A Resonant A-centric Landscape

Benjamin's A Drone Tuning transforms your guitar into a deeply resonant, A-centric instrument. This unique tuning centers around the note A, creating a powerful and sustained drone effect across multiple octaves. It's ideal for players looking to explore expansive soundscapes, percussive rhythms, or melodic ideas that benefit from a strong, unwavering root.

Technical Analysis:

The open strings are tuned to A1-A2-A3-A3-A3-A4 (from low to high). This arrangement provides a rich, layered A chord with a dominant fundamental. The presence of three A3 notes (on strings 4, 3, and 2) creates a striking unison, resulting in exceptional resonance and sustain. This type of tuning can be thought of as an extended open A chord, where every string contributes to the core tonality, making it very forgiving for strumming and allowing for intricate melodic lines to be played over a constant harmonic foundation.

Chordal Opportunities:

• Open A Major/Minor: Simply strumming all open strings will produce a massive, full A Major chord, rich with octaves and unisons. To achieve an A minor feel, lightly fretting strings 3 and 2 at the 3rd fret (C notes) would introduce the minor third.
• Drone-Based Harmonies: The strong A drone allows for easy creation of modal melodies and harmonies over the open strings. Simple two or three-finger chord shapes can yield complex voicings.
• Power Chords: Barre chords will gain immense power, especially those rooted on A, as all open strings reinforce the fundamental. Moving a single finger across a fret can often imply new harmonies against the unchanging A drone.

Recommended Playing Styles:

This tuning lends itself well to slide guitar, fingerstyle for intricate drone melodies, and heavy strumming for a wall of sound. Experiment with single-note lines against the open A strings for a captivating effect.

How to Tune:

Please follow these instructions carefully. Be mindful of significant pitch changes, as they can affect string tension and potentially require different string gauges.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 7 semitones from E1 to A1. Caution: Tuning down this far will significantly reduce string tension. To maintain a playable tension and avoid excessive floppiness, a heavier gauge string for the low A might be considered, or be prepared for a very loose string.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from A2.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 7 semitones from D3 to A3. Caution: Tuning up this far puts significant tension on the string. To prevent breakage and maintain comfortable playability, a lighter gauge string for the D string is strongly recommended. Exercise extreme care.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune up 5 semitones from E4 to A4. Caution: Tuning up this far puts significant tension on the string. To prevent breakage and maintain comfortable playability, a lighter gauge string for the high E is strongly recommended. Exercise extreme care.

Always tune slowly and check your intonation after significant changes.