The Open Gm11 tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant soundscape, offering a rich and complex harmonic foundation. As its name suggests, the open strings beautifully outline a G minor 11 chord, making it an excellent choice for players seeking sophisticated jazz voicings, soulful blues, or atmospheric sound design.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning provides a deep, somewhat melancholic character, driven by the significantly dropped low strings and the inherent minor 7th and 11th intervals. The wide range, from a powerful low C2 to a bright D4, allows for expansive chord voicings and intricate melodic possibilities. It's particularly well-suited for fingerstyle arrangements where individual notes of the chord can ring out, or for creating dense, full-bodied riffs with a distinct, sophisticated edge. The overall feel is one of contemplative depth with potential for jazzy extensions.

Technical Analysis

Starting from standard EADGBe tuning, Open Gm11 involves significant downward tuning across all strings. The resulting open notes, from the lowest to highest string, are C2-G2-A#3-F3-A3-D4. When we consider G (the 5th string) as the root, the open strings stack up as follows, forming a complete G minor 11 chord:

• 6th String (C2): The Perfect 4th (or 11th) of G
• 5th String (G2): The Root
• 4th String (A#3): The Minor 3rd (B#/Bb)
• 3rd String (F3): The Minor 7th
• 2nd String (A3): The Major 9th
• 1st String (D4): The Perfect 5th

These notes precisely form a G minor 11 chord (G-B#-D-F-A-C), providing a full, rich harmony without any fretting. The tuning's wide intervals and the low C and G strings offer a powerful resonance, while the higher strings fill out the chord with colorful extensions.

Chordal Opportunities

The beauty of Open Gm11 lies in its immediate harmonic richness. Barring across all six strings at any fret will instantly produce a minor 11 chord in that key. For example, barring at the 1st fret yields a G#m11, the 2nd fret an Am11, and so on. This makes it incredibly intuitive for exploring different keys while maintaining the intricate Gm11 voicing. Experimenting with partial barres or two-finger shapes can also unlock unique voicings, leveraging the inherent intervals of fourths, fifths, and tenths between certain strings. The open C (6th string) and G (5th string) also lend themselves to powerful low-end riffs.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Gm11 tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps. Please note that several strings require significant downward tuning, which may affect string tension and intonation. For movements of 4 or more semitones, a heavier gauge string set may be advisable to maintain optimal playability and tone.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from E2 to C2. (Consider a heavier gauge string for this significant drop to maintain tension and intonation.)
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 4 semitones from D3 to A#3. (Consider a heavier gauge string for this significant drop to maintain tension and intonation.)
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 2 semitones from G3 to F3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 2 semitones from E4 to D4.

6th String: C2

5th String: G2

4th String: A#3

3rd String: F3

2nd String: A3

1st String: D4