Welcome to a profound exploration of sound with The Open Drone C, a tuning designed for the adventurous guitarist. Drawing its technical roots from the original moniker, Cmaj13sus2(#11), this setup transforms your guitar into a canvas for creating incredibly extended harmonies, lush soundscapes, and resonant drones. It’s particularly suited for ambient, progressive, jazz fusion, or experimental genres where unique textures and sustained, evolving chords are paramount.

Technical Analysis

This is a custom tuning for a standard 6-string Guitar. The open notes are:

• String 6 (low E): C2
• String 5 (A): F#3
• String 4 (D): D3
• String 3 (G): G3
• String 2 (B): A3
• String 1 (high E): B3

At its core, this tuning establishes C as the foundational root. However, its true character emerges from the rich tapestry of intervals above this C. We find a Major 7th (B on string 1), a 9th (D on string 4), a 13th (A on string 2), and a striking #11 (F# on string 5). The presence of the F# creates a strong tritone relationship with the root C, immediately lending a distinct, sophisticated tension that diverges from conventional diatonic harmony. The overall effect is a highly complex, yet surprisingly resonant, open sonority. It doesn't form a simple, easily categorised open chord, but rather a rich, extended harmonic cluster that invites deep textural exploration.

Open Chords & Harmonic Potential

The open tuning itself presents a Cmaj13(#11) voicing without a natural 3rd (E), leaning into the 'sus' quality implied by the original name. This absence of a clear major/minor third at the lower end keeps the harmony open and ambiguous, ideal for building lush, evolving chord structures or for sustained drone work where the individual notes can ring out and interweave. The D3, G3, A3, and B3 on the middle to high strings (4, 3, 2, 1) are relatively close in pitch, allowing for the creation of intricate fingerstyle patterns, melodic clusters, or dense voicings with minimal fretting. The expansive range, from the low C2 to the relatively high B3, provides a broad sonic palette for diverse musical ideas.

How to Tune

To achieve this unique tuning, follow these precise string movements from standard E Standard tuning:

• String 6 (E): Tune down 4 semitones from E to C2. Care should be taken when making this adjustment, as it is a significant drop.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones from A to F#3.
• String 4 (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). This string remains at D3.
• String 3 (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). This string remains at G3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B to A3.
• String 1 (E): Tune down 5 semitones from E to B3. For this significant drop, a different gauge string is advised to ensure optimal performance, intonation, and string life.