Verbal Analysis: The Resonant Monolith

"All C Tuning" is a truly unique and immensely powerful setup for a 7-string guitar. As its name suggests, every string is tuned to a C note, though beautifully spread across four different octaves. This creates an incredibly dark, deep, and harmonically dense soundscape that immediately commands attention. Players will discover an unparalleled sense of power and sustain, particularly on the lower strings, which resonate with an almost orchestral depth. The consistent C across all strings makes for a drone-like foundation when strummed open, providing a vast and uniform harmonic canvas ideal for experimental genres, ambient soundscapes, or any style demanding massive low-end impact and a unified sonic texture.

This tuning is particularly well-suited for genres like doom metal, drone, or progressive metal, where thick, monolithic riffs are paramount. While it simplifies some aspects of playing—allowing for massive, single-finger barres across all strings to produce C chords or their derivatives—it also necessitates a complete re-thinking of traditional chord shapes and scalar patterns. It encourages exploration of vertical harmony and rich, resonant textures rather than conventional voicings.

Technical Analysis: Unison of C's

This is a radical re-tuning for a 7-string Guitar, transforming the instrument into a resonant monolith of 'C' notes. The open strings are tuned to C1, C2, C2, C3, C3, C3, and C4, from the lowest 7th string to the highest 1st string. This arrangement results in a massive C chord when all open strings are played, spanning four octaves and providing an exceptionally rich harmonic foundation. The tuning eliminates typical intervallic relationships between open strings found in standard tunings, as every open string is a root note, making the identification of the tonic immediate and unambiguous.

Traditional open chord shapes are largely irrelevant or radically re-imagined in this tuning. Instead, its strength lies in the creation of enormous, thick-sounding drone chords and riffs where the sheer resonance of the 'C' is paramount. The tuning's uniformity also allows for easy, wide-spanning barres to create full, dense chords; simply barring any fret across all strings will produce a chord based on that fretted note (e.g., barring the 5th fret across all strings yields an F chord across multiple octaves).

As explicitly stated in the tuning's original description, this setup requires a heavy gauge string for the low C, specifically the C1 on the 7th string. This is not merely a recommendation but a necessity due to the extreme slack required to reach such a low pitch on a standard scale length. The significant drop in tension on most strings means that precise intonation and potential string buzz might require careful attention and possibly a professional setup.

Chords & Shapes within Reach:

• Open C Chord: Strumming all strings open produces a truly massive C chord across four octaves (C1-C2-C2-C3-C3-C3-C4), offering a deeply resonant and powerful sonic foundation.
• Universal Barres: Due to all open strings being 'C's, a single finger barring any fret across all (or multiple) strings will instantly create a full, dense chord of that fretted note. For example, barring the 3rd fret across all strings generates a powerful E-flat chord. This simplifies the creation of wide, impactful voicings.
• Octave & Unison Melodies: The deliberate repetition of C notes at different octaves (C2, C3, C4) makes crafting unison or octave melodies across different strings exceptionally straightforward, providing a rich, layered sound.
• Simplified Power Chords: While not "open," power chords become extremely intuitive. Any two adjacent strings fretted at the same position will form an interval, and with the consistent root, finding fifths and octaves becomes a matter of knowing the C scale.
• This tuning encourages a compositional approach that prioritizes vertical density, resonant drones, and powerful unisons over traditional diatonic chord shapes.

How to Tune to All C Tuning (from B-E-A-D-G-B-E Standard 7-String)

This tuning requires significant adjustments from a standard 7-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), with most strings dropping by a considerable number of semitones. Due to the extreme nature of some of these drops, particularly on the lowest strings, a heavier gauge string set is highly recommended for optimal performance and to maintain proper tension and intonation. As a general guideline, tuning more than 4 semitones up or down often warrants a change in string gauge to prevent damage, improve playability, and ensure stable tuning.

• 7th String (Lowest): From B1, Tune down 11 semitones to C1. (This is almost a full octave down; a very heavy gauge string is essential here to prevent excessive slack and maintain intonation.)
• 6th String: From E2, Tune down 4 semitones to C2. (This is a significant drop; consider a heavier gauge string.)
• 5th String: From A2, Tune down 9 semitones to C2. (This is a very substantial drop; a much heavier gauge string is strongly advised for stability.)
• 4th String: From D3, Tune down 2 semitones to C3. (A moderate drop.)
• 3rd String: From G3, Tune down 7 semitones to C3. (Another substantial drop; a heavier gauge string is advised.)
• 2nd String: From B3, Tune down 11 semitones to C3. (Another near-octave drop; a much heavier gauge string is strongly advised for playability and tension.)
• 1st String (Highest): From E4, Tune down 4 semitones to C4. (A significant drop; consider a heavier gauge string.)