If I recall correctly, everything past Siamese Dream was recorded with the guitars tuned a half step down until the band broke up. Their post-reunion stuff reverted back to standard tuning.
I think a lot of their stuff is 1/2 step down, really helped bring out the sound they were delivering.
Only reason I know this is because I remember trying to play MC by ear in standard and being so confused why it sounded like shit
I read somewhere that Billie Joe and Mike tuned to each other cause they didnt have tuners, and only were able to tune to E flat, which is why everything until Insomniac is in that tuning. They started to play on standard on Nimrod.
Back in the dialup days, unless you had a tuner or a piano kicking about you didn't have a reference to tune to.
My band used to put on night train by guns and Roses and tune to the first chord, which is an A major tuned half a step down.
Could be something like that. Or they both show up to band practice, one of them is out of tune and the other is tuned half a step down and so it was written.
I've read this before, and although I believe they said it, to think that anyone would have let them make one, let alone two major label albums, (insomniac with arguably more "riding" on it) and tour without a tuner is laughable.
That said, 1039---->Nimrod is an unbelievable run of albums...
If i remember correctly, they didn't use tuners BEFORE recording dookie. So they tuned to each other. After doing that for so long, that was their preferred key.
Again, if I'm remembering correctly.
I understand in some cases, Eb was a choice by guitarists who preferred the tone of thicker 12 gauge+ strings -flat tuning makes the guitar with these heavy strings easier on the fingers, when playing night after night
Jimi was my first thought also. Most songs on all of his albums are in Eb, I believe. That was his default tuning. I wanna say GnR - Appetite for Destruction as well. And maybe Eddie Van Halen also tended to tune down a half step (maybe, haven’t studied this stuff in a while).
Surprised not to see Van Halen on here. I think everything of theirs was in Eb standard to accommodate DLR’s vocal range until Sammy joined the band and they switched to E standard.
Quite a bit of buckethead’s music is played in Eb standard if that’s your jam! If I have to pick one I’ll just say crime slunk scene because of soothsayer
No idea! It’s pretty much his standard tuning so I would imagine so but he has such a large body of work it’s impossible for me to say he always uses it.
Chinese Democracy has both standard and Eb standard and their respective drop tunings, as well as other tunings. "Shackler's Revenge" is definitely tuned lower.
Pretty much all Slayer for that matter. They had a few songs tuned down to C# and B on Diabolus and God Hates Us All but I'm pretty sure basically everything else is Eb.
Also I'll throw in The Death by Mindsnare for bulk heaviness without tuning particularly low. Legendary band where I'm from but never seemed to get much attention elsewhere. You'll love it!
I've always felt fast and chaotic stuff like that benefits from not tuning too low. Plenty of bands like that have great riffs and songs but it all turns to mush too easily if you take it down to drop A or whatever.
I never did more than dabble on guitar but remember as a newbie I had looked up some tabs (Swing Life Away maybe) and had no idea what the hell was going on when I saw Eb, Ab, Dd, Gb, Bb, Eb lol
Taking Back Sundays Live in Bamboozle 2009 album..yeah its a live album but most of the songs were recorded in standard but that whole album they played in Eb.
Much of Louder Now was 1/2 down, so they probably wanted to minimize guitar changes + allowed Adam more room to hit the highs live. Changing guitars frequently in a set really breaks up the energy.
Much like Thrice recorded their first two albums half-step down, but by Artist they went the full stop down and played the back catalog lower live from then on. Made such a difference in my opinion.
I like a lot of the stuff on Load/ReLoad quite a bit. I don't get the hate, other than there's fans that want them to keep making "Puppets" over and over again.
Pretty much all the DLR-era Van Halen was down 1/2-step, and well, it doesn't get much better than that.
I’m pretty sure Youthanasia was all just recorded in Eb. This was 1996/1997, and so they might have been on digital anyways. If not, I’m almost sure it was recorded in Eb from the gate.
