Tuning Analysis: CGD#FA#D (Andy McKee's "Nocturne")

This distinctive guitar tuning, famously employed by Andy McKee in his piece "Nocturne," transforms the instrument's sonic landscape. It ventures far from standard tuning conventions, creating a rich palette for expressive fingerstyle and complex harmonic exploration.

Verbal Analysis

The CGD#FA#D tuning immediately evokes a sense of depth, mystery, and intricate beauty. The low C and G notes provide a powerful, resonant foundation, giving the tuning a dark and sustained quality. This tuning is not designed for strumming conventional chords but rather encourages the exploration of open string voicings, arpeggios, and percussive techniques often associated with modern acoustic fingerstyle. The blend of a strong bass with specific high-register notes (D#4, A#4) that are surprisingly high in pitch for their string positions, creates an expansive and somewhat ethereal sound. It's a tuning that lends itself to compositions requiring a unique, often melancholic or dramatic, character, perfect for intricate melodic interplay and sustained harmonic textures.

Technical Analysis

An examination of the open strings (C2, G2, D#4, F3, A#4, D4) reveals a highly unconventional and sophisticated arrangement:

• Low End Harmony: The 6th string (C2) and 5th string (G2) form a perfect fifth. This creates a robust and resonant low-end drone, providing a stable foundation for the more complex intervals above.
• Mid-Range Octave Anomaly: The 4th string is tuned to D#4, which is notably an octave higher than a D#3, the note a standard D string would reach if tuned up one semitone. Similarly, the 2nd string is tuned to A#4, an octave higher than the A#3 a standard B string would reach if tuned down one semitone. These specific high-octave notes in the middle of the guitar's range are very unusual and would typically necessitate the use of much lighter gauge strings for these positions to be playable without excessive tension or breakage, or imply a dedicated custom string set.
• Complex Open Chord Potential: The open strings (C, G, D#, F, A#, D) do not readily form a simple major or minor triad. They contain elements that could be interpreted as a C minor chord (C-G-D#), but the addition of F, A#, and D creates a rich, ambiguous, and potentially dissonant cluster. This could suggest a complex extended chord like a C minor 7 with added 9th and a raised 11th, or an altered dominant voicing. This harmonic complexity encourages the discovery of unique fingerings and voicings rather than relying on standard chord shapes.
• String Tension Considerations: The 6th string is tuned down 4 semitones (from E to C), which is a significant drop and may result in a looser feel on standard light gauge strings. Conversely, if the D#4 and A#4 are to be precisely an octave higher than typical (as indicated by the notes), these strings would require very light gauges to achieve the pitch without extreme tension.

How to Tune

To adjust your guitar from standard EADGBe tuning to CGD#FA#D, follow these precise string movements:

• **6th String (Low E)**: Tune down 4 semitones from E to **C**. *Please exercise caution with this substantial drop in pitch; monitor string tension to avoid floppiness.*
• **5th String (A)**: Tune down 2 semitones from A to **G**.
• **4th String (D)**: Tune up 1 semitone from D to **D#**. *Note: While the tuning movement is one semitone up from standard D3, the target note for this tuning is specified as D4#. Achieving the higher octave D4# typically requires a significantly lighter gauge string for this position, or a specific instrument setup, as a mere +1 semitone change from a standard D string would normally result in D#3.*
• **3rd String (G)**: Tune down 2 semitones from G to **F**.
• **2nd String (B)**: Tune down 1 semitone from B to **A#**. *Note: Similar to the 4th string, while the tuning movement is one semitone down from standard B3, the target note for this tuning is specified as A4#. Reaching this higher octave A4# generally necessitates a much lighter gauge string for this position, as a -1 semitone change from a standard B string would typically yield A#3.*
• **1st String (High E)**: Tune down 2 semitones from E to **D**.

Due to the unusual octaves specified for the 4th and 2nd strings, players should carefully consider their string gauge choices. A custom or hybrid set might be necessary to optimize tension and tone across all strings for this specific tuning.

• **6th String:** C2
• **5th String:** G2
• **4th String:** D#4
• **3rd String:** F3
• **2nd String:** A#4
• **1st String:** D4