The Guitarlele Tuning is a unique and highly re-entrant setup for the guitar, designed to emulate the compact, bright sound of a ukulele while offering the extended range of a guitar. This specific tuning, A2-D2-G3-C3-E3-A3, deviates significantly from standard guitar tuning and even common guitalele tunings, creating a distinctive harmonic landscape.

Verbal Analysis:

At first glance, this tuning presents an unusual and intriguing sonic profile. The most striking feature is its re-entrant nature; the pitches do not ascend linearly from the lowest physical string to the highest. Instead, you'll find a jump in pitch, where a physically thicker string might be tuned to a higher note than a thinner one. This creates a texture rich in close voicings and unexpected inversions, making it ideal for fingerstyle playing, arpeggios, and percussive strumming that highlights the individual string qualities.

The overall feel is bright and resonant, leaning towards a folk or world music aesthetic. The open strings offer a complex harmonic cluster of A, D, G, C, E. This collection of notes implies a sound akin to an A minor 7 chord (A-C-E-G) with an added D, providing both melancholy and a sense of suspended harmony. It allows for a rich, open sound that encourages exploration beyond conventional chord shapes.

Technical Analysis:

This tuning is set to A2-D2-G3-C3-E3-A3 (from thickest to thinnest string). When ordered by absolute pitch from lowest to highest, the open strings reveal a unique sequence:

• String 5: D2 (Lowest Pitch, 73.4 Hz)
• String 6: A2 (110 Hz)
• String 3: C3 (130.8 Hz)
• String 2: E3 (164.8 Hz)
• String 4: G3 (196 Hz)
• String 1: A3 (Highest Pitch, 220 Hz)

This heavily re-entrant arrangement is a defining characteristic, with String 5 (D2) being the lowest pitched string despite not being the thickest, and String 4 (G3) being higher in pitch than String 2 (E3) and String 3 (C3). The open strings consist of the notes A, C, D, E, G. This set of notes inherently contains an A minor pentatonic scale (A-C-D-E-G) or a C major pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A), making it highly conducive to melodic improvisation and songwriting in these keys.

Chordal Opportunities:

• An A minor 7 chord (A-C-E-G) is beautifully present within the open strings (String 6: A2, String 3: C3, String 2: E3, String 4: G3). Strumming these four strings will produce a full A minor 7 voicing.
• A C major chord (C-E-G) can be easily voiced using String 3 (C3), String 2 (E3), and String 4 (G3). Adding String 1 (A3) results in a C6 chord.
• The presence of D2 on String 5 and G3 on String 4 provides strong foundations for D minor (D-F-A) and G major (G-B-D) voicings with minimal fretting.
• Simple one-finger barres across specific sets of strings can quickly produce interesting harmonic clusters, especially given the pentatonic framework.

How to Tune:

To achieve the Guitarlele Tuning (A2-D2-G3-C3-E3-A3) from standard guitar tuning (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4), follow these specific string movements. Please exercise caution with large pitch adjustments. When tuning up or down more than 4 semitones, a different gauge string is generally advised for optimal tension, tone, and to prevent string breakage or excessive floppiness.

• String 6 (Low E to A2): Tune up 5 semitones from E2 to A2. (Note: This is a significant upward adjustment; consider a lighter gauge string if this causes excessive tension or tuning instability.)
• String 5 (A to D2): Tune down 7 semitones from A2 to D2. (Note: This is a substantial downward adjustment, potentially requiring a heavier gauge string for optimal tone and tension.)
• String 4 (D to G3): Tune up 5 semitones from D3 to G3. (Note: Another significant upward adjustment; monitor string tension and consider a lighter gauge.)
• String 3 (G to C3): Tune down 7 semitones from G3 to C3. (Note: Substantial downward adjustment, potentially benefiting from a heavier gauge string.)
• String 2 (B to E3): Tune down 7 semitones from B3 to E3. (Note: Substantial downward adjustment, potentially benefiting from a heavier gauge string.)
• String 1 (High E to A3): Tune down 7 semitones from E4 to A3. (Note: Substantial downward adjustment, potentially benefiting from a heavier gauge string.)

Each string's target note in the Guitarlele Tuning is as follows:

• String 6: A2 (The lowest physical string is tuned to an A in the second octave.)
• String 5: D2 (The fifth string is tuned to a D in the second octave, making it the lowest pitched string in this tuning.)
• String 4: G3 (The fourth string is tuned to a G in the third octave.)
• String 3: C3 (The third string is tuned to a C in the third octave.)
• String 2: E3 (The second string is tuned to an E in the third octave.)
• String 1: A3 (The highest physical string is tuned to an A in the third octave.)