Tuning Overview: Cedris 2

The "Cedris 2" tuning offers a unique and rich sonic landscape, particularly well-suited for both nuanced fingerstyle compositions and dynamic electric guitar work, as suggested by its creator. This tuning significantly drops the lower strings, creating a deep and resonant foundation that can inspire new melodic and harmonic ideas.

Verbal Analysis

Cedris 2 plunges the guitar into a lower, darker register, moving away from standard tuning to unlock new tonal possibilities. The substantial drop in the 6th and 5th strings provides a powerful, almost baritone-like depth, ideal for creating drones, expansive soundscapes, and driving riffs. The relative stability of the middle strings (D and G) and the unchanged high E offers familiar anchor points amidst the altered low end and the slightly lowered B string (now A). This creates a blend of comfort and exploration, encouraging players to discover fresh voicings and textures. Its open and resonant nature makes it particularly rewarding for fingerstyle, allowing individual notes to ring with clarity, while the slacker string tension on the lower strings could also facilitate big bends and expressive playing for electric guitarists, adding a distinct character to solos and power chords.

Technical Analysis

This tuning transforms the guitar's open notes to C2-E2-D3-G3-A3-E4 (from low to high). The most striking feature is the low C on the 6th string and E on the 5th string, forming a powerful major third interval at the lowest register. When played open, the 6th, 5th, and 3rd strings (C2, E2, G3) directly form a clear and ringing C Major triad. This immediately provides a strong harmonic foundation for compositions in C major or related keys, allowing for rich, full-bodied open chords. The middle strings (D3, G3, A3) also form a Dsus4 chord, offering a suspended, open quality that can lead to interesting melodic resolutions or drone effects. While the tuning offers immediate access to these open chords, its unique intervallic structure (major third from C2 to E2, minor second from E2 to D3 (octave displaced), perfect fourth from D3 to G3, major second from G3 to A3, and perfect fifth from A3 to E4) will necessitate rethinking standard chord shapes. However, many common fingerings can be adapted, and the open C major and Dsus4 offer convenient starting points for building complex harmonies and melodies. The overall arrangement of notes lends itself to resonant voicings and a wide dynamic range, favoring open, droning sounds and easy access to lower register power chords.

Open String Notes

The open strings for Cedris 2 tuning are set as follows (from lowest to highest pitch):

• 6th String: C2
• 5th String: E2
• 4th String: D3
• 3rd String: G3
• 2nd String: A3
• 1st String: E4

How to Tune (from Standard E)

To achieve the Cedris 2 tuning from standard E-A-D-G-B-E, please follow these instructions carefully. Pay attention to the semitone changes, especially for the lower strings:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones to C2. This is a significant drop; exercise caution as tuning down 4 semitones or more may affect string tension and intonation.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 5 semitones to E2. For this substantial drop, a heavier gauge string is strongly advised to maintain optimal playability, string integrity, and proper intonation.
• 4th String (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Remains D3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Remains G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Remains E4.