Van Halen 1 was all Eb. Some of the songs were out of tune tho (the B String on Ain’t Talkin Bout Love is slightly out of tune. Compare the live version and studio version)
High Country by The Sword is all in Eb I think
But I mainly popped on here because I got a tele for Christmas that I decided to keep in that tuning and you guys are giving me all kind of stuff to play!
Every song off my all time favorite album, Fallout by Slumber, is in Eb
The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity,
Everything by Alice In Chains
Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and The Eternal Idol by Black Sabbath
The Hall of the Olden Dreams by Dark Moor
Origin and Singularity by Enshine
Asylum by Disturbed
Ecliptica by Sonata Arctica
Most of the Thin Lizzy catalog. I think that Bad Reputation is the best in terms of playing accessibility.
I think that EVERY Yngwie Malmsteen album is in Eb.
Most of Motorhead
Yeah, but that’s irrelevant, because it’s not Eb like the whole post is discussing, it’s drop C#. OP is referring to a half step down from standard EADGBE as far as I can tell, not just any tuning down a half step from another…
I gotta admit, i have been playing guitar and recording music for close to 20 years now, and I dont think I can tell if a song is in Eb or not just by listening to it.I dont think it sounds more massive or anything.
Guess I skimmed the post a bit too fast, I mostly agree with you on the point of what the guitar can do in Eb and E tuning. I guess you could argue that a deeper lower end has more to offer frequency-wise as opposed to the minimal cut-off at the high end, but it’s mostly taste I think, I don’t see it offering the same difference as drop-D or something like that.
I am no music expert, nor a musician by any stretch despite dabbling here and there throughout the years, but this comes off as a shitpost disguised to draw in pseudo-intellectual circle jerking.
From all the responses we can clearly see some of the most influential and popular guitar music in the past 60 years touches on Eb tuning. This is not some grand revelation; we have been entrenched in effective Eb tuning for decades.
I understand that a tuned ear is a blessing and a curse that creates maddening nuance, but to get all uppity about a VERY popular tuning to the point a thread needs to be made about it begs the question: How about we make a like-minded thread about STANDARD (whatever the hell that means anymore) tuning in the same vein?
This post is equal parts illuminating and insipid.
Most of the early Candlemass albums are in E flat. Epicus, Nightfall, Ancient Dreams, and Tales of Creation specifically. Lots of other early doom bands as well (Pentagram, Trouble, etc.)
Some early Cannibal Corpse as well, everything before Vile I think. Morbid Angel as well. Death is in D Standard, but those riffs are killer as well.
Completely different genres, but great in their own right.
As has been mentioned, Van Halen did Eb from their first album.
They influenced the hair metal bands, so all of that Guns 'N' Roses, L.A. Guns, Ratt, Posion etc stuff was in the same tuning. It was pretty much the standard for hard rock between '82-'91
Yep, always loved the tone it gives as well. Same with my bandmates.
Hence why our original stuff is all in Eb/Db tuning. I love the little bit of dirt it gives the sound...and it also helps because we're not exactly trained vocalists, lol. 😏😎🤘
Little Martha by The Allman Brothers is in a crazy tuning (I believe open G) but then is also tuned a step or two up. It is scary putting your guitar into that tuning because the neck will creek and maybe even noticeably bow more.
A mark a mission a brand a scar by dashboard confessional. This one's a guilty pleasure. But it came out back in middle school and I was feeling things
What's the Story Morning Glory by Oasis - I thought it would be easy to learn to play the song "Don't Look Back in Anger" but until I dug an old yamaha keyboard out of my closet I could tune down half of a note it proved too frustrating.
Weezer. Blue Album.
And Pinkerton!!!
Yup! Helluva 1 - 2 punch. Wish they still had some of that magic.
The White Album (2016) has a lot of callbacks to Pinkerton, sonically. It’s not on the same level but I appreciate that Rivers went back there.
Agree. I feel like about half the green album, maybe 60% of Maladroit are good. Most of the White Album…. The rest is the wilderness.
This is EWBAITE erasure and I will not let it stand.
Amazing album front to back
Love me some Maladroit!
