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CDEFG Guitar Tuner

CDEFG Close Tuning - Guitar tuning, chords & scales

Description - Close Tuning

I use it to make a nether portal.

Here's a detailed analysis of the provided guitar tuning, dubbed "Close Tuning," suitable for a web page:

Tuning Overview: Close Tuning

This unique 5-string guitar tuning, humorously described by its creator as useful "to make a nether portal," presents a tightly packed, stepwise musical arrangement across its open strings. Departing significantly from standard guitar tunings, it emphasizes a clustered, melodic approach rather than immediate open chord voicings.

Technical Analysis:

  • Instrument Type: Guitar (5-string configuration)
  • Tuning Name: Close Tuning
  • Open Notes: The tuning presents the following notes from the 5th string (lowest) down to the 1st string (highest): C3, D3, E3, F3, G3.
  • Interval Structure: This is a highly distinctive and compact tuning. The open strings form a segment of a C Major scale (C-D-E-F-G). The intervals between adjacent strings are primarily seconds: a whole step (C to D), a whole step (D to E), a half step (E to F), and a whole step (F to G). This stepwise arrangement is highly unusual for a guitar and suggests a focus on melodic lines and rich, often dissonant, voicings rather than traditional harmonic strumming.

Verbal Analysis & Chordal Implications:

"Close Tuning" lives up to its name, with the notes stacked closely together. While it doesn't immediately suggest common open major or minor chords, its structure provides fascinating opportunities for exploration:

  • Melodic Potential: The sequential C-D-E-F-G arrangement makes it exceptionally well-suited for playing scalar runs and arpeggios with minimal left-hand movement across strings. Its tight intervals also lend themselves to creating rich, harmonically dense textures when strummed, akin to a cluster chord or a jazz voicing.
  • Open Chords: Directly, the open strings (C-D-E-F-G) do not form a conventional consonant chord. However, a C Major triad (C-E-G) is readily available by strumming open strings 5, 3, and 1. Other chords would require fretting: an F major triad (F-A-C) could be achieved by fretting string 4 at the 5th fret (A) and using open string 2 (F) and open string 5 (C). A G major triad (G-B-D) would need fretting string 5 at the 7th fret (B) and using open string 4 (D) and open string 1 (G).
  • Unique Voicings: Due to the close proximity of notes, barring a single fret across multiple strings will often produce complex, sometimes dissonant, jazz-like or contemporary voicings. For instance, barring the 2nd fret across all five strings would yield D-E-F#-G-A, a segment of a D Lydian scale.
  • Creative Exploration: This tuning is clearly designed for experimental sounds, much like its "nether portal" inspiration suggests. It invites players to explore non-traditional harmony and melody, finding new sonic landscapes that are difficult to achieve in standard tunings.

How to Tune:

To achieve the "Close Tuning," follow these instructions for each string. Please be mindful of the significant string tension changes for some strings, as indicated:

  • String 5 (Lowest): To reach C3, tune up 3 semitones from its standard pitch. This is a moderate increase in tension.
  • String 4: To reach D3, keep this string as is; no change (0 semitones) from its standard pitch.
  • String 3: To reach E3, tune down 3 semitones from its standard pitch. This is a moderate decrease in tension.
  • String 2: To reach F3, tune down 6 semitones from its standard pitch. Caution: Tuning down 6 semitones (a tritone or augmented fourth/diminished fifth) is a very significant change in tension. A lighter gauge string for this position is strongly advised to maintain playability, prevent excessive floppiness, and ensure proper intonation.
  • String 1 (Highest): To reach G3, tune down 9 semitones from its standard pitch. Extreme Caution: Tuning down 9 semitones (a major sixth) is an extremely substantial change. A significantly lighter gauge string is highly recommended for this position to prevent excessive looseness, buzzing, and to improve overall tone and response.


String 5 (Lowest): C3

String 4: D3

String 3: E3

String 2: F3

String 1 (Highest): G3

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Capos for CDEFG

Capo Tuning Name
0 CDEFG Close Tuning

Scales for CDEFG

A A# B C C# D

Songs tuned to CDEFG

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