THE SONIC YOUTH TUNING TUTORIAL
Text accompaniment to
http://www.islandnet.com/~mustang/tab/tuning.html
Compiled by Chris Lawrence (mustang@islandnet.com)
Tunings listed from low to high. Next to each tuning will
be an explanation on how to tune, which looks like: Eu2 Ad3 etc..
"Eu2" means to tune the E string up 2 frets, or one whole step.
"Ad3" means to tune the A string down 3 frets, or one and 1/2 steps.
"s" means the note stays the same. The songs each tuning is known to be
used on will be given (and the initial of who used it, if the tuning
is used by more than one member), followed by any necessary notes.
Enjoy!
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Tuning: A A A A B D
How to tune: Eu5 As Du7 Gu2 Bs Ed2
Used on: ?
NOTES: Crossed out for Lee's name under Justice is Might on Bad Moon
Rising liners. In Total Guitar magazine #46, Lee calls this tuning
the "Wall Of Sound" chord.
--
Tuning: A A E E F# A
How to tune: Eu5 As Du2 Gd3 Bd5 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Justice Is Might
NOTES: n/a
--
Tuning: A A E E A A
How to tune: Eu5 As Du2 Gd3 Bd2 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Silver Rocket, Candle, Cinderella's Big Score,
Theresa's Sound-World (w/ capo @ 3rd fret), Youth Against Fascism (live).
NOTES: used at least twice on Youth Against Fascism live, and possibly
on the album too though GGDDEbEb is the commonly cited tuning for
it (tuning is pretty arbitrary for YAF anyway).
--
Tuning: A C C G G# C
How to tune: Eu5 Au3 Dd2 Gs Bd3 Ed4
Used by Thurston on: Silver Rocket, Candle, Kissability, Cinderella's
Big Score, Theresa's Sound-World, Youth Against Fascism (live).
NOTES: used on Youth Against Fascism live, though Thurston claims
any tuning will suffice.
--
Tuning: A D D A A D
How to tune: Ed7 Ad7 Ds Gu2 Bd2 Ed2 or Eu5 Au5 Ds Gu2 Bd2 Ed2
Used by Lee on: Junkie's Promise
NOTES: not entirely sure which octave the first 2 notes are..
--
A F# E F# E B
How to tune: Ed7 Ad3 Du2 Gd1 Bd7 Ed5
Used by Lee on: Becuz, Saucer-Like (live), Washing Machine (1st half),
Panty Lies, Skip Tracer.
NOTES: variation on F#F#F#F#EB tuning. also used on 100% live '95/'96.
--
B E D D B B
How to tune: Ed5 Ad5 Ds Gd5 Bd12 Ed17
Used by Kim on: Bone, Quest For the Cup?
NOTES: Kim mentions this tuning in July '94 Guitar Player. she says
she used it on "Skink" and "Bone", but skink had bass on live versions
and i'm pretty sure it does on the album too... the only Jet Set songs
she plays guitar on are "Bone" and "Quest". This is also Kim's
Free Kitten tuning, and most of FK's early songs are in it. Creme
Brulee/On The Strip may be in this tuning too.
--
C C E B G D
How to tune: Eu8 Au3 Du2 Gu4 Bd4 Ed2
Used by Thurston on: The Sprawl, 'Cross the Breeze, Disappearer.
NOTES: also used on "World Looks Red" in '89.
--
C C G G G D
How to tune: Eu8 Au3 Du5 Gs Bd4 Ed2
Used by Lee on: Marilyn Moore
NOTES: may be slightly off..
--
C# F# C# F# A# B
How to tune: Ed3 Ad3 Dd1 Gd1 Bd1 Ed5
Used by Lee on: Bone, Waist?
NOTES: Lee mentions using this tuning in 7/94 Guitar Player.
I don't know whether this means he used it on Jet Set or not,
but Bone/Waist are either in this tuning or F#F#F#F#EB, so
this tuning seems to do.
--
C G G D D D
How to tune: Ed4 Ad2 Dd7 Gd5 Bd9 Ed14
Used by Kim on: Becuz, Junkie's Promise, Saucer-Like, Washing Machine,
Unwind, Little Trouble Girl (?), No Queen Blues, Anagrama, Slaapkamers
Met Slagroom, Stil, Contre Le Sexisme, Wildflower Soul, Hoarfrost,
French Tickler, The Ineffable Me, Snare, Girl, Heather Angel.
NOTES: also used on
--
C G C/C C/C G/G A#/C (12-string guitar w/ 10 strings)
How to tune: Ed4 Ad2 Dd2/Dd2 Gd7/Gd7 Bd4/Bd4 Ed6/Ed4
Used by Lee on: Free City Rhymes, Renegade Princess, Side2Side (album)
NOTES: 12-string guitar with only 1 string for E and A (in standard).
