Van Halen · 1984 · song 3
Panama tuning.
Panama (Van Halen, 1984) is in E♭ Standard, about 34 cents sharp (A ≈ 449), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
34 ¢ sharp
Measured on this song itself: Tune moves every string +34 ¢.
Van Halen · 1984 · 1984
About Panama
Panama, from 1984, is a straight-ahead rocker that Eddie said was inspired by AC/DC's three-chord style, built on a ringing open-string riff with suspended chords and harmonics. Unlike the rest of the album, which is in E Standard, Panama is played a half step down, in E♭ Standard.
TuneLit measured Panama about 34 cents above E♭ (A ≈ 448.8), while 1984 as a whole sits about 6 cents above E. A tuner at A 440 reads the record as E♭ plus 34 cents, two thirds of the way from E♭ to E. TuneLit's audio check hears an open E♭ string, and the notes of the E♭ tab fit the record as written.
This is the Van Halen song where tabs fight. The most-viewed Songsterr tab is in E♭, another almost as popular is in E Standard, and the published score is written in E. The E tabs' notes sit a half step above the record, which is why they never quite fit; because the record is so sharp for E♭, a player tuned to E is 'only' 66 cents off and may not notice at first.
Tip: Skip the album's E button here: tap Panama's own Tune, which sets E♭ Standard 34 cents sharp, and check String 6 against the opening riff.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E♭ Standard, every string +34 ¢, the notes Panama was recorded in.
- From the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step. No tuner that knows E♭ Standard? Clamp a capo across fret 1, tune to E Standard as usual, then take it off: every string drops to E♭ Standard. Check each string again afterwards, since a capo pulls the strings a little sharp.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Panama sits 34 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Panama 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 Panama 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 +34 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Panama moves up 66 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 Panama in?
E♭ Standard +34 ¢: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.