The "C Minor Rachel" is a captivating and emotionally resonant guitar tuning, offering a rich sonic palette centered around a deep C minor tonality. This variation on a C minor theme is particularly well-suited for evocative fingerstyle playing, dramatic chord progressions, and creating expansive soundscapes that lean towards melancholic or sophisticated moods.

Technical Analysis:

This tuning sets the open strings to C2 G2 C3 G3 A#4 D4 (from low E to high E).

• Lower Strings (C2 G2 C3 G3): The bottom four strings establish a powerful C minor arpeggio, effectively spelling out a root, fifth, octave, and fifth. This creates a strong, resonant C5 power chord foundation, making it very easy to achieve a full, deep sound simply by strumming the lower strings.
• Higher Strings (A#4 D4): These strings introduce intriguing harmonic extensions.
  • The A#4 (enharmonically Bb4) acts as the minor seventh of C, immediately suggesting a C minor 7 chord quality.
  • The D4 functions as the ninth of C.
• Open Chord Voicing: Strumming all open strings yields a sophisticated C minor 7(add9) or C minor 9 chord (C-G-C-G-Bb-D). This means you have a complex and beautiful chord available with no fretting, providing a rich harmonic starting point for improvisation or composition.
• Playability: The consistent C-G-C-G pattern on the lower strings makes it simple to transpose minor 5th shapes across the fretboard. The unique intervals on the higher strings offer opportunities for innovative melodic lines and chord voicings that are unique to this specific tuning.

How to Tune:

To achieve the "C Minor Rachel" tuning from standard E Standard, adjust your strings as follows:

• String 6 (Low E to C2): Tune down 4 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant drop. If this is a permanent tuning, consider using a heavier gauge string set to maintain optimal tension and tone.
• String 5 (A to G2): Tune down 2 semitones.
• String 4 (D to C3): Tune down 2 semitones.
• String 3 (G to G3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 2 (B to A#4): Tune down 1 semitone.
• String 1 (High E to D4): Tune down 2 semitones.

String 6: C2

String 5: G2

String 4: C3

String 3: G3

String 2: A#4

String 1: D4