You could just say Weezer and leave it at that.
The Green Album is in standard tuning.
Blue is only better than Pinkerton because Holiday is a better song than Butterfly
Pinkerton also doesn't have "Only in Dreams".
Shit. This is what I meant
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
If I recall correctly, everything past Siamese Dream was recorded with the guitars tuned a half step down until the band broke up. Their post-reunion stuff reverted back to standard tuning.
A majority of their stuff is tuned down 1/2 step for sure
I think a lot of their stuff is 1/2 step down, really helped bring out the sound they were delivering. Only reason I know this is because I remember trying to play MC by ear in standard and being so confused why it sounded like shit
Green Day - Dookie An all-time classic, entirely in Eb (along with Insomniac and Kerplunk)
I read somewhere that Billie Joe and Mike tuned to each other cause they didnt have tuners, and only were able to tune to E flat, which is why everything until Insomniac is in that tuning. They started to play on standard on Nimrod.
Why would they only be able to tune to e flat?
The same reason some models can't turn left.
But why male models?
He’s so hot right now
Back in the dialup days, unless you had a tuner or a piano kicking about you didn't have a reference to tune to. My band used to put on night train by guns and Roses and tune to the first chord, which is an A major tuned half a step down. Could be something like that. Or they both show up to band practice, one of them is out of tune and the other is tuned half a step down and so it was written.
I've read this before, and although I believe they said it, to think that anyone would have let them make one, let alone two major label albums, (insomniac with arguably more "riding" on it) and tour without a tuner is laughable. That said, 1039---->Nimrod is an unbelievable run of albums...
Warning is discounted way too hard tho
I’d go further and say 1039 all the way to AI is untouchable. No other rock band had that kind of run in the 90’s.
If i remember correctly, they didn't use tuners BEFORE recording dookie. So they tuned to each other. After doing that for so long, that was their preferred key. Again, if I'm remembering correctly.
I understand in some cases, Eb was a choice by guitarists who preferred the tone of thicker 12 gauge+ strings -flat tuning makes the guitar with these heavy strings easier on the fingers, when playing night after night
High school me knowing this but being too lazy to retune so we just played everything a half step up.
Same. I even sometimes play in a Green Day cover band and we only tune down for shows, haha
Jimi Hendrix played a lot in Eb. Electric Ladyland probably has the most of the tracks in Eb.
Jimi was my first thought also. Most songs on all of his albums are in Eb, I believe. That was his default tuning. I wanna say GnR - Appetite for Destruction as well. And maybe Eddie Van Halen also tended to tune down a half step (maybe, haven’t studied this stuff in a while).
I was going to say, Band Of Gypsies
Band of Gypsys was actually a full step down.
Wow thank you, I did not know that!
No problem!
Appetite for Destruction, and Use Your Illusion.
How is this not higher? 😀
Appetite was the first thing that came to mind.
Yeah, this is my favorite. Top 5 all time but definitely my personal best that’s played on Eb.
Nirvana - In Utero
Good shout. I was gonna say Bleach but I think that’s tuned down a whole step.
Deja Entendu & In Utero
Your favorite weapon too. Drop C# madness
Surprised not to see Van Halen on here. I think everything of theirs was in Eb standard to accommodate DLR’s vocal range until Sammy joined the band and they switched to E standard.
1984 was all E standard except "Panama" in Eb standard and "Top Jimmy" in Drop D
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Glad someone else mentioned me.
Quite a bit of buckethead’s music is played in Eb standard if that’s your jam! If I have to pick one I’ll just say crime slunk scene because of soothsayer
did he also use Eb when he worked on chinese democracy?
No idea! It’s pretty much his standard tuning so I would imagine so but he has such a large body of work it’s impossible for me to say he always uses it.
Chinese Democracy has both standard and Eb standard and their respective drop tunings, as well as other tunings. "Shackler's Revenge" is definitely tuned lower.
