TUNELIT

ZZ Top · 1975 · Studio album

Fandango! tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 1 of 9 songs are tuned differently.

Fandango! album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 9 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Warner Bros. 256 604 (Germany, studio side in the 1987 remix)−1.6 ¢A 439.69−3.6 to +3.2 ¢Medium
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).

Half live (New Orleans, April 1974), half studio, all E Standard except the slide of Tush in open G. The album sits at concert pitch on both the early CD and the 2006 remaster; Tush is the one song the 1987 remix moved, about 10 ¢ flat against +1 ¢ in the original mix.

9 songs · 1 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

  1. 1. Thunderbird

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Live, at the Warehouse in New Orleans, 12 April 1974.

  2. 2. Jailhouse Rock

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Live, at the Warehouse in New Orleans, 12 April 1974.

  3. 3. Backdoor Medley

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Live, at the Warehouse in New Orleans, 12 April 1974: Backdoor Love Affair, Mellow Down Easy, Backdoor Love Affair No. 2 and Long Distance Boogie.

  4. 4. Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Blue Jean Blues

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Balinese

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Mexican Blackbird

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Heard It on the X

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    TuneLit found no steady reading on any of the CDs (its rough reading sits about 28 ¢ sharp), so the button keeps the album's concert pitch. Worth checking by ear.

  9. 9. Tush

    Different tuning

    Open GMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 1 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.

    Gibbons played the slide part in open G (D G D G B D); the boogie riff also works in E Standard, as most tabs play it. The 1987 remix CD reads about 10 ¢ flat, the original mix on the 2006 remaster about 1 ¢ sharp, so the button uses concert pitch.

    Gibbons recorded it on his Les Paul, Pearly Gates, and said the band used the G tuning for the slide part. The most-viewed tab plays the riff and the slide in E Standard instead.

    On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −9.8 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's A 440.

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 Fandango! in?

ZZ Top recorded Fandango! (1975) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Tush uses Open G.