Tuning Overview: Bedtime

As the name "Bedtime" suggests, this tuning conjures a mellow, perhaps ambient and contemplative soundscape. The original description "A tuning to send you off to lala land" truly captures its essence, leaning towards a dreamy and resonant quality. It's a non-standard tuning that offers a unique sonic palette, far removed from conventional open chords, encouraging exploration and creating rich, sustained textures.

Technical Analysis

The Bedtime tuning sets the open strings to B1 E2 D3 B3 E4 D4, from low to high. This creates a deeply resonant sound with a wide range, spanning almost three octaves from the lowest B1 to the highest D4.

• Low End Depth: The 6th string is dropped significantly to B1, providing an exceptionally deep and foundational bass note, contrasting with the standard E2.
• Repeated Notes: This tuning features two B notes (B1, B3), two E notes (E2, E4), and two D notes (D3, D4). This repetition across different octaves adds significant harmonic richness, sustain, and potential for drone effects.
• Interval Structure: While not a straightforward open chord, the tuning showcases interesting intervallic relationships:
  • String 6 (B1) to String 5 (E2): A Perfect 4th.
  • String 5 (E2) to String 4 (D3): A Major 2nd (or Minor 7th down).
  • String 4 (D3) to String 3 (B3): A Perfect 4th.
  • String 3 (B3) to String 2 (E4): A Perfect 4th.
  • String 2 (E4) to String 1 (D4): A Major 2nd (or Minor 7th down).
• The presence of three Perfect 4ths (B-E, D-B, B-E) makes certain chord shapes, particularly suspended and power chords, very accessible and consistent across these string groups. The two Major 2nd intervals (E-D) introduce a slightly dissonant, yet mellow and often atmospheric quality.

Potential Open Chords & Shapes

The open strings (B, E, D, B, E, D) collectively form an open B minor 11th chord without the 5th (F#), 7th (A), and 9th (C#). Specifically, it highlights the B, D, E notes, suggesting a Bsus2/4 or a Bm11 fragment. This creates a deeply resonant, somewhat melancholic, yet ethereal open sound perfect for ambient textures, fingerstyle arpeggios, and drone-based music.

• Barre Chords: Due to the consistent Perfect 4th intervals and the repeated B-E-D structure, barring across all strings at any fret will yield movable minor 11th-like voicings. For example, a 1st fret barre would create a C minor 11th-like chord (C-F-Eb-C-F-Eb), and a 2nd fret barre would give C# minor 11th-like (C#-F#-E-C#-F#-E). This provides a straightforward way to transpose the tuning's fundamental character.
• Drone Capabilities: The low B1 and the repeated E and D notes make this tuning ideal for creating rich, sustained drones, particularly when coupled with open string playing.
• Ambient Textures: The inherent "Bedtime" quality makes it suitable for soundscapes, atmospheric pieces, and music that requires a soft, unfolding character rather than sharp, defined chords.

How to Tune

To achieve the Bedtime tuning from standard E Standard (E A D G B E), follow these string movements. Please pay close attention to the number of semitones, as some changes are significant.

• String 6 (Low E to B1): Tune down 5 semitones. This is a substantial drop from E2 to B1. For optimal tension and tone, a heavier gauge string is strongly advised to prevent floppiness.
• String 5 (A to E2): Tune down 5 semitones. Similar to the 6th string, this is a significant drop from A2 to E2. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised here as well.
• String 4 (D to D3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Your D string remains at D3.
• String 3 (G to B3): Tune up 4 semitones. This is a considerable rise from G3 to B3. Exercise caution, and for sustained use, a lighter gauge string might be beneficial to prevent breakage and excessive tension.
• String 2 (B to E4): Tune up 5 semitones. This is a very significant increase from B3 to E4. A lighter gauge string is strongly advised to avoid excessive tension and potential string snapping.
• String 1 (High E to D4): Tune down 2 semitones. This is a moderate drop from E4 to D4.

Important Note on String Gauges: Due to the extreme changes in pitch for strings 6, 5, 3, and 2, considering a custom string set or a different gauge is highly recommended to ensure proper string tension, intonation, and to prevent string breakage, especially for the strings being tuned significantly up.

Open String Notes:

• String 6: B1 (Lowest string, deepest note)
• String 5: E2
• String 4: D3
• String 3: B3
• String 2: E4
• String 1: D4 (Highest string)