Tuning Analysis: Open Csus4 Fingerstyle & Slide

This unique tuning, originally created for acoustic fingerstyle and slide guitar, transforms the standard guitar into a deeply resonant and harmonically rich instrument. It’s an innovative Open Csus4 tuning, meaning that when strummed open, all strings produce the notes of a Csus4 chord, giving it a characteristic open, suspended sound.

Verbal Analysis

The Open Csus4 tuning immediately evokes a sense of spaciousness and introspection. The prevalence of the perfect fourth (F) and perfect fifth (G) over the major third creates a sound that is neither overtly happy nor sad, but rather contemplative and expansive. This makes it particularly well-suited for ambient soundscapes, folk, and blues, especially with a slide. The creator’s intent for fingerstyle is clearly supported by the open resonance and the strong fundamental Csus4 chord, allowing for rich arpeggios and drone-like textures. The doubled Cs and Fs across the register ensure a full, ringing sound.

Technical Analysis

The tuning notes are C2-F2-C3-G3-C4-F4 (low to high). When strummed open, these notes collectively form a Csus4 chord (C, F, G). The root C is present on strings 6, 4, and 2, while the suspended fourth (F) is on strings 5 and 1, and the perfect fifth (G) is on string 3. This distribution creates a powerful and harmonically complete open voicing of Csus4.

• Open Chords: The most obvious open chord is the Csus4 itself. By simply barring across a fret, you can achieve other suspended chords (e.g., barring at the 2nd fret would yield a Dsus4).
• Slide Potential: This tuning is exceptionally slide-friendly. The perfect fifth (C-G) on strings 4 and 3, and the perfect fourths (C-F, G-C, C-F) on other adjacent strings, create natural intervals for melodic slide playing. Moving the slide up and down the neck will easily produce various Csus4-based chords, making it intuitive for this style.
• Chord Shapes: While traditional chord shapes will need to be re-learned, the consistency of the Csus4 voicing allows for simple, powerful voicings. For example, pressing down the 1st string at the 1st fret (F#) while leaving others open, would introduce an interesting dissonant quality. Fret the 2nd string at the 1st fret (C#) and you get an open Csus4 with a sharpened root. To achieve a C major, you would need to find the E notes, for example, by fretting the 5th string at the 5th fret (A) or the 3rd string at the 4th fret (B). Alternatively, to achieve a C major sound, you could fret the 1st string at the 5th fret (A) and 2nd string at the 4th fret (E) but this loses the open tuning sound. The beauty of this tuning lies in embracing its unique harmonic possibilities rather than forcing standard shapes.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Csus4 tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these string movements. Please exercise caution when adjusting string tension, especially for larger movements.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from E2 to C2. Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change. If your guitar is not accustomed to lower tunings, a different gauge string may be advisable.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 4 semitones from A2 to F2. Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change. If your guitar is not accustomed to lower tunings, a different gauge string may be advisable.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3.
• String 3 (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from G3 to G3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitone from B3 to C4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 1 semitone from E4 to F4.

Here are the target notes for each string in this tuning:

String 6: C2
String 5: F2
String 4: C3
String 3: G3
String 2: C4
String 1: F4