Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Lee uses a modified version (BBEEAA) on "Cinderella's Big Score".

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: This is a modified version of the classic F#F#F#F#EB tuning. Lee may have used F#F#F#F#EB for "Saucer-Like" on the album but always used AF#EF#EB live. He also used this for "100%" on the Washing Machine tour.

Used by Kim on:

Notes: This is a modified version of Kim's Dirty tuning DEDGBB. I believe she also used this for a lot of Free Kitten material.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: This is a modified version of CGCCCG, one of Lee's solo tunings. For most live versions, Lee has been playing "Purloined" in CGCCCG.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: This is a modification of the AAEEAA tuning.

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Thurston uses a guitar strung with 4 bass strings on this song, with the two Bs in unison (equal to the 2nd fret of a regular tuned A string), and the two F#s in unison below. It's possible that the original Drifter (stolen in 1999) had the F#s tuned above the Bs, but for the era of the New Drifter (2002 and beyond) the F#s were below the Bs, equal to the 2nd fret of a regular guitar's low E. He uses a drumstick as a slide device.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: 12-string guitar with single strings on the "lowest" notes (E and A in standard tuning). I think Lee used this for the album version of "side2side" (or at least early live versions) but he began using another tuning for the tour. I'm also not sure if the Cs are in unison or an octave apart...

Used by Lee on:

Notes: A new tuning used by Lee on all 3 of his solo albums. A modified version (half step down - BF#F#F#BF# is used on "Purloined" from Electric Trim).

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Thurston famously borrowed this tuning from Pavement, modified it a bit with the unison Bs, and wrote about a thousand songs. Later he modified it to CGDGCD and wrote a thousand more...

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Modified version of CGDGBB tuning.

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Thurston uses a guitar strung with 4 bass strings on this song, with the two Cs in unison (equal to the 3rd fret of a regular tuned A string), the first D# one and a half step up from that C, and the second D# one octave below that.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: This is listed in the liners of the CD, which are taken from the original lyric sheets, but I've noticed that some of the tunings may not be entirely accurate...For live versions, it seems like Lee usually used the blue Jazzmaster in F#F#F#F#EB.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Also used for a lot of SYR9.

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: During initial songwriting for Rather Ripped, Lee began using this tuning as well, but tweaked it to D# D# A# D# G G as sessions progressed. His parts on the Helen Lundeberg/Eyeliner 7" may be in this tuning, though.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of D D# A# D# G G.

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Confirmed for "Kim's Chords", thought to be a modification of DFCDFF but could have been used for "Trouble Girl"?

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Kim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: Modification of DADABB.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: The tunings for "Rain King" were a total mystery when the band had to relearn the Daydream Nation material in 2007, so they reviewed old rehearsal tapes and this is what they came up with, and what Thurston used on the 2007 tour.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: When writing for Rather Ripped began, Lee was using the same DD#A#D#GG tuning as Thurston, but changed to unison D#s on the bottom. I'm not sure which was used for the early recordings of "Helen Lundeberg" and "Eyeliner".

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Might be D# C# G#...

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Also used by Mark Ibold on the Rather Ripped tour, while Thurston played bass.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: Set lists have Kim using both EEBBF#F# and EBEGGB for "Mariah Carey", it's possible she switched.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Kim on:

Notes: Lee may also use it for the slide part on "Razor Blade".

Notes: Lee tuning shown in Bad Moon Rising CD liners on lyric sheet for "Society Is A Hole", along with EEBF#BE, but I'm pretty sure Lee uses F#F#F#F#EB for the final version of the song. In Total Guitar #46, this tuning is oddly cited as being good for "drone like power chords".

Notes: Lee tuning shown in Bad Moon Rising CD liners on lyric sheet for "Society Is A Hole", along with EEBEBE, but I'm pretty sure Lee uses F#F#F#F#EB for the final version of the song.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of GGDDGG.

