ACGDEGC Guitar Tuner

ACGDEGC ACGDEGC - Guitar tuning, chords & scales

Description - ACGDEGC

I have no clue what this tuning is

Verbal Analysis

The Open Am11 Drone tuning creates a rich, complex, and melancholic sonic landscape, making it ideal for expressive and atmospheric music. With a deep A in the bass, it provides a strong foundation that can anchor diverse musical styles, from introspective fingerstyle pieces to soaring lead melodies. The tuning's unique structure lends itself well to drone-based compositions, where sustained open strings create a resonant backdrop for melodic exploration. It has a slightly jazzy or bluesy feel due to the extensions, but can also evoke a powerful, resonant rock sound.

Technical Analysis

This is a 7-string tuning with the open notes configured as A1-C2-G2-D3-E3-G3-C4 from the lowest to the highest string.

The open strings form a dominant A minor 11th chord, specifically an Am7 (A-C-E-G) with an added perfect 4th (D). This rich voicing provides instant harmonic depth, allowing for sophisticated chordal work and melodic phrasing without fretting.

Breaking down the intervals from the lowest string:

String 7 (A1) to String 6 (C2): Minor 3rd
String 6 (C2) to String 5 (G2): Perfect 5th
String 5 (G2) to String 4 (D3): Perfect 5th
String 4 (D3) to String 3 (E3): Major 2nd
String 3 (E3) to String 2 (G3): Minor 3rd
String 2 (G3) to String 1 (C4): Perfect 5th

The clustering of notes, especially C-G-D-E-G-C across strings 6 through 1, results in a C Major 9 chord, which when coupled with the low A, leans heavily into the Am11 tonality. The higher strings (G3, C4) provide strong resonant intervals (a perfect 5th) that can be easily droned.

Open Chords & Easy Shapes:

The open strings automatically ring an A minor 11th chord, or a C Major 9th with an A in the bass, providing a full, resonant sound without any fretting.
Barring across various frets will easily yield different minor 7th, major 7th, 9th, and 11th voicings. For example, barring at the 5th fret will give a Dm11 voicing.
The close proximity of G3 and C4 on the top two strings makes it very easy to play power chords or create drone effects.
Shapes related to C major and A minor will be particularly accessible, making it straightforward to explore melodies and harmonies in these keys.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Am11 Drone tuning, please adjust your strings as follows. For movements exceeding 4 semitones up or down, it is generally advised to consider a different string gauge to ensure optimal tension and prevent string breakage or intonation issues.

String 7 (Lowest, target A1): Tune down 2 semitones.
String 6 (target C2): Tune down 4 semitones. (Caution: Consider a different string gauge for this movement.)
String 5 (target G2): Tune down 2 semitones.
String 4 (target D3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
String 3 (target E3): Tune down 3 semitones.
String 2 (target G3): Tune down 4 semitones. (Caution: Consider a different string gauge for this movement.)
String 1 (Highest, target C4): Tune down 4 semitones. (Caution: Consider a different string gauge for this movement.)