Verbal Analysis: Don's C Maj7#11 Drone Tuning

This unique tuning, originally titled "Don's Untitled Tuning #2," has been re-named "Don's C Maj7#11 Drone" to better reflect its sophisticated harmonic character. As described by Don, it excels at creating "droney lead lines on the top strings and dense rhythm with the bottom strings." It offers a rich, complex sonic palette, blending a deep, resonant low end with bright, almost ethereal high notes.

The tuning invites an exploratory approach to playing, moving beyond standard chord shapes to discover new voicings and melodic possibilities. The substantial retuning of the lowest strings provides a powerful rhythmic foundation, while the relatively unchanged middle strings and the dramatically raised top string offer a versatile canvas for melodic invention and sustained 'drone' notes.

Technical Analysis: Don's C Maj7#11 Drone Tuning

The open strings are tuned to C2-G2-D3-G3-B3-F5# (low to high).

Harmonic Structure:

• Overall Chord: When played open, the tuning forms a complex Cmaj7(#11) chord with an open D (9th) on the 4th string. This sophisticated voicing features a C root, G (5th), D (9th), G (octave of 5th), B (major 7th), and a very high F# (augmented 11th). This provides a bright, Lydian-esque quality on top of a stable major 7th.
• Low End (Strings 6, 5, 4): C2-G2-D3. This creates a powerful C power chord (C-G) with an added D, lending a Csus2 or Cadd9 quality. The intervals are a perfect fifth (C2-G2) and another perfect fifth (G2-D3), establishing a robust, open and resonant bass foundation, perfect for the "dense rhythm" described.
• Middle/Upper Strings (Strings 4, 3, 2): D3-G3-B3. These notes offer familiar intervals – a perfect fourth from D3 to G3, and a major third from G3 to B3 – allowing for relatively intuitive melodic lines and partial chord formations.
• High String (String 1): F5#. This is the most striking feature of the tuning. F5# is an extremely high note, an octave and a half above a standard E4, and an octave above the expected F#4 from a +2 semitone shift. This creates a dramatic, piercing top voice that will cut through the mix, ideal for "droney lead lines" and adds a distinctive, shimmering quality to the overall sound. The interval between the B3 and F5# is a wide compound augmented fourth (or tritone plus two octaves).

Chordal and Melodic Opportunities:

• The bottom C-G-D-G allows for easy power chords and open string drones on the lower four strings.
• Open D and G strings provide strong anchor points for D major, G major, or E minor tonalities when playing higher up the neck.
• Due to the open G3-B3 interval, G major and C major voicings will likely be accessible and resonant.
• The wide intervals and high F5# will necessitate a departure from conventional chord shapes, encouraging the exploration of unique voicings and melodic patterns that leverage the open strings. The "droney" aspect can be achieved by sustaining the open notes while fretting melodic lines on adjacent strings.

Here are the notes for Don's C Maj7#11 Drone tuning:

• String 6 (Low E string): C2
• String 5 (A string): G2
• String 4 (D string): D3
• String 3 (G string): G3
• String 2 (B string): B3
• String 1 (High E string): F5#

How to Tune:

To achieve Don's C Maj7#11 Drone tuning, start from standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning and follow these steps:

• String 6 (Low E string): Tune down 4 semitones from E2 to C2. (Caution: This is a significant drop in tension; consider using a heavier gauge string for optimal tone and playability, as tuning down 4 semitones or more can cause excessive slack.)
• String 5 (A string): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• String 4 (D string): Keep as is; no change from D3.
• String 3 (G string): Keep as is; no change from G3.
• String 2 (B string): Keep as is; no change from B3.
• String 1 (High E string): Tune up 2 semitones from E4 to F#4. (Note: While the tuning movement is +2 semitones, the target note for this string, F5#, as listed in the tuning notes, is an entire octave higher than F#4. Achieving F5# would typically require a very light gauge string or a specialized setup, and extra caution should be exercised if attempting such a large pitch increase on a standard string.)