The Zig Zag Tuning: A Deep Dive

The "Zig Zag" tuning, as its name suggests, is an extraordinarily low and highly unconventional setup designed for a 9-string guitar. This tuning breaks away from traditional guitar voicings, offering a vast sonic landscape that leans heavily into experimental and heavy music genres. The creator describes it as "low and ziggizaggi," a "fun tuning to play with," which perfectly encapsulates its exploratory nature.

Verbal Analysis

This is a tuning for the adventurous guitarist seeking to push the boundaries of their instrument. With its lowest string hitting an incredibly deep C0, it delves into frequencies often reserved for bass guitars or synthesizers, providing a formidable sonic foundation. The "zig-zag" aspect refers to the highly irregular and wide intervals between adjacent strings, which leap both up and down across multiple octaves. This design makes it challenging for conventional chording, instead encouraging single-note lines, drones, dissonant clusters, or wide, arpeggiated voicings that exploit the extreme range. It's likely to appeal to players in genres like ambient metal, progressive death metal, drone, or industrial music, where unique textures and immense low-end presence are paramount.

Technical Analysis

The "Zig Zag" tuning for a 9-string guitar is set as follows, from the lowest (string 9) to the highest (string 1): C0 - F#1 - A#1 - E1 - G#2 - D2 - F#3 - B2 - D#4.

• Extreme Low End: The C0 on the 9th string is exceptionally low, providing sub-harmonic resonance that will require specific amplification and potentially a low-tuned speaker setup to fully appreciate.
• Wide Pitch Range: The tuning spans an impressive range of over four octaves, from C0 to D#4, offering a very broad palette for melodic and textural exploration.
• Irregular Intervals: The intervals between adjacent strings are highly inconsistent and large:
• C0 to F#1: Augmented Fourth (+6 semitones)
• F#1 to A#1: Minor Third (+3 semitones)
• A#1 to E1: Diminished Fifth (down -6 semitones)
• E1 to G#2: Octave + Major Third (+15 semitones)
• G#2 to D2: Minor Sixth (down -8 semitones)
• D2 to F#3: Octave + Major Third (+15 semitones)
• F#3 to B2: Minor Sixth (down -9 semitones)
• B2 to D#4: Octave + Major Third (+15 semitones)

This extreme irregularity means standard chord shapes are virtually impossible to transpose or play. Open string chords are also very limited:

• Open String Notes: The open strings contain a collection of notes (C, D, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B) that, while chromatically rich across the entire instrument, do not form simple, conventional triads or seventh chords when played across adjacent strings.
• Chordal Approach: Players will likely find themselves building chords from individual notes or experimenting with two-note intervals and wide, dissonant voicings. The "zig-zag" nature might inspire unique melodic patterns or arpeggiated figures that leverage the drastic pitch shifts. Power chords on adjacent strings are generally not present due to the lack of perfect fifths or fourths.

This tuning is an invitation to explore sound purely for its textural and timbral qualities, rather than its harmonic simplicity.

Tuning Notes Overview

• String 9 (Lowest): C0
• String 8: F1#
• String 7: A1#
• String 6: E1
• String 5: G2#
• String 4: D2
• String 3: F3#
• String 2: B2
• String 1 (Highest): D4#

How to Tune Your Guitar for "Zig Zag"

Achieving the "Zig Zag" tuning requires significant adjustments from a standard guitar setup. Please read carefully and proceed with caution. Given the extreme string movements, especially tuning down by more than four semitones, it is highly recommended to use a different gauge string set specifically designed for ultra-low tunings to ensure proper tension, intonation, and to prevent damage to your guitar.

• String 9 (Lowest): Tune down 13 semitones to C0. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 8: Tune down 12 semitones to F1#. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 7: Tune down 13 semitones to A1#. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 6: Tune down 12 semitones to E1. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 5: Tune down 13 semitones to G2#. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 4: Tune down 12 semitones to D2. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 3: Tune down 13 semitones to F3#. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 2: Tune down 12 semitones to B2. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 1 (Highest): Tune down 13 semitones to D4#. (This is an extreme drop; a thicker gauge string is strongly advised.)

Remember that extreme tuning changes like these may also require adjustments to your guitar's truss rod and bridge for optimal playability and intonation.