This distinctive tuning, famously associated with the influential singer-songwriter Nick Drake, provides a rich, resonant, and open soundscape. Known as an 'Open B' or 'BEBEBE' tuning, it is particularly suited for intricate fingerstyle playing, creating atmospheric textures, and crafting melancholic or contemplative melodies.

Verbal Analysis

The 'Nick Drake' BEBEBE tuning is a cornerstone of his unique guitar style, featuring prominently in beloved tracks like 'Northern Sky' (often capoed at the 4th fret, effectively creating a Dsus4 tuning), 'From the Morning' (capoed at the 1st fret for a Csus4 sound), 'Man in a Shed', 'Harvest Breed', 'Fly', 'Time of No Reply', and 'At the Chime of a City Clock'. This tuning creates a drone-like quality, allowing individual notes and arpeggios to ring out with exceptional sustain and clarity. Players will discover that the open strings themselves form an evocative Bsus4 chord (B-E-B-E-B-E), offering an inherent melodic and harmonic ambiguity that lends itself to ethereal and introspective compositions. The repeating pattern of B and E notes across the strings simplifies chord shapes and makes it incredibly intuitive for creating lush, full-bodied sounds with minimal effort.

Technical Analysis

The tuning establishes the following notes from the 6th (lowest) to the 1st (highest) string: B1-E2-B2-E3-B3-E4. This pattern creates a consistent series of Perfect 4th and Perfect 5th intervals: a Perfect 4th between the 6th and 5th strings (B to E), followed by a Perfect 5th between the 5th and 4th strings (E to B), and so on. This alternating interval structure means the open strings form a resonant Bsus4 chord. The inherent symmetry of the BEBEBE pattern makes the tuning highly approachable for creating open chords; a simple barre across any fret will yield a new suspended 4th chord (e.g., barring at the 2nd fret produces a C#sus4, while the 7th fret produces an F#sus4). Furthermore, common chord shapes for B major, E major, or E minor can often be achieved with relatively minor adjustments to standard fingerings, making this tuning versatile for both arpeggiated and strummed chordal work. The deep drops in pitch for the lower strings contribute to the tuning's rich, resonant low end.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Nick Drake' BEBEBE tuning from standard EADGBe, carefully adjust each string as follows:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 5 semitones from E2 to B1. This is a significant drop; consider using a heavier gauge string to maintain optimal tension and tone.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 5 semitones from A2 to E2. This is also a significant drop; a heavier gauge string may be advisable for best performance.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones from D3 to B2.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 3 semitones from G3 to E3.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).

String 6: B1

String 5: E2

String 4: B2

String 3: E3

String 2: B3

String 1: E4