This is the unique "King Gizzard FMB tuning," famously employed by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on their album "Flying Microtonal Banana." While the original album delves into microtonal scales, the specified notes here use standard Western chromatic pitches, offering a gateway into their sonic world.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning is a radical departure from standard EADGBe, creating a soundscape that is both deep and distinctly dissonant. The open strings C2 F#3 C3 F#4 B3 E4 immediately strike with a powerful tritone (C to F#) at its core, repeated across octaves. This gives the tuning an exotic, almost Eastern, or psychedelic flavor, perfect for atmospheric textures, drones, and adventurous melodic exploration. The significant drop in pitch for the lower strings provides a weighty foundation, while the unaltered higher B and E strings offer some familiarity for lead lines.

Technical Analysis

• Open Notes: C2, F#3, C3, F#4, B3, E4.
• Root Tones: The tuning is heavily rooted around C and F# due to their repetition and prominence.
• Open Chord: When strummed open, the tuning produces a C-F#-C-F#-B-E voicing. Interpreting C as the root, this chord contains C (root), E (major 3rd), F# (augmented 4th/tritone), B (major 7th), making it akin to a Cmaj7#11 or Cmaj7b5. This inherently dissonant quality is central to the tuning's character.
• Unconventional String Order: A notable feature is the non-linear pitch progression between strings. For instance, the 5th string (F#3) is higher in pitch than the 4th string (C3), and the 3rd string (F#4) is higher than the 2nd string (B3). This creates unique intervallic relationships that challenge traditional chord shapes and encourages innovative fingerings.
• Chords & Playability: Standard chord voicings will be largely unavailable or significantly altered. This tuning is ideal for exploring drone-based compositions, slide guitar, or crafting unique single-note melodies and arpeggios that leverage the open string harmonies. Chords formed by barring across frets will produce rich, dissonant clusters based on the C-F# relationship. Keys centered around C, F#, or related modal sounds will naturally emerge.

How to Tune

To achieve the King Gizzard FMB tuning, you will need to adjust most of your guitar's strings significantly from standard EADGBe. Please tune carefully and consider string gauge recommendations for extreme drops in pitch.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones to C2. Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant drop. A heavier gauge string may be advisable to maintain tension and tone.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones to C3.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (B3).
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (E4).

String 6: C2 (The lowest string, tuned to a deep C)

String 5: F#3 (Tuned to F sharp in the mid-range)

String 4: C3 (A mid-range C, an octave higher than the 6th string)

String 3: F#4 (A high F sharp, an octave higher than the 5th string)

String 2: B3 (The standard B string pitch)

String 1: E4 (The standard high E string pitch)