When I was younger I played guitar constantly- rarely was A440 tuning used. Most rock guitar players followed the 1/4 step down tuning- others standard. It was all about the range of the vocalists. There are many others as well- Drop D and open tunings as well as the move to 7 string instruments with offsets on 6th and 7th. It just takes a trained ear to catch what’s going on.
Why is so much music recorded out of key?
As a guitarist, I like to sometimes listen to music and figure out a solo or sometimes play along with a song. My guitar is in perfect tune but a lot of the time the music is off and in between 2 keys. Like a semi tone off key. This really never happens when listening to a live recording, only studio recordings. I assume all the musicians tune up during a session and of course piano is already tuned to a standard. So has anyone else noticed this and can explain why. Don’t try to blame it on my turntable as it happens with digital streams and cd releases as well. Been noticing this for years. What gives??