The "Kottke Across The Street" tuning is a distinctive and deeply resonant setup utilized by the legendary Leo Kottke for his piece "Across The Street" from the album "Standing In My Shoes". This tuning, renowned for its unique sonic landscape, showcases Kottke's innovative approach to the guitar, moving far beyond conventional open tunings to create rich, complex textures and harmonies.

Technical Analysis

This tuning presents a fascinating array of intervals, particularly in its lower register. Starting from the lowest string, the open notes are A#2, G2, D3, G3, B3, E4. The core of the tuning, particularly strings 5 through 1 (G2 D3 G3 B3 E4), strongly outlines a G6 chord. Specifically, the D-G-B (strings 4-3-2) forms a clear G major triad, while the G-B-E (strings 3-2-1) adds the 6th, completing the G6 voicing.

The true character of this tuning emerges with the lowest string tuned to A#2. This note sits a minor third below the G2 of the 5th string, creating a rich, somewhat dissonant or dramatically resonant foundation over the G6 chord. This configuration hints at an A#maj7#11 or a complex modal harmony, characteristic of Kottke's intricate fingerstyle compositions, allowing for deep drones, walking bass lines, and surprising harmonic shifts. While not a simple 'open chord' tuning in the traditional sense, the strong G6 voicing on the upper strings makes it relatively easy to find harmonically related chords by barring across the fretboard on these strings, immediately yielding X6 chords (e.g., a barre at the 1st fret would give a G#6 chord, while a barre at the 3rd fret would yield an A#6 chord).

How to Tune

To achieve the "Kottke Across The Street" tuning from standard E Standard tuning, follow these precise adjustments:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 6 semitones to A#2. This is a substantial drop from the standard E2. For optimal playability and intonation, especially with such a significant decrease in tension, using a heavier gauge string for your low E is highly recommended.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G2.
• 4th String (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) - remains D3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) - remains G3.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) - remains B3.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) - remains E4.

Always tune carefully and ensure your guitar's intonation is checked after significant tuning changes, especially when dropping string tension as much as this tuning requires on the lowest string.

Here are the specific notes for each string in the "Kottke Across The Street" tuning, from lowest (6th string) to highest (1st string):

6th String: A#2
5th String: G2
4th String: D3
3rd String: G3
2nd String: B3
1st String: E4