# Attn Machine Head fans: Tuning question



## Regor (Jan 17, 2009)

Am I the only one who hears this??

Ok, I've been looking at tabs online, to see what they say is the correct tuning on a 6 for playing Machine Head songs. Well, most of the time it says drop B, so BFBEAbDb (BFBEG#C#)... well, that's all fine and dandy, BUT... the "Machine Head Trademark Harmonic" is nowhere to be found on the fretboard in that tuning. It is NOT 5th fret on the 3rd string. If you play along with a CD, it is WRONG!

I read somewhere a long time ago that they tune BFBFAD which does give you that 5th fret harmonic... but this is just a fucked up tuning to be used. I can't imagine how Phil or Rob would play lead solos, cuz that would fuck up the scales by a 1/2 step. Unless they're just used to it?...


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## Bobo (Jan 18, 2009)

Can you tell me what part in what song that harmonic is? The one I'm thinking of can be done in regular drop B iirc.


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## Randy (Jan 18, 2009)

I remember somebody saying they tune at 445Hz or something like that, so they always sound "outta tune" if you try to play along with the Blackening, tuned to 440Hz.


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## Triple-J (Jan 18, 2009)

MH did a video lesson with Total Guitar in the UK a few years back and confirmed that some of their material is tuned to C#F#BEG#C# but I think this is on the 1st album only BF#BEG#C# is the standard tuning for all their other material though.


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## Bobo (Jan 18, 2009)

Randy said:


> I remember somebody saying they tune at 445Hz or something like that, so they always sound "outta tune" if you try to play along with the Blackening, tuned to 440Hz.



Yeah I forgot when I tuned along with them it was actually somewhere between drop B and C. Not sure if that's how they tuned or if the music was speed up a tad. Weird.


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## yetti (Jan 18, 2009)

Randy said:


> I remember somebody saying they tune at 445Hz or something like that, so they always sound "outta tune" if you try to play along with the Blackening, tuned to 440Hz.



435hz


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## Regor (Jan 18, 2009)

I've tried all that 'halfway between' shit, and it just doesn't work correctly.


As for the harmonic in the song, its all over the song. Specifically the harmonic during the verse part of Ten Ton Hammer, but then again its all over in Halo as well. Same harmonic.


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## Bobo (Jan 18, 2009)

You mean you're tuning between drop B and drop C and it doesn't work? It's been awhile since I've played it, but I'm pretty sure I did that harmonic on the G string at the 5th fret. I'll have to tune up my Ibby to that tuning tomorrow and try it again


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## eleven59 (Jan 18, 2009)

I've noticed the same thing and never been able to find it


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## zimbloth (Jan 18, 2009)

They tuned to either drop c#, c or drop B depending. Usually drop B. Except on the new one where they tune to drop B but sharp.

I've got the harmonics before, it's been a while but I don't remember it being difficult.

I have their live DVD, there's nothing going on there special. It's just drop B. No exotic tunings.


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## romper_stomper (Jan 18, 2009)

Man I havent heard "ten ton hammer" in like 10 years....


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## eleven59 (Jan 18, 2009)

Now that I think about it, I do think I found it once  And then promptly forgot


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## Scarpie (Jan 20, 2009)

i used to play machine head covers in my old band. burn my eyes had in awkward pitch interval. but from TMTC and on it was drop B for their lowest tuning. however for select tunes such as ten ton hammer, just tune the third string up a half step. and that's their secret. strangely enough with only one string tuned up their leads weren't to heavily effected on them songs.


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## Bobo (Jan 20, 2009)

I just played around with this a bit, and I'm confused. TTH and Halo seem to be tuned just a bit differently. TTH sounds like it is drop B, but Halo is the same just slightly sharp for whatever reason. 

The 3rd string 5th fret harmonic sounds fine to me on Halo with the slightly sharp drop B tuning....but TTH sounds off in it's tuning unless the 3rd string is tuned sharp a bit like Scarpie said. 

I'm almost positive on the halo video it shows them hitting the 3rd string 5th fret harmonic. I can't find another harmonic around there that is it. I just don't know about TTH.


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## Regor (Jan 20, 2009)

I swear man  Why the fuck did they have to do something so stupid??

I'ma have to sit down this weekend and go thru their catalog and see which harmonics come from where.


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## the_arod (Jan 21, 2009)

it's in between drop B and drop C on The Blackening. That would be drop B 445 Hz or drop C 435 I believe (those numbers could be messed up in my head, but it's 445 and 435 I'm sure of, not sure which one belongs to the drop B and drop C)


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## madmurphy13 (Jan 27, 2009)

I've always just tuned to either Drop B or C* standard and tuned it up about a quarter step, just a touch. That seems to work fine for all of their songs. I'm pretty sure they used the same tuning for all of their albums and just tuned the 6th string to C* or B depending on the song. 

I'll have to go and play to some machine head tunes now to check  plus I just realised I havent played along to Machine Head for far too long.


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## Mattayus (Jan 27, 2009)

Burn my eyes was Drop C and D standard, but ever so slightly down (not quite halfway between C and B, more like a quarter). In fact, it's as if they just couldn't be bothered to tune the guitars most of the time  It's just eeeeever so slightly flat.

Everything from then on up until Through the Ashes of Empires was straight up, no messin, drop B. Through the Ashes was drop B, plus a few others I believe. But still all at 440hz.

The Blackening is Db standard, but as someone already mentioned, at 435hz, not 440.

The harmonic in question, i _think_, is just a tuning issue. It sounds flat, and therefore probably is. The "trademark" harmonics that Rob's always used have usually been on the 5th fret of the 4th and 5th strings (intro to Davidian, for example).


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