This intriguing tuning, attributed to the renowned fingerstyle guitarist Ewan Dobson, is a complex and highly musical setup for the guitar. Known for his intricate and often percussive playing style, Dobson's tunings are designed to unlock new harmonic possibilities and make certain chord voicings and melodic patterns more accessible.

Verbal Analysis

At its core, this tuning (C G C G A# D#) presents a rich, resonant C minor 7 chord when strummed open. The strong foundation of C and G in the lower strings provides a powerful base, while the A# (Bb) and D# (Eb) in the higher strings introduce a distinctly melancholic, bluesy, or even jazzy character. This creates a very moody and evocative sound right from the open position. Guitarists will find this tuning particularly inspiring for fingerstyle pieces, allowing for complex harmonic textures and easy movement through minor 7th voicings. It encourages a melodic approach, with the open strings naturally forming a cohesive, dark, and expressive chord. The wide intervals in the lower strings also suggest percussive opportunities, allowing for deep, resonant thumps and slaps often found in Dobson's work.

Technical Analysis

The open notes for this tuning are C2-G2-C3-G3-A4#-D5# (which can also be enharmonically notated as C2-G2-C3-G3-Bb4-Eb5).

Let's break down the intervals and harmonic implications:

• Strings 6, 5, 4, 3 (C G C G) form a powerful and resonant C power chord, or a G power chord if G is considered the root. This provides a solid harmonic bedrock for the tuning.
• The overall open tuning (C-G-C-G-Bb-Eb) strongly outlines a C minor 7 chord (C-Eb-G-Bb). The open strings themselves form this chord, making it incredibly easy to access.
• The interval from the 3rd string (G3) to the 2nd string (A#4) is a minor third.
• The interval from the 2nd string (A#4) to the 1st string (D#5) is a perfect fourth.

Chords within Reach:

• Open C minor 7: As mentioned, the entire tuning is an open C minor 7 chord, which means strumming all open strings yields this rich voicing instantly.
• Transposable Minor 7 Chords: By barring all six strings at any fret, you can effortlessly create any minor 7th chord. For example, barring at the 1st fret yields a C# minor 7, at the 2nd fret a D minor 7, and so on. This makes navigating minor 7th harmony exceptionally intuitive.
• Power Chords: The lowest four strings (C G C G) make it very easy to play C5 power chords or G5 power chords by simply muting higher strings or adjusting finger placement. Barre chords on these lower strings will also produce strong power chord voicings.
• Melodic Opportunities: The unique intervals and the minor 7th quality of the tuning offer fertile ground for crafting bluesy leads, jazz-inflected melodies, and intricate fingerstyle arpeggios that would be more challenging in standard tuning.

How to Tune

To achieve Dobson's C Minor 7 Open Tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these adjustments:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from E to C2.

  Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change. If you plan to use this tuning frequently, consider using a heavier gauge string for your low E string (6th string) to maintain proper tension and tone.

• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 1 semitone from B to A4#.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 1 semitone from E to D5#.