This unique guitar tuning, known as Stangl's Intentionally Lost Tuning, is featured in Paul Stangl's music, specifically the piece "Intentionally Lost." It presents a complex and rich harmonic landscape, moving significantly away from standard guitar tuning to unlock a distinctive sonic palette. The tuning emphasizes a deep, resonant quality with a blend of consonant and dissonant intervals, creating an atmospheric and sometimes haunting sound. It's clearly designed for intricate chord voicings, ambient textures, and potentially modal explorations rather than conventional chord shapes.

Technical Analysis: Open String Voicing

The open strings are tuned to C#3, A#3, C#4, F3, C4, D#5. Analyzing these notes reveals a sophisticated harmonic structure:

• The recurring C# (on strings 6 and 4, an octave apart) establishes a strong, resonant root.
• From the lowest C# (string 6), the intervals are as follows:
• String 5 (A#3): A Major 6th above C#3.
• String 4 (C#4): A perfect Octave above C#3.
• String 3 (F3): A Minor 3rd above C#3.
• String 2 (C4): A Major 7th above C#3. This interval (C natural against C#) creates a powerful tension and characteristic dissonance.
• String 1 (D#5): A Major 9th (or Major 2nd an octave higher) above C#3.

When played open, these notes form a complex C# Major 7(add6, add9) chord, notably without a perfect 5th (G#) and featuring the distinct Major 7th (C natural) that adds an immediate sense of intrigue and sophisticated harmonic tension. This suggests a tuning ripe for extended jazz voicings, ambient soundscapes, or compositions that intentionally lean into its unique blend of consonance and dissonance.

Chordal Opportunities:

While standard chord shapes will be drastically altered, this tuning opens up new possibilities:

• Drone and Resonance: The C# octaves on strings 6 and 4 provide an excellent foundation for drone-based music, allowing other notes to ring over a stable C# root.
• Minor Harmony: The F natural on string 3 (a minor 3rd from C#) makes it very easy to establish a C# minor tonality, contrasting with the overall major character from the A# and D#.
• Unique Voicings: Barre chords will produce entirely new, rich voicings. For instance, a barre at the first fret would yield D, Bb, D, F#, C#, E, creating an open D Major 6/9 with an added C#.
• Modal Play: The open intervals, particularly the Major 7th and Major 9th, lend themselves well to modal explorations, particularly scales that incorporate these specific tensions.
• Experimental Harmonies: The close proximity of C# and C allows for interesting melodic and harmonic phrasing, enabling quick transitions between tense and resolved sounds.

How to Tune:

To achieve Stangl's Intentionally Lost Tuning from standard EADGBE tuning, follow these precise adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 3 semitones to C#3.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 1 semitone to A#3.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone to C#4.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitone to C4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 1 semitone to D#5.

Note: All string movements are within the range where a standard string gauge should be fine. For significantly larger tuning changes (more than 4 semitones up or down), a different string gauge is generally recommended, but it is not necessary for this particular tuning.

Here are the notes for each string in Stangl's Intentionally Lost Tuning, from lowest (6th string) to highest (1st string):

• String 6: C3#
• String 5: A3#
• String 4: C4#
• String 3: F3
• String 2: C4
• String 1: D5#