The "Low C, 8 String Tuning, Dean Murphy" is a deep and resonant tuning designed for an 8-string guitar, known for its use in Dean Murphy's tracks such as Sequoia Coaster, Grand Teton, and Track Falls. This tuning plunges the guitar's lowest string to a powerful C1, creating an incredibly rich and often dark sonic landscape, perfect for expansive, atmospheric, or heavy musical styles.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning immediately evokes a sense of vastness and depth. The exceptionally low C on the 8th string, combined with a repeating C-G pattern on the lower strings, provides a foundational drone and immense power. It's a tuning that feels both ancient and modern, capable of producing huge, open sounds that resonate through a room. The overall character is one of grand scale, ideal for ambient soundscapes, heavy riffing, or creating dense, harmonic textures. The open strings themselves hum with a specific character, ready to be explored with either gentle strumming or aggressive attack, offering a dark and brooding tonal palette.

Technical Analysis

The open string notes, from lowest to highest, are:

• String 8: C1
• String 7: G1
• String 6: C2
• String 5: G2
• String 4: D3
• String 3: G3
• String 2: A3
• String 1: D4

The most striking feature is the C1 on the lowest string, establishing a very deep root. The tuning features a prominent C and G relationship across its lower register (C1-G1-C2-G2), forming a powerful C5 (power chord) foundation. Strumming the lowest four strings open yields a massive C power chord. The upper strings (D3-G3-A3-D4) add interesting extensions.

When all eight strings are strummed open, the resulting chord is a rich C6/9 (containing C, G, D, and A across various octaves: C1-G1-C2-G2-D3-G3-A3-D4). This means that a simple open strum provides a full, harmonically sophisticated sound without any fretting, making it highly resonant and expressive for open chord voicings or arpeggiated patterns. Due to the consistent C-G intervals in the lower strings, movable power chords are easily achievable by barring across these strings. The tuning also lends itself well to drone-based compositions, where the open C and G notes can ring out as other melodic or harmonic ideas are introduced on the higher strings. The presence of the D (9th) and A (6th) notes provides a clear tonal center while offering opportunities for bright, complex voicings and suspended sounds, adding depth beyond a simple major chord.

Here is a detailed breakdown of each string's tuning and the process for achieving the "Low C, 8 String Tuning, Dean Murphy":

String Notes (Low to High)

• String 8 (Lowest): C1
• String 7: G1
• String 6: C2
• String 5: G2
• String 4: D3
• String 3: G3
• String 2: A3
• String 1 (Highest): D4

How to Tune

To achieve this distinctive tuning, carefully adjust each string as follows. Please note that significant downtuning may require heavier gauge strings for optimal tension and tone. When tuning a string down by 4 semitones or more (or up by 4 semitones or more), a different string gauge is generally advised to maintain playability and avoid excessive floppiness or breakage.

• String 8 (C1): Tune down 6 semitones. (Note: Tuning down 6 semitones is a significant change; a heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string.)
• String 7 (G1): Tune down 4 semitones. (Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a substantial change; a heavier gauge string is advised for this string.)
• String 6 (C2): Tune down 4 semitones. (Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a substantial change; a heavier gauge string is advised for this string.)
• String 5 (G2): Tune down 2 semitones.
• String 4 (D3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 3 (G3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 2 (A3): Tune down 2 semitones.
• String 1 (D4): Tune down 2 semitones.