Verbal Analysis: The Lydian Explorer's Dream

This "C Lydian" tuning is a fascinating and highly experimental setup for a 7-string guitar, clearly designed for melodic exploration and a bright, ethereal soundscape, as hinted by the creator's note: "Just curious about how scales would look in it." It's not a tuning focused on easy traditional chord shapes, but rather one that unlocks unique harmonic possibilities and rewards a player willing to think outside the box. The presence of the F# on the highest string immediately establishes the Lydian mode's characteristic raised 4th, giving it a soaring, optimistic, and slightly mystical quality. It leans into open intervals, suggesting ambient textures, fingerstyle arpeggios, and lead playing that will inherently sound Lydian.

Technical Analysis: A Landscape of Fifths and Leaps

The tuning consists of the notes: C2 G2 D2 A2 E3 B3 F#5 from the lowest (7th) to the highest (1st) string. What immediately stands out is the striking series of perfect fifths (P5) between most of the strings, interspersed with a unique descending interval and a massive leap. Let's break down the intervals between adjacent strings:

• String 7 (C2) to String 6 (G2): Perfect 5th (P5)
• String 6 (G2) to String 5 (D2): Descending Perfect 4th (P4) or an Inverted Perfect 5th down. This creates an interesting lower register voicing.
• String 5 (D2) to String 4 (A2): Perfect 5th (P5)
• String 4 (A2) to String 3 (E3): Perfect 5th (P5)
• String 3 (E3) to String 2 (B3): Perfect 5th (P5)
• String 2 (B3) to String 1 (F#5): Major 13th (M13) or a Perfect 5th + Octave. This is a very significant leap of 19 semitones, creating a vast open space between the high B and F#.

Remarkably, all the open string notes (C, D, E, F#, G, A, B) are diatonic to the C Lydian scale (C D E F# G A B). This means that any notes played open will inherently resonate within the Lydian mode, making it ideal for exploring its unique melodic and harmonic qualities without hitting "wrong" notes from the scale. However, the specific voicings make traditional open chords challenging.

Chordal Possibilities:

While not designed for conventional cowboy chords, this tuning offers:

• Open Fifth Voicings: The numerous P5 intervals (C-G, D-A, A-E, E-B) mean that many two-string power chords (e.g., C5 on strings 7-6, A5 on strings 4-3, E5 on strings 3-2) are readily available. These provide a strong, open foundation.
• Lydian Arpeggios: The open strings themselves form a rich C Lydian arpeggio (C G D A E B F#). Playing these notes individually or in small clusters will immediately evoke the Lydian sound.
• Complex Open Chords: Strumming all strings produces a Cmaj13#11 chord (C G D A E B F#), a very bright and dissonant but tonally rich voicing that perfectly encapsulates the Lydian mode. Players could experiment by muting specific strings to create smaller Lydian voicings, such as a Cmaj7#11 (C E G B F#) by muting strings 5 and 4 and playing 7, 3, 6, 2, 1.

How to Tune:

To achieve the "C Lydian" tuning, follow these specific adjustments from your current standard tuning (the movements are relative to your starting point):

• 7th String: Tune up 1 semitones.
• 6th String: Tune up 3 semitones.
• 5th String: Tune down 7 semitones. Caution: A change of -7 semitones is significant. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised to maintain proper tension and tone.
• 4th String: Tune down 5 semitones. Caution: A change of -5 semitones is significant. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised to maintain proper tension and tone.
• 3rd String: Tune down 3 semitones.
• 2nd String: Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• 1st String: Tune up 2 semitones.

The open string notes for this "C Lydian" tuning are:

• String 7: C2
• String 6: G2
• String 5: D2
• String 4: A2
• String 3: E3
• String 2: B3
• String 1: F#5