The CEBEBE tuning, as its name suggests, creates a distinctive and resonant soundscape, moving far beyond standard guitar voicings. This tuning invites exploration with its rich harmonic possibilities and open, ringing quality. It's particularly well-suited for ambient music, fingerstyle arrangements, and genres that benefit from unique, sustained chords and arpeggios.

Technically, the open strings form a C Major 7 chord without the 5th (C-E-B-E-B-E). This provides an immediate, lush harmonic foundation that is both bright and full. The presence of repeated E and B notes across the strings allows for natural drones and harmonic sympathetic resonances, giving the tuning a shimmering, almost ethereal quality. The low C provides a deep, anchoring bass note, while the higher E and B strings create a sparkling upper register. This configuration also makes it relatively easy to find inversions of C Major 7, E Major, and B Minor/Major chords with minimal fretting, especially on the top three or four strings. Its unique interval structure encourages creative chord shapes and voicings that are difficult or impossible to achieve in standard tuning.

Important Tuning Note: Please exercise extreme caution when tuning the 5th string (A string) up 7 semitones to E. This is a significant increase in tension, and for optimal playability and to prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument, it is strongly recommended to use a lighter gauge string for this position, or to consult a professional luthier.

Here are the notes for the CEBEBE tuning:

• String 6 (Low E): C2
• String 5 (A): E3
• String 4 (D): B2
• String 3 (G): E3
• String 2 (B): B3
• String 1 (High E): E4

How to Tune

Follow these instructions carefully to tune your guitar to CEBEBE:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from its standard E2 to C2.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 7 semitones from its standard A2 to E3. Caution: This is a large jump in tension. Consider using a lighter gauge string for this position.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones from its standard D3 to B2.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 3 semitones from its standard G3 to E3.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from its standard B3.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from its standard E4.