Verbal Analysis: The Sound of 'Comintern'

The 'Comintern' tuning for the Guitar is an extremely low and wide-ranging setup, perfect for avant-garde, noise, or post-hardcore projects as described by its creator. With all strings tuned significantly down from standard, it offers a deeply resonant, almost guttural sonic landscape. The lowest note, B1, plunges well below the standard low E, providing a tremendous amount of low-end rumble and power. This tuning lends itself to open, droning chords and dissonant textures, creating an expansive and somewhat unsettling harmonic canvas. The combination of B's, F#'s, E, and A suggests a blend of power and ambiguity, allowing for heavy, impactful riffs as well as complex, ethereal soundscapes.

Technical Analysis: Unpacking the Voicing

This is a heavily dropped tuning, with all six strings tuned down between 5 and 8 semitones from standard EADGBe. The open notes are B1-E2-F#3-B2-F#4-A3 (low to high). Let's reorder them by pitch for clarity: B1, E2, B2, F#3, A3, F#4.

Observing the intervals from the lowest string (B1):

• String 6 (B1): Root
• String 5 (E2): Perfect 4th above B1
• String 4 (F#3): Perfect 5th above B2 (or a compound Perfect 12th above B1)
• String 3 (B2): Octave above B1
• String 2 (F#4): Octave above F#3 (or a compound Perfect 19th above B1)
• String 1 (A3): Minor 3rd below F#4 (or a minor 7th above B2, or a compound minor 14th above B1)

The open tuning itself forms a complex chord: B-E-B-F#-F#-A. This can be interpreted as a B Minor 7th Sus 4 or B Sus 2/4 (add b7). The presence of two B's and two F#'s creates a strong foundation for power chords (B5, F#5) across the neck. The E2 and A3 provide color and tension against the B and F#, allowing for both thick, sustained drones and cutting dissonances. Due to the wide intervals and multiple octaves of B and F#, chord shapes will take on unique voicings, and the overall feel will be very expansive and resonant.

Notes Description

The 'Comintern' tuning sets your guitar strings to the following notes:

• String 6 (Low E equivalent): B1
• String 5 (A equivalent): E2
• String 4 (D equivalent): F#3
• String 3 (G equivalent): B2
• String 2 (B equivalent): F#4
• String 1 (High E equivalent): A3

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Comintern' tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps:

• String 6 (Low E to B1): Tune down 5 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant drop; a heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension and tone.
• String 5 (A to E2): Tune down 5 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant drop; a heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension and tone.
• String 4 (D to F#3): Tune down 8 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 8 semitones is a substantial change; a significantly heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string to maintain playability and tone.
• String 3 (G to B2): Tune down 8 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 8 semitones is a substantial change; a significantly heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string to maintain playability and tone.
• String 2 (B to F#4): Tune down 5 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant drop; a heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension and tone.
• String 1 (High E to A3): Tune down 7 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 7 semitones is a substantial change; a heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string to maintain playability and tone.