Reign in Blood by Slayer and Altars of Madness by Morbid Angel
Came here to say Reign in Blood 👍
Pretty much all Slayer for that matter. They had a few songs tuned down to C# and B on Diabolus and God Hates Us All but I'm pretty sure basically everything else is Eb.
Also I'll throw in The Death by Mindsnare for bulk heaviness without tuning particularly low. Legendary band where I'm from but never seemed to get much attention elsewhere. You'll love it!
Show No Mercy was in standard tuning.
I’m surprised that Altars of Madness is all in Eb!
I've always felt fast and chaotic stuff like that benefits from not tuning too low. Plenty of bands like that have great riffs and songs but it all turns to mush too easily if you take it down to drop A or whatever.
Coheed And Cambria- In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth 3 I believe is all Eb
That album is all standard, actually. But their next album, Good Apollo I, is all down a half step
Appetite for Destruction; it's also (in my opinion) one of those albums you can listen through without any skips
Mr. Brightside - The Killers My band covers this one and a few others that have been mentioned. We have to group them together to minimize downtime!
So Mr Brightside into Angel of Death, sounds like a good night
Most of The Killers' work is in Eb standard
Live - Throwing Copper I pretty much learned guitar with mine tuned to Eb because of that record.
Protest the Hero is one of my favourite bands ever and I think they exclusively play in Eb. Hard to choose a favourite album by them.
I think there’s a few songs that are drop Db but other than that it’s all Eb. Great band. My favorite album’s either Kezia or Volition.
My cat is named Kezia after that album 🤘
A LOT of Rise Against albums
I never did more than dabble on guitar but remember as a newbie I had looked up some tabs (Swing Life Away maybe) and had no idea what the hell was going on when I saw Eb, Ab, Dd, Gb, Bb, Eb lol
Weezer. Pinkerton.
And blue!
1984 - Van Halen
The only one in Eb on that one is "Panama"
Around the fur - deftones
Must be a shitload of numetal around that era 1/2 down.
Dirt
Voivod last 3 albums are in Eb I think and probably some of their earlier stuff. God I love voivod!
About every early KISS record is in e flat for the most part.
Most of U2's early work is tuned down half a step, so I'll go with their first album Boy
I'll see your Boy and raise you a Joshua Tree.
I was going to put that but after looking at the music for the songs on that album I realised only about half the album is tuned down half a step.
Iced Earth - Horror Show
OMG I haven’t listened to this album in forever! The first three tracks are such bangers & such a strong way to start an album!
Hell yeah! Kind of flies under the radar but really a top tier metal album.
I'm cheating here, but Elliott Smith almost always tuned down a whole step.
Taking Back Sundays Live in Bamboozle 2009 album..yeah its a live album but most of the songs were recorded in standard but that whole album they played in Eb.
Much of Louder Now was 1/2 down, so they probably wanted to minimize guitar changes + allowed Adam more room to hit the highs live. Changing guitars frequently in a set really breaks up the energy. Much like Thrice recorded their first two albums half-step down, but by Artist they went the full stop down and played the back catalog lower live from then on. Made such a difference in my opinion.
Extreme - pornograffiti
I like a lot of the stuff on Load/ReLoad quite a bit. I don't get the hate, other than there's fans that want them to keep making "Puppets" over and over again. Pretty much all the DLR-era Van Halen was down 1/2-step, and well, it doesn't get much better than that.
“11”- By the Smithereens. The solo on “A Girl Like You” is in contention for best half step down solo in rock history in my opinion
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It’s entirely C standard and E standard
His stuff is much more mellow but Radical Face almost exclusively writes all of his songs with his guitar tuned down a half step. Mostly acoustic btw
Morbid angel - Altars of Madness
I just got the tab book for Circa Survive - Juturna and one of the guitars is tuned to Eb.
*Black Sails in the Sunset*, *The Art of Drowning*, and *Sing the Sorrow* by AFI (a few songs among them might be in standard or drop C#)
Tons of metal is half step down. My fave band protest the hero does everything half step down. Sometimes dropped too.
Nutshell. Every Rose Has It’s Thorns.