I'm not sure whether the Cs are in unison or tuned an octave
apart like a normal 12-string would be, though I'd imagine they'd
be an octave apart. I think Lee used this tuning on side2side for
the studio version, but he used a G# tuning for the post-album tour.
--
C G D G B B
How to tune: Ed4 Ad2 Ds Gs Bs Ed5
Used by Thurston on: Anagrama, Slaapkamers, Stil, Sunday, Wildflower,
Hoarfrost, French Tickler, Karen Koltrane, The Ineffable Me,
Snare, Girl, Heather Angel, Free City Rhymes, Renegade Princess.
NOTES: tuning stolen from pavement. also used on the majority
of thurston's 'psychic hearts' record.
--
D D D D E A
How to tune: Ed2 Ad7 Ds Gd5 Bd7 Ed7
Used by Lee on: I'm Insane
NOTES: tuning seems arbitrary on this song (see Gila Monster vid..)
--
D D D D A A
How to tune: Ed2 Ad7 Ds Gd5 Bd2 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl.
NOTES: n/a
--
D# D# C# C# G G
How to tune: Ed1 Ad6 Dd1 Gd6 Bd4 Ed9
Used by Lee on: I Love Her All The Time
NOTES: w/ screwdriver behind 9th fret.
--
D F C D F F
How to tune: Ed2 Ad4 Dd2 Gd5 Bd6 Ed11
Used by Lee on: Nevermind, Small Flowers Crack Concrete, StreamxSonik
Subway, NYC Ghosts & Flowers.
NOTES: n/a
--
D G D D B B
How to tune: Ed2 Ad2 Ds Gd5 Bd12 Ed17
Used by Kim on: Free City Rhymes, Renegade Princess
NOTES: n/a
--
D A D G G B
How to tune: Ed2 As Ds Gs Bd4 Ed5
Used by Kim on: Female Mechanic Now On Duty, Karen Koltrane,
Herinneringen, Lightnin'.
NOTES: n/a
--
D A D A B B
How to tune: Ed2 As Ds Gu2 Bs Ed5
Used by Kim on: Nevermind, Small Flowers Crack Concrete
NOTES: also used by Thurston on Junkie's Promise?
--
E E B B E F#
How to tune: Es Ad5 Dd3 Gd8 Bd7 Ed10
Used by Lee on: Dirty Boots, Swimsuit Issue, Wish Fulfillment,
Chapel Hill, JC, Purr, Skink, Tokyo Eye, Sweet Shine, The Diamond
Sea, Hits of Sunshine.
NOTES: n/a
--
E E E E F# F#
How to tune: Es Ad5 Du2 Gd3 Bd5 Ed10
Used by Lee on: 'Cross the Breeze
NOTES: n/a
--
E E B E G# B
How to tune: Es Ad5 Dd3 Gd3 Bd3 Ed5
Used on: Winner's Blues (T), Compilation Blues, Razorblade (K).
NOTES: acoustic tuning
--
E E B E B E
How to tune: Es Ad5 Dd3 Gd3 Bs Es
Used on: Ghost Bitch?
NOTES: shown in Bad Moon liners as "mellow" tuning for Society
is a Hole. SIAH seems to be in F#F#F#F#EB however, though this
open E style tuning would work well for the acoustic guitar
part on Ghost Bitch. In Total Guitar #46, Lee says this
tuning is good for "drone like power chords".
--
E E B F# B E
How to tune: Es Ad5 Dd3 Gd1 Bs Es
Used on: Ghost Bitch
NOTES: shown in Bad Moon liners as Society tuning. see
above tuning for elaboration.
--
E G D G E D
How to tune: Es Ad2 Ds Gs Bd7 Ed2
Used by Thurston on: Dirty Boots, Tunic, Titanium Expose, Swimsuit
Issue, Wish Fulfillment, Chapel Hill, Purr, Skink, Screaming Skull,
Bone, Tokyo Eye, Sweet Shine, The Diamond Sea, Female Mechanic
Now On Duty, Hits of Sunshine, and by Kim on My Friend Goo.
NOTES: also possibly used on Androgynous Mind, Little Trouble
Girl, and Four6.
--
E G# E G# E G#
How to tune: Es Ad1 Du2 Gu1 Bd7 Ed8
Used on: Expressway (TL), PCH (TL), and Inhuman live (L).
NOTES: n/a
--
E A D E C D
How to tune: Es As Ds Gd3 Bu1 Ed2
Used by Lee on: World Looks Red, Confusion is Next.
NOTES: both w/ screwdriver behind 9th fret.
--
E A D G B E
How to tune: ahem..
Used by Thurston and Lee on all of the first EP and Mildred Pierce.
Also used on plenty of covers, including I Wanna Be Yr Dog, Hotwire
My Heart, the Ramones set on Hold That Tiger, etc etc
NOTES: despite being recorded in standard, most of the first EP
doesn't rely on any specific tuning. the majority of SY's covers
are in standard as well.
