The Pretty Reckless · Light Me Up · song 3
Make Me Wanna Die tuning.
Make Me Wanna Die (The Pretty Reckless, 2010) is in Drop D at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
Measured on this song itself.
The Pretty Reckless · Light Me Up · 2010
About Make Me Wanna Die
The Pretty Reckless's best-known song, from their 2010 debut Light Me Up, with Taylor Momsen singing and producer Kato Khandwala playing guitar next to Ben Phillips, as he does on every track of the album. The well-known tabs on Songsterr and Ultimate Guitar use Drop D, standard tuning with String 6 lowered a whole step, and put the riff on F at the 3rd fret of String 6.
TuneLit measured the CD at concert pitch, about 0.7 ¢ flat for the album and practically spot on for this song, so Tune opens Drop D at plain A 440 with no offset.
The Drop D is a convenience rather than a must. The tab never plays the open low D, and the record hardly ever sounds one: the riff's lowest note is the E♭ a fret above it. That is why some players stay in the E♭ Standard of the rest of Light Me Up, which gives exactly the same notes, with the riff's F at the 2nd fret. TuneLit's semitone check from the audio cannot decide between the two, because the open string is never played. The live version on the Hit Me Like a Man EP is listed in Drop D too.
Tip: If you are already in E♭ Standard for the rest of Light Me Up, stay there and use an E♭ Standard tab: the riff's F moves to the 2nd fret of String 6 and every note still matches the record.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop D, the notes Make Me Wanna Die was recorded in.
- From E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Make Me Wanna Die sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Make Me Wanna Die 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 Make Me Wanna Die instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop D. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Make Me Wanna Die moves up 1 cent, 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 Make Me Wanna Die in?
Drop D: D A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.