This unique guitar tuning, often referred to as Haley Heynderickx's 'No Face' Tuning, is specifically employed for the song "No Face" as famously performed on Tiny Desk Concerts. It deviates significantly from standard tuning to create a distinctive sonic landscape tailored for the song's specific requirements.

Verbal Analysis

The 'No Face' tuning immediately strikes with a rich, full, and somewhat melancholic resonance, characteristic of folk and indie acoustic music. The open strings, when strummed, form an A-sharp major 9th chord (A#maj9), providing a lush harmonic foundation. The doubling of the low A# on both the 6th and 5th strings creates a powerful, droning bass presence, giving the tuning a robust core. This setup naturally lends itself to intricate fingerstyle patterns, allowing complex harmonies to ring out with minimal effort from the fretting hand. Players will find familiar chord shapes radically altered, encouraging exploration and discovery of new voicings unique to this tuning. The overall feel is one of contemplative beauty, perfect for storytelling through song.

Technical Analysis

The open notes for this tuning are: A3# - A3# - D3 - F3 - A3 - C4 (from lowest to highest string).
Analyzing the intervals between the open strings, starting from the lowest:

• 6th String (A3#) to 5th String (A3#): Perfect Unison (P1)
• 5th String (A3#) to 4th String (D3): Major Third (M3)
• 4th String (D3) to 3rd String (F3): Minor Third (m3)
• 3rd String (F3) to 2nd String (A3): Major Third (M3)
• 2nd String (A3) to 1st String (C4): Minor Third (m3)

These intervals collectively form an A# Major 9th (A#maj9) chord (A#, D, F, A, C) when strummed open. This means that an A# major chord, with its extended harmony, is immediately available and sounds rich and full. The tuning is not an open chord tuning in the traditional sense (like Open G or Open D) but rather a specific voicing for an A# major 9th.
Due to the specific note arrangement, other open chords or partial chords become easily accessible:

• D minor (Dm): By strumming strings 4, 3, and 2 open (D3, F3, A3), you get a clear D minor triad.
• F Major (F): Strumming strings 3, 2, and 1 open (F3, A3, C4) yields an F major triad.
• A Minor (Am): While not a full open chord, the A3 and C4 on strings 2 and 1 provide two essential notes for A minor.

This tuning is ideal for creating unique harmonic textures and is particularly well-suited for fingerstyle playing where the droning low strings and internal chord voicings can be highlighted, offering a distinctive sonic palette beyond standard tuning.

How to Tune

To achieve Haley Heynderickx's 'No Face' tuning, start from standard EADGBe tuning and adjust each string according to the movements specified below:

• 6th String (Low E - E2): Tune up 6 semitones from E2 to A#2.
  Please note: The specified target note for this string is A3#, which is an octave higher than A#2. Tuning a standard low E string up 6 semitones to A#2 is a significant adjustment. Tuning to A3# (an additional 12 semitones, totaling 18 semitones up from E2) is extremely dangerous for your guitar and string and is not recommended with a standard gauge string. For any string movement exceeding 4 semitones up or down, a different string gauge is strongly advised to prevent damage and ensure proper intonation.
• 5th String (A - A2): Tune up 1 semitone from A2 to A#2.
  Please note: The specified target note for this string is A3#, which is an octave higher than A#2. Tuning an A string up 1 semitone to A#2 is a minor adjustment. Tuning to A3# (an additional 12 semitones, totaling 13 semitones up from A2) is extremely dangerous for your guitar and string and is not recommended with a standard gauge string. For any string movement exceeding 4 semitones up or down, a different string gauge is strongly advised.
• 4th String (D - D3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The string remains at D3.
• 3rd String (G - G3): Tune down 2 semitones from G3 to F3.
• 2nd String (B - B3): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3.
• 1st String (High E - E4): Tune down 4 semitones from E4 to C4.
  Please note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change. If you frequently use this tuning, considering a slightly heavier string gauge might be beneficial for maintaining optimal tension and intonation.