--
E B E E A B
How to tune: Es Au2 Du2 Gd3 Bd2 Ed5
Used by Lee on: Eric's Trip, Hey Joni, Kissability.
NOTES: n/a
--
F G C F A F#
How to tune: Ed11 Ad14 Dd2 Gd2 Bd2 Ed10
Used by Thurston on: Nevermind, Small Flowers Crack Concrete,
side2side, Streamxsonik Subway, NYC Ghosts & Flowers, Lightnin'.
NOTES: n/a
--
F# F# F# F# E B
How to tune: Eu2 Ad3 Du4 Gd1 Bd7 Ed5
Used by Thurston and Lee on: Intro, Brave Men Run, Society is a Hole,
Death Valley '69, Halloween, Starpower, Death to Our Friends, Pipeline,
Tuff Gnarl, Kool Thing, 100%, Saucer-Like.
Used by Thurston on: Shadow of a Doubt, Catholic Block, Mary Christ,
Shoot, Waist, Becuz, Panty Lies.
NOTES: one of the oldest and most popular SY tunings. often used
by Thurston nowadays on older songs where specific tuning isn't
relevant, such as Burning Spear, She is Not Alone, and The World
Looks Red.
--
F# F# G G A A
How to tune: Eu2 Ad3 Du5 Gs Bd2 Ed7
Used on: Tom Violence (TL), Schizophrenia (T), White Kross (TL),
Drunken Butterfly (TL), Skip Tracer (T).
NOTES: n/a
--
F# A A F# F# F#
How to tune: Eu2 As Dd5 Gd1 Bd5 Ed10
Used by Lee on: Shadow of a Doubt?
NOTES: "Alternate Death Valley tuning - good for something". works
remarkably well for Shadow...
--
G G B D G A
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Dd3 Gd5 Bd4 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Sugar Kane, Genetic.
NOTES: Lee also used this on Jet Set, likely..
--
G G C C A# A#
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Dd2 Gd7 Bd1 Ed6
Used by Thurston on: I Love Her All The Time, Ghost Bitch
NOTES: played w/ drumstick behind 12th fret.
--
G G C G C D
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Dd2 Gs Bu1 Ed2
Used by Lee on: Bull in the Heather, Starfield Road, Self-Obsessed
and Sexxee, In the Mind of The Bourgeois Reader, Washing Machine
(2nd half), Unwind, No Queen Blues.
NOTES: probably used on more jet set tunes...
--
G G C# D G G
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Dd1 Gd5 Bd4 Ed9
Used by Lee on: The Wonder, Hyperstation
NOTES: n/a
--
G G D D Eb Eb
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gd5 Bd8 Ed13
Used by Thurston and Lee on: Kill Yr Idols, Brother James,
Early American, Flower, Green Light, Stereo Sanctity, Cotton
Crown, Total Trash, Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit, Youth Against
Fascism, Blues Blur.
Used by Thurston on: The Wonder, Hyperstation, Eliminator Jr,
Mote, Bull in the Heather, Starfield Road, Self-Obsessed
and Sexxee, In The Mind of the Bourgeois Reader, Washing Machine,
Unwind, No Queen Blues.
NOTES: another old favorite. probably used on more than this, too..
--
G G D D F F
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gd5 Bd6 Ed11
Used by Lee on: Mote
Notes: n/a
--
G G D D G G
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gd5 Bd4 Ed9
Used by Lee on: Teenage Riot, The Sprawl, Eliminator Jr, Tunic,
Mary-Christ, Titanium Expose.
NOTES: n/a
--
G G D G G A
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gs Bd4 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Female Mechanic Now On Duty
NOTES: lee puts a capo at the 2nd fret halfway thru the song.
--
G G D A G A
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gu2 Bd4 Ed7
Used by Lee on: Anagrama, Slaapkamers, Stil, Wildflower Soul, The
Ineffable Me, Snare, Girl, Heather Angel.
NOTES: n/a
--
G G D A G A#
How to tune: Eu3 Ad2 Ds Gu2 Bd4 Ed6
Used by Lee on: Karen Koltrane
NOTES: n/a
--
G A B D E G
How to tune: Eu3 As Dd3 Gd5 Bd7 Ed9
Used by Thurston on: Teenage Riot, Hey Joni, Sugar Kane, Genetic.
NOTES: in Total Guitar #46 Lee comments that this tuning is good for
"bright and thrashy riffs".
--
G# A# G#/A# A#/A C#/D# E/F# (12-string guitar w/ 10 strings)
How to tune: Eu4 Au1 Du6/Dd4 Gu2/Gd10 Bu2/Bd8 Es/Ed10
Used by Lee on: Side2Side live
NOTES: I have no idea if those are the proper octaves for those
notes, but if using a standard 12-string set of strings (w/ the
octave E and A removed), that would seem to be the logical tuning
pattern..
--
this document copyright © 1997-2002 chris lawrence.