Verbal Analysis

This unique tuning, aptly named "Carolan's Lament Double C Minor", harks back to the legacy of the blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan. It was specifically devised for a piece called "Carolan's Lament," suggesting a deeply resonant and possibly melancholic character. The open strings immediately present a full and rich C minor chord, making it an excellent choice for evocative folk melodies, Celtic music, or any composition requiring a profound and somber harmonic foundation. The doubled C and Eb (D#) notes across multiple octaves create a lush, almost harp-like sustain, allowing for drone-based playing and intricate melodic weaving without losing harmonic context. It's a tuning that invites exploration into modal playing and creates a strong sense of a fixed tonal center.

Technical Analysis

The open string notes for this tuning are, from low to high: C2-G2-D4#-G3-C4-D5#.

This configuration establishes a powerful Open C Minor tuning. Let's break down its structure:

• Root (C): Present on the 6th string (C2) and the 2nd string (C4), providing a strong foundational and upper octave root.
• Perfect Fifth (G): Found on the 5th string (G2) and the 3rd string (G3), reinforcing the perfect fifth interval, crucial for a stable minor chord.
• Minor Third (Eb/D#): Expressed as D# on the 4th string (D4#) and the 1st string (D5#). The choice of D# instead of Eb is merely enharmonic, but technically it functions as the minor third of C, giving the tuning its melancholic minor quality. The doubled presence of this note at different octaves adds to the tuning's richness.

The open strings collectively form a C minor chord (C-Eb-G), voiced as C2-G2-Eb4-G3-C4-Eb5. This makes playing in C minor incredibly intuitive, as a simple strum across all open strings yields the full chord. This also means that barre chords can be easily formed to transpose this minor harmony to other keys. For example, a single-finger barre across all strings at the 1st fret would yield a C# minor chord, at the 2nd fret a D minor, and so on. Other accessible chords might include related minor chords (e.g., F minor, G minor) or dominant 7th chords that resolve to C minor, often with relatively simple finger positions due to the open minor third and fifth.

Tuning Notes (Low to High)

• 6th String: C2 (Low C)
• 5th String: G2
• 4th String: D4# (D Sharp / Eb)
• 3rd String: G3
• 2nd String: C4
• 1st String: D5# (High D Sharp / Eb)

How to Tune (from Standard EADGBe)

Please note the following movements are based on standard guitar tuning (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4). Always tune carefully and check string tension. Significant changes (more than 4 semitones up or down) may require a different string gauge to maintain optimal tension and prevent string breakage.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from E2 to C2.

  (Movement: -4 semitones. Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change. Consider a heavier gauge string for optimal performance and tension.)

• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.

  (Movement: -2 semitones.)

• 4th String (D): Tune up 1 semitone from D3 to D#3.

  (Movement: +1 semitone. Note: The target tuning lists this string as D4#, which is an octave higher than D#3. The tuning movement instruction in the provided data is to raise by 1 semitone from D3.)

• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The string remains G3.

  (Movement: 0 semitones.)

• 2nd String (B): Tune up 1 semitone from B3 to C4.

  (Movement: +1 semitone.)

• 1st String (High E): Tune down 1 semitone from E4 to D#4.

  (Movement: -1 semitone. Note: The target tuning lists this string as D5#, which is an octave higher than D#4. The tuning movement instruction in the provided data is to lower by 1 semitone from E4.)