The Open E minor tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant instrument, ideal for slide, blues, and droning textures. As the name suggests and the tuning description indicates, it's "Similar to open Gm but in Em, same intervals apply", providing a distinct minor tonality right from the open strings. This tuning makes playing minor chords incredibly intuitive across the fretboard.

Verbal Analysis

With its open E minor chord, this tuning offers a rich, melancholic, and full sound. It's particularly favored by blues and folk musicians for its drone capabilities and ease of creating slide guitar melodies. Simply barring across any fret will instantly give you a new minor chord (e.g., barring at the first fret yields F minor, at the second fret, F# minor, and so on). This accessibility makes it a powerful tool for songwriting and improvisation, allowing for quick key changes and expressive playing.

Technical Analysis

The open strings are tuned to B1-E2-B2-E3-G3-B3 (low to high). When strummed open, these notes form an E minor triad (E-G-B) with a B in the bass. This can be technically described as an Em/B chord. The interval structure from the lowest B string is: Root (B), Perfect 4th (E), Octave (B), Perfect 11th (E), Minor 6th (G), and Perfect 15th (B). This consistent minor tonality across the strings makes it very easy to generate minor chords by simply using a single-finger barre across all strings at any fret. For example, barring at the 5th fret produces an Am/E chord.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open E minor tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string movements. Please note that significant changes (tuning down 4 semitones or more) might require a different gauge string for optimal tension and tone, and to prevent string breakage.

• Low E String (6th): Tune down 5 semitones from E2 to B1. This is a substantial drop, so proceed with care, and a heavier gauge string is advised for sustained use.
• A String (5th): Tune down 5 semitones from A2 to E2. Another significant decrease in tension; a heavier gauge string is advised.
• D String (4th): Tune down 3 semitones from D3 to B2.
• G String (3rd): Tune down 3 semitones from G3 to E3.
• B String (2nd): Tune down 4 semitones from B3 to G3. Tuning down 4 semitones is at the limit for standard gauges; consider an alternative gauge if you plan to keep this tuning for extended periods.
• High E String (1st): Tune down 5 semitones from E4 to B3. This is a substantial drop; a heavier gauge string is advised.

String 6 (Low E): Tuned to B1

String 5 (A): Tuned to E2

String 4 (D): Tuned to B2

String 3 (G): Tuned to E3

String 2 (B): Tuned to G3

String 1 (High E): Tuned to B3