Verbal & Technical Analysis

This unique tuning, aptly named "Open Bsus2 Tuning" by its creator, emerges from a journey of musical exploration, moving from a Hawaiian slack-key base to this distinct sound. It's currently being used to produce an Indie album, hinting at its potential for atmospheric, open, and evocative soundscapes. The tuning centers around the Bsus2 chord, offering a rich harmonic foundation right from the open strings.

Technically, the open strings are tuned to B1, F3#, C4#, F4#, B3, and C5#. When played together, these notes explicitly form a Bsus2 chord (B - C# - F#) across multiple octaves, with the root B (strings 6 & 2), the suspended second C# (strings 4 & 1), and the perfect fifth F# (strings 5 & 3) all present. This configuration immediately provides a full, yet open and slightly unresolved, harmonic texture. The presence of two B's, two F#'s, and two C#'s across different octaves adds depth and resonance to the sound, creating a wide, lush soundscape.

This tuning is highly conducive to creating rich, resonant chords with minimal effort. Simply strumming the open strings yields a full Bsus2. Barre chords, when applied, will naturally produce Sus2 chords up and down the neck (e.g., a barre at the first fret would yield a Csus2, at the second a C#sus2, and so on). The broad range, from the very low B1 on the 6th string to the high C5# on the 1st string, allows for expansive melodic and harmonic possibilities. Its open, ethereal quality makes it particularly suitable for genres like indie, folk, ambient, and cinematic music, where a sense of space and unresolution is often desired.

How to Tune

To achieve the "Open Bsus2 Tuning" from standard E Standard tuning, follow these specific string adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 5 semitones to B1. Note: This is a significant drop from standard E. If your guitar is typically set up for standard tuning, you may want to consider a heavier gauge string for this position to maintain tension and intonation, or proceed with caution.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F3#.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone to C4#.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F4#.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). It remains B3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 3 semitones to C5#.

As a general precaution, when tuning strings up or down by more than 4 semitones (as with String 6 in this tuning), it is advisable to consider a different string gauge to avoid undue stress on the string or guitar, and to ensure optimal playability and tone.

String 6 (Low E): B1

String 5 (A): F3#

String 4 (D): C4#

String 3 (G): F4#

String 2 (B): B3

String 1 (High E): C5#