Welcome to a truly unique and evocative open tuning, christened "Ariadne's Embrace." This tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant soundscape, designed for rich harmonic textures and a dreamy, expansive feel. As the creator noted, it has a captivating quality that encourages exploration and emotive playing.

Verbal Analysis

"Ariadne's Embrace" offers a full, shimmering sound that is bright, yet carries a subtle melancholic or longing undertone due to the presence of the major seventh. The low A and E provide a deep, sustained drone, anchoring the more intricate harmonies of the higher strings. It's particularly well-suited for fingerstyle arrangements, allowing for complex arpeggios to ring out with stunning clarity. Its expansive sound also lends itself beautifully to ambient music, folk, and even modern classical compositions where rich, open voicings are desired. Strumming the open strings yields an immediate, lush chord that feels both familiar and refreshingly new, inviting improvisation and melodic exploration.

Technical Analysis

This tuning is built upon the notes A1-E2-C#4-G#4-C#5-F#5 (from low to high string).

• The core harmonic structure is an A Major 7 chord (A-C#-E-G#).
• The added F# (Major 6th) on the highest string extends this to an A Major 7 (add 6) or Amaj13 (no 9, 11), giving it a sophisticated and slightly suspended quality.
• The intervals from the root (A) are:
  • String 6: A1 (Root)
  • String 5: E2 (Perfect 5th)
  • String 4: C#4 (Major 3rd)
  • String 3: G#4 (Major 7th)
  • String 2: C#5 (Major 3rd, an octave higher)
  • String 1: F#5 (Major 6th)

The repeated C# (on strings 4 and 2) adds to the fullness and brightness of the major third, while the low A and E provide a powerful, sustaining foundation. The G# major seventh lends a distinct harmonic color, creating tension that yearns for resolution, or can be savored for its inherent beauty.

Open Chords and Reachable Voicings

• The open strings themselves form an A Major 7 (add 6) chord, providing an instant rich harmonic backdrop. This makes it incredibly easy to create lush textures with minimal effort.
• By barring across any fret, you instantly generate the corresponding Major 7 (add 6) chord for that fret (e.g., barring at the 2nd fret yields B Major 7 (add 6)).
• Experimenting with partial barres or two-finger shapes can quickly uncover other related chords. For example, lowering the G# on string 3 by one semitone to G (1st fret on string 3) would create an A dominant 7 (add 6) feel.
• The close proximity of the G# (M7) and F# (M6) on strings 3 and 1, along with the C# (M3) on string 2, allows for subtle melodic embellishments and drone notes with very little movement.
• Due to the open intervals, many two or three-finger shapes can produce unexpected and beautiful voicings, making it a playground for creative chord discovery.

How to Tune

To achieve "Ariadne's Embrace" from standard guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these instructions carefully. Always tune slowly and precisely.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 7 semitones from E2 to A1. Note: This is a significant drop (-7 semitones); for optimal tone and string tension, consider using a heavier gauge string for this position if playing in this tuning frequently.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 5 semitones from A2 to E2. Note: This is a significant drop (-5 semitones); for optimal tone and string tension, consider using a heavier gauge string for this position if playing in this tuning frequently.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone from D3 to C#3.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 1 semitone from G3 to G#3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 2 semitones from B3 to C#4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 2 semitones from E4 to F#4.

Please note: The tuning instructions above strictly follow the semitone changes provided in the 'string_movements' data from standard guitar pitch. If you are aiming for the specific octaves listed in the 'Notes Description' section (C#4, G#4, C#5, F#5 for the higher strings), your guitar's standard tuning might be higher, or you may need different string gauges to achieve those higher pitches from a typical E-standard guitar without excessive tension.

The open notes for "Ariadne's Embrace" from the lowest string to the highest are:

• String 6: A1
• String 5: E2
• String 4: C#4
• String 3: G#4
• String 2: C#5
• String 1: F#5