Tuning Analysis: Bmaj7sus2(#5)(#13)/C

This unique and highly unconventional tuning, known as Bmaj7sus2(#5)(#13)/C, is a beast designed for extreme textures and dissonance. As famously used by bands like Gaza in tracks such as 'Calf' on 'I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die', it's engineered to be an 'ultra dissonant random insane thingy', far removed from traditional harmonious structures. It offers a sonic landscape ripe for heavy, experimental, and atonal music styles, perfect for creating unsettling backdrops or crushing, unpredictable riffs.

Technical Breakdown: Open String Voicing

The open strings present an incredibly dense and dissonant cluster of notes. From low to high, the tuning is C2 - G2 - C#4 - A3 - A#4 - B3. Let's break down the intervals:

• The lowest two strings (C2 and G2) form a perfect fifth, providing a stable, foundational interval.
• From G2 to C#4 is a massive jump of an octave and an augmented fourth (19 semitones), creating a huge chasm in the voicing.
• Moving to the third string (A3) brings the pitch down from C#4, creating a descending minor third (3 semitones down).
• The jump from A3 to A#4 is an octave plus a minor second (13 semitones), another very wide interval.
• Finally, A#4 to B3 is again a descending interval, a minor second down an octave (11 semitones down), placing B3 very close to A#4 (if B3 were an octave higher, it would be a minor second up).

When played open, the notes C, G, C#, A, A#, B form a highly chromatic and clashing chord. Specifically, the C#, A, A#, B cluster creates intense minor and major second dissonances that are characteristic of avant-garde and extreme metal genres. This tuning avoids any obvious traditional open chords, instead encouraging the exploration of noise, intricate dissonant voicings, and heavy, chugging riffs where individual string pitches clash dramatically. It's a tuning designed to evoke tension, unease, and raw power rather than melodic harmony.

How to Tune

Please be extremely careful when adjusting string tension. Significant changes in pitch, especially tuning up, can damage your guitar or strings. If any string is tuned up or down more than 4 semitones, it is generally recommended to use a different gauge string to avoid breakage or excessive tension/looseness.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from E2 to C2. Caution advised: This is a significant drop.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 1 semitone from D3 to C#4.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 1 semitone from B3 to A#4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 5 semitones from E4 to B3. Warning: This is a very substantial drop. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string to maintain proper tension and tone.

• 6th String: C2
• 5th String: G2
• 4th String: C#4
• 3rd String: A3
• 2nd String: A#4
• 1st String: B3