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Kim on:

Notes: Kim came up with this tuning for "My Friend Goo" but Thurston ran with it for a few more albums. I think Kim used it on "Lee #2" as well as "Inhuman" when the three were played as an encore on the Goo tour.

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Lee also used this tuning for "Inhuman" on the '85 tour, as seen in the Blood On Brighton Beach footage at the beginning of Screaming Fields Of Sonic Love, as well as a cover of DNA's "Blonde Redhead" that the band was playing live in February 1999 (Thurston played bass). For this tuning, Lee generally used a 12-string strung with 10 strings (lowest strings not doubled).

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Although the song was originally in standard tuning, Lee used EADECD for "Shaking Hell" when it was resurrected in 2006 for the Rather Ripped tour.

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Standard tuning. Though the claim is that the first EP is all in standard, this applies more-so to songs like "I Dreamed I Dream" and "I Don't Want To Push It" rather than the drumstick-prepared pieces like "Burning Spear" or "She Is Not Alone". Aside from "Mildred Pierce", which originated from the band's early 80s days, they did not write new material in standard tuning. They often used standard tuning for covers, some of which aren't listed here (the Ramones set, for example), but some covers are in alternate tunings. Kim used standard tuning for "Shaking Hell" on the Rather Ripped tour, while Lee switched to EADECD for the same song.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: None.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: The "Rain King" tunings were a mystery when the band had to relearn the Daydream Nation material in 2007, so they reviewed old rehearsal tapes and came up with this tuning, which Lee used on the 2007 tour.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Kim on:

Notes: This is a modification of the DADGGB tuning. It originated with "Plastic Sun" and seems to have been used for "Mariah Carey" though set lists also cite EEBBF#F#. Given the nature of her part on that song, it's possible she used both during the song's lifetime.

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Thurston often used this tuning for older tracks that didn't require a specific tuning: "The Burning Spear" "She Is Not Alone" "The World Looks Red" (and even '85 era versions of "I Love Her All The Time" & "Ghost Bitch"). For "Saucer-Like" Lee may have used F#F#F#F#EB on the album, but he used its modified version AF#EF#EB live. For "I Love You Golden Blue", Thurston modified the tuning by lowering the 3rd string an octave so that the bottom 3 strings are all in unison: F#F#F#F#EB - in this case, you would tune Eu2 Ad3 Dd8 Gd1 Bd7 Ed5

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of EF#C#F#A#C#.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Notes: Listed as Lee's "Alternate Death Valley tuning - good for something" in Bad Moon Rising era writings, but not known to be used for a specific song.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Though this tuning is listed with the lyrics, Thurston had abandoned this specific tuning (if ever used) in favor of F#F#F#F#EB (or rather, the guitar which happens to be in F#F#F#F#EB and now has a drumstick wedged under the strings) as early as January '85.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of FFCGCC, theoretically.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of GGDDGG.

Used by Thurston on:

Used by Lee on:

Used by Kim on:

Used by Jim on:

Notes: Jim also used this tuning for a number of "classic" tunes, sometimes tuned down a half step to F#F#C#C#DD if the song was in F#.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of GGDDGG.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of GGDDD#D#, I suppose!

Used by Lee on:

Used by Jim on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Initially a modification of GGDAGA, this became Lee's preferred tuning from Murray Street onwards.

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: n/a

Used by Lee on:

Notes: Modified version of GGDAGA.

Used by Thurston on:

Notes: Thurston also used this tuning for "Small Flowers Crack Concrete" on the 2000 NYC Ghosts & Flowers tour (the guitar has a metal file wedged under the strings, so tuning is fairly arbitrary).

Used by Lee on:

Notes: When I saw the band perform the NYC Ghosts & Flowers material instrumentally in September '99, Lee used the same guitar for "side2side" as "Free City Rhymes" and "Renegade Princess", which suggests that it may have been recorded in the same tuning as those songs. However, for the 2000 tour, he was using this wild tuning exclusively for "side2side". I may have the octaves wrong.