Van Halen · 1980 · Studio album
Women and Children First tuning.
E♭ Standard, about 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured on the CD. 4 of 9 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard +5 ¢
About 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
5 ¢ sharp
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Warner-Pioneer 20P2-2032 (Japan, 1988) | +5.3 ¢ | A 441.3 | 9 | +4.0 to +5.9 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (community).
Tabbed in E♭ Standard apart from the opener. TuneLit measured the Japanese CD about 5 cents above E♭ (A ≈ 441.3), with Fools, Could This Be Magic? and In a Simple Rhyme near 30 cents above. And the Cradle Will Rock... sits at concert-pitch E, a half step above the rest, as its tab says.
9 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. And the Cradle Will Rock...
Different tuning
E Standard +5 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E♭ Standard: Every string up a half step.
The intro that sounds like a guitar is a Wurlitzer electric piano played by Eddie through an MXR phaser and his Marshall amp (Wikipedia). The tab puts the guitars in E Standard, and the record agrees: it sits at concert-pitch E, a half step above the rest of the album.
The only tab of the song is in E Standard, the one song of the album not tabbed in E♭. The opening sound is Eddie's Wurlitzer electric piano through a phaser and his Marshall (Wikipedia).
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2. Everybody Wants Some!!
E♭ Standard +5 ¢Measured
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3. Fools
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +29 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 29 cents above E♭ (A ≈ 447.5), well above the album value.
Community tabs put almost every song in E♭ Standard. No source gives the record's exact pitch.
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4. Romeo Delight
E♭ Standard +5 ¢Measured
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5. Tora! Tora!
E♭ Standard +5 ¢Measured
Notes
A short instrumental lead-in to Loss of Control.
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6. Loss of Control
E♭ Standard +5 ¢Measured
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7. Take Your Whiskey Home
E♭ Standard +5 ¢Measured
Notes
Starts with a bluesy acoustic part, tabbed in E♭ Standard like the electric guitar. Wikipedia says the song dates from years before the album.
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8. Could This Be Magic?
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +29 ¢Measured
Notes
Roth plays acoustic guitar and Eddie adds slide (album credits; Nicolette Larson sings backing vocals). The tab puts the slide part in E♭ Standard and the acoustic in open E♭ (E♭ B♭ E♭ G B♭ E♭). Measured about 29 cents above E♭ (A ≈ 447.5).
Community tabs put almost every song in E♭ Standard. No source gives the record's exact pitch.
-
9. In a Simple Rhyme
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +31 ¢Measured
Notes
Measured about 31 cents above E♭ (A ≈ 447.9), the highest song on the album. The CD track ends with a short hidden instrumental, Growth.
Community tabs put almost every song in E♭ Standard. No source gives the record's exact pitch.
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 Women and Children First in?
Van Halen recorded Women and Children First (1980) in E♭ Standard, about 5 cents sharp (A ≈ 441), measured by TuneLit on the CD. And the Cradle Will Rock... uses E Standard +5 ¢; Fools and Could This Be Magic? use E♭ Standard +29 ¢; In a Simple Rhyme uses E♭ Standard +31 ¢.
Why does Women and Children First sound out of tune with my guitar?
Fools sits about 29 cents sharp (A ≈ 447), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, song by song, so you only tune the strings.