The 'cockmangler' tuning is a truly aggressive and unconventional setup for the guitar, explicitly designed for "punk fun and spanish hardcore contexts." It features extremely low-pitched strings and highly unusual, often inverted, intervals between strings. This isn't a tuning for sweet melodies or traditional chord progressions; it's built for raw power, dissonance, and a sound that will hit you right in the gut. Expect thick, muddy riffs, jarring chord voicings, and an overall sonic assault that perfectly fits its provocative name.

Technical Analysis

Instrument: Guitar
Overall Pitch: This tuning plunges several strings into very low registers, with the lowest two strings (String 6: A#2, String 5: F2) forming a profoundly dark and rumbling foundation. Notably, String 5 (F2) is pitched lower than String 6 (A#2) by 6 semitones, an inverted relationship that is technically challenging and highly unconventional for standard guitar string sets.

Intervals (from low to high strings):

• String 6 (A#2)
• String 5 (F2): A descending tritone from String 6 (A#2), creating significant dissonance.
• String 4 (C#4): A massive jump up from F2 (15 semitones, equivalent to an octave and a major third).
• String 3 (F3): A significant drop from C#4 (-7 semitones), another inversion.
• String 2 (A#4): A huge jump from F3 (18 semitones, or an octave and a tritone).
• String 1 (D#5): A perfect fourth up from A#4 (+5 semitones).

Chords and Playability

Open Chords: An open strum will yield a powerful, dissonant chord, likely best suited for percussive, aggressive textures rather than melodic harmony. The lowest two strings (A#2, F2) produce a tritone, a hallmark of heavy and unsettling music.
Power Chords: The extremely low pitch of the bottom strings allows for incredibly heavy, guttural power chords, particularly on strings 6 and 5. The inverted nature of String 5 relative to String 6 will require re-thinking standard power chord fingerings on these strings.
Shapes: Due to the wild intervals and inverted string order, traditional chord shapes will be largely unusable. Players will need to discover new, unique voicings and shapes, especially when incorporating the open strings. The wide spacing between F2 and C#4, and F3 and A#4, offers opportunities for large, spread out arpeggios or single-note lines with drastic register changes. This tuning encourages experimentation and breaking free from conventional guitar playing.

How to Tune

Achieving the 'cockmangler' tuning requires careful adjustment of your string tension. Note that some of these movements are significant, and for strings with extreme changes (more than 4 semitones up or down), a different string gauge is strongly advised to maintain playability and prevent string breakage or excessive floppiness.

• String 6 (Low E string): Tune down 6 semitones to A#2. Caution: This is a very significant drop. Consider a heavier gauge string for this pitch.
• String 5 (A string): Tune down 4 semitones to F2. Caution: This is a substantial drop. A heavier gauge string may be beneficial.
• String 4 (D string): Tune down 1 semitone to C#4.
• String 3 (G string): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• String 2 (B string): Tune down 1 semitone to A#4.
• String 1 (High E string): Tune down 1 semitone to D#5.

String 6: A#2 (A sharp in the 2nd octave)

String 5: F2 (F in the 2nd octave)

String 4: C#4 (C sharp in the 4th octave)

String 3: F3 (F in the 3rd octave)

String 2: A#4 (A sharp in the 4th octave)

String 1: D#5 (D sharp in the 5th octave)