This is an "Open A6/9" tuning for the Guitar, designed to provide a rich, full, and sophisticated harmonic landscape. As its name suggests, when strummed open, all strings resolve to an A Major 6/9 chord, offering an immediate lush sound often described as bright and expansive.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning is incredibly versatile, living up to its description for "low stuff and some beautiful high chords." The deep, resonant A1 on the lowest string provides a powerful bass foundation, allowing for driving rhythms and drone-like qualities. The open A6/9 chord is inherently pleasing, making it perfect for slide guitar, fingerstyle arpeggios, or simply strumming expansive, ambient textures. The combination of the major 6th (F#) and major 9th (B) intervals adds a modern, jazzy, or folk-infused character to the otherwise strong major chord.

Technical Analysis

The open strings are tuned to A1-A2-C#4-F#4-B3-E4 (from low to high). This arrangement directly spells out an A major 6/9 chord: A (root), C# (major 3rd), E (perfect 5th), F# (major 6th), and B (major 9th). The doubling of the root A across the two lowest strings (A1 and A2) creates a powerful, sustained low end. The open chord contains the root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th, making it a very full and consonant voicing.

Chordal Opportunities

• Open Chord: The most obvious is the magnificent A6/9 chord by simply strumming all open strings.
• Barre Chords: By barring all strings at a single fret, you can easily transpose the A6/9 chord up the neck (e.g., Fret 1 for A#6/9, Fret 2 for B6/9, Fret 3 for C6/9, etc.).
• Modal Play: The open A and E notes provide a strong foundation for exploring A Dorian or A Lydian scales, given the B and F# are natural extensions of those modes over A.
• Sus Chords & Variations: Experimenting with minor alterations on the higher strings (e.g., flattening the C# to C for A minor sounds, or raising/lowering the F# or B) can lead to a wealth of suspended or altered chords, still leveraging the open drone strings.
• Power Chords: The two lowest strings (A1, A2) provide an octave, which can be easily adapted to create powerful two-note or three-note chords with a single finger on higher frets.

How to Tune

To achieve this "Open A6/9" tuning, you will adjust your strings from standard EADGBe tuning as follows:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 7 semitones from E to A1. (Caution: This is a significant drop. Consider a heavier gauge string for optimal tone and tension.)
• String 5 (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from A to A2.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone from D to C#4.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone from G to F#4.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from B to B3.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from E to E4.

The open notes for this tuning are (from low to high):

• String 6: A1
• String 5: A2
• String 4: C#4
• String 3: F#4
• String 2: B3
• String 1: E4