Verbal Analysis

The Open Cmaj9 tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant soundscape, perfectly suited for lush, open voicings. This particular tuning is famously derived from the Open Dmaj9 tuning, with all strings dropped by a full step (two semitones). It has been widely embraced and popularized by artists like Scro, particularly within the midwest emo genre. Scro often highlights how this lower register offers a more mellow and grounded feel compared to its Dmaj9 counterpart, while conveniently allowing guitarists to apply the same familiar chord shapes from Dmaj9, simply producing them in a lower key.

Technical Analysis

In Open Cmaj9, the strings are tuned to C2-G2-B2-E3-G3-D4 (from low to high). When strummed open, these notes collectively form a rich and complex C Major Ninth chord (C-E-G-B-D). Specifically, the tuning provides the root (C), perfect fifth (G), major seventh (B), major third (E), another perfect fifth (G), and the major ninth (D). This intricate voicing creates a naturally full and harmonically satisfying sound, allowing for immediate access to sophisticated jazz and contemporary harmony without complex fingerings. The consistent interval structure between the Dmaj9 and Cmaj9 means that any patterns or licks developed in Dmaj9 can be transposed down a whole step with ease.

Accessible Chords & Shapes

• Open Cmaj9: The tuning itself is an open Cmaj9, providing immediate access to this beautiful chord.
• Barre Chords: By simply barring across all six strings at any fret, you instantly create a new Major Ninth chord. For example, barring at the first fret yields a C#maj9, the second fret a Dmaj9, and so on, simplifying the exploration of major ninth harmony across the fretboard.
• Related Chords: The open intervals also lend themselves to easily forming related chords such as Cmaj7 (by altering the 1st string D4 to C4), or by exploring inversions and partial voicings using just a few strings.

How to Tune to Open Cmaj9

To achieve the Open Cmaj9 tuning from standard EADGBe, carefully adjust each string as follows:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones to C2. (Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant adjustment; for optimal string tension and tone, especially for sustained play, a heavier gauge string may be advisable.)
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G2.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones to B2.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 3 semitones to E3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 4 semitones to G3. (Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant adjustment; for optimal string tension and tone, especially for sustained play, a heavier gauge string may be advisable.)
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 2 semitones to D4.