The Beatles · 1963 · Studio album
Please Please Me tuning.
E Standard, about 28 cents flat (A ≈ 433), measured on the CD. 3 of 14 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard −28 ¢
About 28 cents flat (A ≈ 433), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
28 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Parlophone CDP 7 46435 2 (1987, mono) | −27.6 ¢ | A 433 | 14 | −28.7 to −24.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
E Standard, about 28 ¢ flat (A ≈ 433) on the 1987 mono CD, and both vinyl copies TuneLit checked read the same. Ten of the songs were recorded in one day, 11 February 1963: the two from the morning session, There's a Place and I Saw Her Standing There, sit much closer to concert pitch than the afternoon and evening songs and the November 1962 single Please Please Me. Tune each song with its own button.
14 songs · 3 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
-
Notes
Recorded in the morning session of 11 February 1963. TuneLit measured about 9 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437.7), 18 ¢ above the album; the vinyl copies also read it higher than the rest of the album.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard throughout (Songsterr).
-
2. Misery
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
3. Anna (Go to Him)
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
4. Chains
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
5. Boys
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
6. Ask Me Why
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
7. Please Please Me
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
Notes
The single, recorded on 26 November 1962. It shares the album's pitch.
-
8. Love Me Do
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
Notes
From the September 1962 sessions, with Andy White on drums. TuneLit found no steady reading (harmonica and a sparse mix), so the button uses the album value; check it by ear.
-
9. P.S. I Love You
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
Notes
From the September 1962 sessions. The reading is weak and points closer to concert pitch than the album, so if the guitar sounds flat against the record, raise the tuner toward A 440.
-
10. Baby It's You
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
11. Do You Want to Know a Secret
Different pitch
E Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Harrison sings lead. TuneLit measured about 40 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430), the lowest song on the album.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard throughout (Songsterr).
-
12. A Taste of Honey
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
-
13. There's a Place
Different pitch
E Standard −12 ¢Measured
Notes
Recorded first, in the morning session of 11 February 1963. TuneLit measured about 12 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437), 16 ¢ above the album.
The songs are tabbed in E Standard throughout (Songsterr).
-
14. Twist and Shout
E Standard −28 ¢Measured
Notes
The last song recorded that day, in one take. It shares the album's pitch.
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 Please Please Me in?
The Beatles recorded Please Please Me (1963) in E Standard, about 28 cents flat (A ≈ 433), measured by TuneLit on the CD. I Saw Her Standing There uses E Standard −9 ¢; Do You Want to Know a Secret uses E Standard −40 ¢; There's a Place uses E Standard −12 ¢.
Why does Please Please Me sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 28 cents flat (A ≈ 433), 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.