. The tab writes one guitar in D Standard.
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11. All You Need Is Love
Different pitch
E StandardMeasured
Notes
TuneLit measured it at concert pitch, 12 ¢ above the album. The same recording closes side one of Yellow Submarine, where it reads within 2 ¢ of this.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard (Songsterr).
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 Magical Mystery Tour in?
The Beatles recorded Magical Mystery Tour (1967) in E Standard, about 9 cents flat (A ≈ 438), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Magical Mystery Tour uses E Standard −20 ¢; All You Need Is Love uses E Standard.
Why does Magical Mystery Tour sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 20 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, so you only tune the strings.