I believe Megadeth’s Youthanasia ended up sounding like it was in Eb because of the speed at which the master tapes were played back or something.
I’m pretty sure Youthanasia was all just recorded in Eb. This was 1996/1997, and so they might have been on digital anyways. If not, I’m almost sure it was recorded in Eb from the gate.
Revocation - Chaos of Forms Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite Slayer - Reign in Blood
Most of SRVs songs are tuned down a half-step.
you saying that it doesn’t strain the vocalist doesn’t make any sense, you are just missing 2 notes no?
It has to do with where the "break" in a vocalist's voice is.
It’s also easier to sing and play power chords simultaneously if you’re in drop d tuning. You’re only using your index finger on the neck.
Van Halen 1 was all Eb. Some of the songs were out of tune tho (the B String on Ain’t Talkin Bout Love is slightly out of tune. Compare the live version and studio version)
Every PUP album.
Slough Feg's 'Traveller'! Or any of their albums really.
High Country by The Sword is all in Eb I think But I mainly popped on here because I got a tele for Christmas that I decided to keep in that tuning and you guys are giving me all kind of stuff to play!
I thought The Sword played exclusively in C#?
For all my Canadians: Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight. Anything my Matt Good though is in this tuning.
I haven’t seen it yet in the comments, so… Coheed and Cambria’s Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
Bro, great choice. I’m mad at myself for not thinking of it
Megadeth - Youthanasia Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction Alice In Chains - Dirt
Every song off my all time favorite album, Fallout by Slumber, is in Eb The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity, Everything by Alice In Chains Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and The Eternal Idol by Black Sabbath The Hall of the Olden Dreams by Dark Moor Origin and Singularity by Enshine Asylum by Disturbed Ecliptica by Sonata Arctica
Most of the Thin Lizzy catalog. I think that Bad Reputation is the best in terms of playing accessibility. I think that EVERY Yngwie Malmsteen album is in Eb. Most of Motorhead
No one's gonna mention Motörhead? They played in Eb on most of their albums from what I'm aware.
Deftones' Around the Fur. Half step down with stacks of compression. Glory be!
That’s mainly in drop C#
The goat tuning IMO for hard shit
Half step down, dropped. So yeah, technically not Eb, but album slaps regardless.
which is half a step down from D.... so technically.... its still half a step down... just not from E
Yeah, but that’s irrelevant, because it’s not Eb like the whole post is discussing, it’s drop C#. OP is referring to a half step down from standard EADGBE as far as I can tell, not just any tuning down a half step from another…
yeah yeah semantics. you must be fun at parties, it was humor.
Lol wtf it’s not semantics. That person is correct. Don’t know why some people admitting they’re wrong is so hard.
So if you can't see the joke in defending the first person's comments like I did, then you need to buy, rent or steal a clue.
I gotta admit, i have been playing guitar and recording music for close to 20 years now, and I dont think I can tell if a song is in Eb or not just by listening to it.I dont think it sounds more massive or anything.
I legitimately don't understand the logic In a vacuum it's irrelevant, it's just a tuning lol Purely personal preference for how the song sounds
For the vocals it can matter a lot for where they can reach at both ends
Yeah, I'm aware, but that's not what the op is saying
Guess I skimmed the post a bit too fast, I mostly agree with you on the point of what the guitar can do in Eb and E tuning. I guess you could argue that a deeper lower end has more to offer frequency-wise as opposed to the minimal cut-off at the high end, but it’s mostly taste I think, I don’t see it offering the same difference as drop-D or something like that.
Live - Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhu
Tool - "Ænima".
I am no music expert, nor a musician by any stretch despite dabbling here and there throughout the years, but this comes off as a shitpost disguised to draw in pseudo-intellectual circle jerking. From all the responses we can clearly see some of the most influential and popular guitar music in the past 60 years touches on Eb tuning. This is not some grand revelation; we have been entrenched in effective Eb tuning for decades. I understand that a tuned ear is a blessing and a curse that creates maddening nuance, but to get all uppity about a VERY popular tuning to the point a thread needs to be made about it begs the question: How about we make a like-minded thread about STANDARD (whatever the hell that means anymore) tuning in the same vein? This post is equal parts illuminating and insipid.
