THE TUNEGUITAR GUIDE
A setup plan for Heart-Shaped Box
What to check for this arrangement
This main-guitar setup is Drop C sharp, with an overdub entry using the same notes. Coming from Come As You Are, the change is not a uniform half-step shift: the fifth through first strings rise one semitone, while the sixth falls one. The transition table makes that mixed direction explicit.
Which guitar part does this page cover?
The selected part is Main Guitar in the linked Nirvana arrangement. The table exposes the part alternatives retained in our source record; repeated targets can still belong to different musical lines. It is not a complete inventory of every performance or recording.
| Source part label | Open notes, low side first | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Main Guitar | C♯2 · G♯2 · C♯3 · F♯3 · A♯3 · D♯4 | Selected here |
| Overdubs | C♯2 · G♯2 · C♯3 · F♯3 · A♯3 · D♯4 | Same open targets |
Source labels are preserved as supplied. The source record was last checked on 2026-09-12; this editorial update does not claim a fresh audit of the external arrangement. No notation, lyrics or recorded audio are reproduced.
Open the named source arrangement
Set the open strings before choosing the sound
| String | Start | Target | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | E2 | C♯2 | Lower 3 semitones |
| 5 | A2 | G♯2 | Lower 1 semitone |
| 4 | D3 | C♯3 | Lower 1 semitone |
| 3 | G3 | F♯3 | Lower 1 semitone |
| 2 | B3 | A♯3 | Lower 1 semitone |
| 1 | E4 | D♯4 | Lower 1 semitone |
The table starts from E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 at A4 = 440 Hz. If your guitar is already in another tuning, use its actual starting notes rather than repeating these adjustments. For the musical structure and physical considerations of this setup, read the
Plan the next song without guessing
This comparison calculates changes from this selected source part to the other stored arrangements. It compares open notes only. Check any capo, A4 reference and instrument change separately; unchanged targets still deserve a quick drift check.
| Next source arrangement | String changes |
|---|---|
| Come As You Are · Nirvana | string 6: C♯2 → D2 string 5: G♯2 → G2 string 4: C♯3 → C3 string 3: F♯3 → F3 string 2: A♯3 → A3 string 1: D♯4 → D4 |
| In Bloom · Nirvana | string 6: C♯2 → E2 string 5: G♯2 → A2 string 4: C♯3 → D3 string 3: F♯3 → G3 string 2: A♯3 → B3 string 1: D♯4 → E4 |
| Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana | string 6: C♯2 → E2 string 5: G♯2 → A2 string 4: C♯3 → D3 string 3: F♯3 → G3 string 2: A♯3 → B3 string 1: D♯4 → E4 |
If your lesson disagrees
Check the named part and recording version before choosing between the sources. A missing capo value means it has not been verified here, not that a capo is forbidden. Use Custom strings for a genuinely different target sequence, or prepare a correction with a source link. Do not retune solely because a processed guitar sound seems lower.