The Pretty Reckless · 2021 · Studio album
Death by Rock and Roll tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 5 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Fearless FEAR01250 (2021) | −1.1 ¢ | A 439.7 | 12 | −4.0 to −0.5 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The first album after Kato Khandwala's death in 2018, produced by Jonathan Wyman with Momsen and Phillips. Mostly E Standard, with heavier detours: And So It Went and My Bones in Drop C♯, Only Love Can Save Me Now and Got So High in E♭, and 25 in Drop D. Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden play on Only Love Can Save Me Now, Tom Morello on And So It Went. Measured at concert pitch.
12 songs · 5 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. Death by Rock and Roll
E StandardMeasured
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2. Only Love Can Save Me Now
Different tuning
E♭ Standard −13 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
With Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden.
Tabbed half a step down on Ultimate Guitar, and Songsterr's machine transcription agrees, with the open low E♭ under the riff. TuneLit's audio check agrees too, and measured the song about 13 ¢ below the rest of the album.
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3. And So It Went
Different tuning
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 3 half steps (E → C♯), String 5 down a half step (A → G♯), String 4 down a half step (D → C♯), String 3 down a half step (G → F♯), String 2 down a half step (B → A♯), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯).
With Tom Morello on the solo.
Total Guitar's riff lesson gives the tuning as Drop C♯ (C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯), and the tabs agree. TuneLit's audio check hears the low C♯.
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4. 25
Different tuning
Drop DMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Drop D: the low D under the chorus is what E Standard misses.
Disputed. Songsterr's most-viewed tab is in E Standard; a newer machine transcription and a Cifra Club tab use Drop D. The record settles it: a low D is by far the most common bass note (more than half of all low notes), which E Standard cannot reach.
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5. My Bones
Different tuning
Drop C♯Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 3 half steps (E → C♯), String 5 down a half step (A → G♯), String 4 down a half step (D → C♯), String 3 down a half step (G → F♯), String 2 down a half step (B → A♯), String 1 down a half step (E → D♯).
Tabbed in Drop C♯, with the open low C♯ as the riff's root; TuneLit's audio check hears it and agrees. A variant tab puts the guitar in Drop D and the bass on a 5-string, but a Drop D guitar cannot reach the low C♯ the record keeps returning to.
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6. Got So High
Different tuning
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
E♭ Standard, despite an E Standard tab.
Tabs split between E♭ and E Standard. The record matches the E♭ tab: its bass notes are F♯ and G♯, while the E Standard tab's bass line sits on G and A, which never sound. TuneLit's audio check agrees with E♭.
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7. Broomsticks
E StandardMeasured
Notes
A 38-second interlude; no tab. The audio check agrees with the album's E.
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8. Witches Burn
E StandardMeasured
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9. Standing at the Wall
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Only a machine transcription exists (E Standard); the audio check agrees.
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10. Turning Gold
E StandardMeasured
Notes
A chord sheet in E Standard is the only source; the song sits on A, so the audio check cannot confirm the low string.
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11. Rock and Roll Heaven
E StandardMeasured
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12. Harley Darling
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Only a machine transcription gives a tuning (E Standard), and its guitar part is in G while the record's bass (and the tab's own bass line) sits on G♯. TuneLit's audio check leans to E♭ Standard (G shapes sounding as A♭), so check by ear.
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.
- Community
- 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 Death by Rock and Roll in?
The Pretty Reckless recorded Death by Rock and Roll (2021) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 5 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Death by Rock and Roll sound out of tune with my guitar?
Only Love Can Save Me Now sits about 14 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, so you only tune the strings.