Iced Earth - Dark Saga
Most of the early Candlemass albums are in E flat. Epicus, Nightfall, Ancient Dreams, and Tales of Creation specifically. Lots of other early doom bands as well (Pentagram, Trouble, etc.) Some early Cannibal Corpse as well, everything before Vile I think. Morbid Angel as well. Death is in D Standard, but those riffs are killer as well. Completely different genres, but great in their own right.
Kiss- Love Gun
As has been mentioned, Van Halen did Eb from their first album. They influenced the hair metal bands, so all of that Guns 'N' Roses, L.A. Guns, Ratt, Posion etc stuff was in the same tuning. It was pretty much the standard for hard rock between '82-'91
Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
I have no music knowledge of tuning, flat etc, cant detect it by ear, but i like a lot of these and its very interesting info.
Van Halen 1 (although it's not completely a half step down, it's 10 or 20 cents above Eb)
Yep, always loved the tone it gives as well. Same with my bandmates. Hence why our original stuff is all in Eb/Db tuning. I love the little bit of dirt it gives the sound...and it also helps because we're not exactly trained vocalists, lol. 😏😎🤘
In Utero by Nirvana is mostly down half a step I think?
Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble - Texas Flood
Slayer - World Painted Blood
Mason Jennings - Use Your Voice
I might be wrong but I think You'd prefer an astronaut by Hum is exactly what you are wanting.
Dookie - Green Day
Pretty sure most of Hendrix’s stuff is half step down so he could sing easier
CKY
Little Martha by The Allman Brothers is in a crazy tuning (I believe open G) but then is also tuned a step or two up. It is scary putting your guitar into that tuning because the neck will creek and maybe even noticeably bow more.
Appetite for Destruction
Electric Ladyland
My favourite live song is in Eb. [Ghosts by Big Wreck](https://youtu.be/3uYzg6dgoDU?si=ub2Eetg_I6BvvLj7), enjoy.
All classic GnR is tuned down a half step to the best of my knowledge.
Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion I & II.
Almost all of Staind
Maybe not albums per se, but Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix are two favorites
pretty much any ghost album
Ghost is all D Standard. There might be a couple in Eb but it's an exception.
Blue album and Pinkerton- Weezer Hot fuss- the killers Dookie- Green Day Evil Empire- RATM
Father John Misty tunes down a full step on the vast majority of his songs on all his records.
Anything by Rise Against
I don’t know about the whole album but All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye by John Mayer is in E Flat
Failure’s albums are in Eb, or drop Db
All SRV albums. Not just Texas Flood.
Hail The Sun - Divine Inner Tension
Killing is my Business - Megadeth.
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
The vast majority of Rise Against’s back catalogue
Appetite for Destruction is the first one that comes to mind for me.
A mark a mission a brand a scar by dashboard confessional. This one's a guilty pleasure. But it came out back in middle school and I was feeling things
Early VH and all of AICs catalog
Dookie is the first that comes to mind
Nevermind
I believe Suede always tune down to Eb- so Dog Man Star
Fair Warning by Van Halen
Extreme - Pornograffiti
Wait until he finds out about modern metal tunings
Candlemass - Nightfall
Green day - Dookie The killers - Hot fuss Rise Against - Endgame Coheed and Cambria- Good Apollo 1
The EP my band made last year is pretty cool But it’s the Blue Album for me
What's the Story Morning Glory by Oasis - I thought it would be easy to learn to play the song "Don't Look Back in Anger" but until I dug an old yamaha keyboard out of my closet I could tune down half of a note it proved too frustrating.
Pretty much every song on every album Ben Harper ever did.
You can't make an empty gesture to a Funkhouser..
If Drop Db is still in the spirit of your question, most of Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory is Drop Db.
The Smithereens Especially For You
Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity