Tuning Analysis: Baritone 6 string Am7

This unique tuning, aptly named Baritone 6 string Am7, is custom-designed for a baritone guitar, focusing on creating a rich, resonant A minor 7th chord. As the submitter's first custom tuning, it demonstrates a clear intention to facilitate playing in the key of A minor, specifically with the seventh chord readily available.

Verbal Description

Imagine a deeply resonant, dark, and full A minor 7th chord ringing out from your baritone guitar with just a single strum. That's the essence of this tuning. It's an open tuning where all six strings, when played together, naturally form an A minor 7th chord. This makes for incredibly easy rhythm playing in A minor, and gives a fantastic drone quality. The low A1 string provides a powerful foundation, ideal for the extended range of a baritone instrument. This tuning is perfect for blues, jazz, and even rock where a strong, open minor 7th sound is desired, allowing for complex harmonic textures with minimal effort.

Because it's an open Am7, you can easily transpose the chord by simply barring all strings at a higher fret. For example, a barre at the 3rd fret would give you a Cm7 chord, and a barre at the 5th fret would yield a Dm7 chord, making it a highly versatile tuning for rhythm guitar in minor keys.

Technical Analysis

This is an Open Am7 Tuning for a 6-string baritone guitar, with the notes set as A1-E2-A2-C3-G3-A3 from lowest to highest string. The chosen notes precisely spell out an A minor 7th chord (A-C-E-G), with strategic doubling of the root (A) and the fifth (E) across different octaves to provide exceptional harmonic fullness and depth.

• Instrument Type: Guitar (specifically a Baritone 6-string guitar).
• Tuning Notes: A1-E2-A2-C3-G3-A3.
• Chord in Open Tuning: Strumming all six strings open produces a complete A minor 7th chord (A-C-E-G), making it an excellent choice for immediate harmonic gratification.
• Interval Structure: The intervals between consecutive strings are not uniform, but are specifically chosen to form the desired chord:
  • A1 (6th string) to E2 (5th string): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
  • E2 (5th string) to A2 (4th string): Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
  • A2 (4th string) to C3 (3rd string): Minor 3rd (3 semitones)
  • C3 (3rd string) to G3 (2nd string): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
  • G3 (2nd string) to A3 (1st string): Major 2nd (2 semitones)
• Resonance and Playability: The strategic placement of root, fifth, minor third, and seventh across the strings ensures a highly resonant and harmonically complete sound. This open chord shape makes playing various minor 7th chords across the fretboard incredibly intuitive via barring.

Tuning Notes

Here are the target notes for each string, from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st):

• 6th String: A1 (the lowest A on a standard 88-key piano)
• 5th String: E2 (the E below middle C)
• 4th String: A2 (the A below middle C)
• 3rd String: C3 (middle C)
• 2nd String: G3 (the G above middle C)
• 1st String: A3 (the A above middle C)

How to Tune

To achieve the Baritone 6 string Am7 tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these specific instructions for each string. Please note that several strings require significant tuning down. If you plan to use this tuning regularly, consider a heavier gauge string set for optimal tension and tone, as well as to prevent potential string breakage or intonation issues from excessive slack.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 7 semitones to A1. (Caution: This is a significant drop of 7 semitones. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for stability and playability.)
• 5th String (A): Tune down 5 semitones to E2. (Caution: This is a significant drop of 5 semitones. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised.)
• 4th String (D): Tune down 5 semitones to A2. (Caution: This is a significant drop of 5 semitones. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised.)
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 7 semitones to C3. (Caution: This is a significant drop of 7 semitones. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised.)
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 4 semitones to G3. (Caution: This is a substantial drop of 4 semitones, at the limit for standard gauges. Consider a heavier gauge string for best results.)
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 7 semitones to A3. (Caution: This is a significant drop of 7 semitones. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised.)