The Rolling Stones · Some Girls · song 9
Beast of Burden tuning.
Beast of Burden (The Rolling Stones, 1978) is in E Standard, about 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
5 ¢ sharp
The album's value, measured on the CD: Tune moves every string +5 ¢.
The Rolling Stones · Some Girls · 1978
About Beast of Burden
A slow-burning single from Some Girls (1978), with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood weaving two guitars around a simple chord loop in E. Unlike many Keith songs of the time, the tabs put both guitars in standard tuning: Keith's rhythm part and Wood's lead fills move through the same few positions on the neck rather than open-G chords.
TuneLit measured the Some Girls CD about 5 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 441.2). Beast of Burden's own reading is close to concert pitch, within the range that shares the album value, so Tune sets E Standard 5 ¢ up. The difference from A 440 is small, but the two-guitar interplay is exposed, so it helps to match it. Other masterings of Some Girls may sit a few cents elsewhere.
The trick is the interplay, not the tuning. Pick one part, Keith's rhythm or Wood's answering licks, and learn it against the record before mixing them. Some players reach for open G out of habit; for this song stay in standard tuning, because the fills on the record are laid out for it.
Tip: Tune 5 ¢ sharp and check the open E chord against the first rhythm chord before the vocal comes in.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, every string +5 ¢, the notes Beast of Burden was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Beast of Burden sits 5 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Beast of Burden 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 Beast of Burden instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E Standard +5 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Beast of Burden moves down 5 cents, 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 Beast of Burden in?
E Standard +5 ¢: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.