Van Halen · 1995 · Studio album
Balance tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 4 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Warner Bros. 9 45760-2 (US, 1995) | −3.2 ¢ | A 439.2 | 12 | −5.8 to −2.0 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Eddie told Guitar World that most of the album was in D minor; three songs are in Drop D, the rest in E Standard. TuneLit measured the US CD about 3 cents flat (A ≈ 439.2), the steadiest of all Van Halen albums: every guitar song sits within about 8 cents of concert pitch.
12 songs · 4 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. The Seventh Seal
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Opens with chanting by the Monks of Gyuto Tantric University; Eddie told Guitar World it has no solo, only an interlude.
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2. Can't Stop Lovin' You
E StandardMeasured
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3. Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)
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.
The tab is in Drop D.
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4. Amsterdam
Different tuning
Drop D +8 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Measured about 8 cents sharp (A ≈ 441.9).
The tab is in Drop D.
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5. Big Fat Money
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Eddie told Guitar World he played the jazzy solo on an old Gibson 335, and the barrelhouse piano too.
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6. Strung Out
Different pitch
E Standard +10 ¢Measured
Notes
A piano experiment Eddie recorded in the early 1980s (Wikipedia); no guitar. Measured about 10 cents sharp.
Community tabs put most songs in E Standard; Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do), Amsterdam and Baluchitherium are in Drop D. Eddie told Guitar World most of the album was in D minor.
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7. Not Enough
E StandardMeasured
Notes
A piano ballad.
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8. Aftershock
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Eddie told Guitar World the clean sounds here came from his old Marshall.
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9. Doin' Time
E StandardMeasured
Notes
A drum piece by Alex Van Halen; no guitar.
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10. Baluchitherium
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.
An instrumental. The deep part that sounds like a six-string bass is a guitar strung heavier and tuned down to a low A, as Eddie explained to Guitar World; the main riff is in Drop D.
The tab's main guitar is in Drop D. Eddie told Guitar World the low part that sounds like a six-string bass is a Music Man Albert Lee guitar with heavier strings tuned down to a low A.
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11. Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)
E StandardMeasured
Notes
Eddie told Guitar World he played the acoustic part on a South American guitar made by Musser and replaced the solo with a short slide part.
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12. Feelin'
E StandardMeasured
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 Balance in?
Van Halen recorded Balance (1995) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do) and Baluchitherium use Drop D; Amsterdam uses Drop D +8 ¢; Strung Out uses E Standard +10 ¢.