Verbal and Technical Analysis of Nyartholept Tuning

The "Nyartholept" tuning, as described by its creator, emerged organically from an experimental session involving a whammy bar and intonation adjustments, starting from a DADF#BA setup. This often leads to highly personal and expressive tunings that break away from conventional harmonic structures, inviting unique melodic and chordal explorations.

Technical Breakdown (B1 G2 D3 F4# A3 C5#)

This tuning presents a remarkably rich and extended harmonic landscape. The open strings, from low to high, are B1, G2, D3, F4#, A3, C5#. Let's delve into its characteristics:

• The complete set of open notes (B, G, D, F#, A, C#) forms a highly sophisticated chord. Specifically, it can be interpreted as a B minor 6/9 chord (B-D-F#-A for Bm7, with G for the minor 6th and C# for the major 9th). This creates a full, resonant, and somewhat melancholic yet modern open voicing.
• A particularly striking and very useful feature is found on strings 4 through 1 (D3, F4#, A3, C5#), which perfectly outline a D Major 7th arpeggio. This makes open Dmaj7 chords readily available and creates a bright, expansive upper register, offering a strong contrast to the lower, darker strings.
• Considering only strings 6, 5, 4, and 3 (B, G, D, F#), a G Major 7th chord (G-B-D-F#) can be easily voiced. This provides another readily accessible harmonic color, offering a major chord against the dominant B minor character of the full tuning.
• The wide intervals, especially between the 6th and 5th strings (B to G, a minor 6th), offer unique possibilities for drone notes and extended chord shapes not typically found in standard tuning, encouraging creative fingerings.

Chords Within Reach

Beyond the open strings, the unique intervals and clusters in this tuning make certain chords and melodic phrases particularly intuitive and accessible:

• B Minor Voicings: The strong B minor 6/9 foundation means that B minor triads, Bm7, Bm9, and Bm6 chords can be easily moved up and down the neck with consistent fingerings, leveraging the inherent harmonic structure.
• D Major 7 Variants: Given the Dmaj7 arpeggio on the top four strings, various inversions and extensions of D major 7 (or even D Lydian scales) become very intuitive with minimal fretting, making it ideal for lush, open-sounding D major harmonies.
• G Major Voicings: With G as the 5th string, paired with B, D, and F# on other strings, G major, Gmaj7, and G6 chords become relatively accessible, offering a bright counterpart to the B minor tonality.
• This tuning is excellent for exploring open string drones against melodic lines, intricate fingerstyle compositions, or generating rich, complex harmonies in styles ranging from ambient to progressive jazz.

How to Tune to Nyartholept (from Standard EADGBe)

To achieve the Nyartholept tuning, you'll need to adjust your guitar strings as follows. Always use a reliable tuner and proceed carefully.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 5 semitones to B1. (Note: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant change. If you plan to use this tuning regularly, consider using a heavier gauge string for optimal tension and tone.)
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G2.
• String 4 (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to D3.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F4#.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 3 semitones to C5#.

Always re-check your tuning multiple times as string tension changes can affect other strings and require minor adjustments for stability.