Van Halen · Fair Warning · song 5
Unchained tuning.
Unchained (Van Halen, 1981) is in Drop C♯ at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
Measured on this song itself.
Van Halen · Fair Warning · 1981
About Unchained
Unchained, from Fair Warning (1981), is the riff that made dropped tuning famous. Eddie's guitar is a half step down like the rest of the album, and String 6 goes down a further whole step: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, Drop D a half step down, or Drop C♯. The riff rocks between that open low string and suspended chords, with the riff coloured by an MXR flanger.
TuneLit measured the song about 4 cents flat, effectively concert pitch for Drop C♯, while the album as a whole sits about 5 cents above E♭. The audio check hears C♯ as the lowest open string, so the dropped string sits exactly where Far Out Magazine and Bonedo's workshop describe it.
Watch out for the most-viewed Songsterr tab: it is in Drop C, a whole step down with the low string at C, and its notes sit a half step below the record. Another tab uses plain Drop D, a half step above. Neither matches the record unless you move everything by a fret. Dropping only String 6 from E♭ to C♯ is a big change for one string, so retune it twice, as the slack string settles.
Tip: Tune to E♭ Standard first, then lower only String 6 by a whole step to C♯ and check it against the open low note the riff keeps returning to.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to Drop C♯, the notes Unchained was recorded in.
- From the album's E♭ Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E♭ → C♯); the other strings stay.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Unchained sits at concert pitch on the record, so the tuner stays at A 440.
- Then play Unchained 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 Unchained instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in Drop C♯. Choose Drop D at A 440 and Unchained moves up a half step and 4 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 Unchained in?
Drop C♯: C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.