This intriguing tuning, named "coldplay" and associated with the song "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," presents a unique sonic landscape. It leans heavily into a resonant, almost droning quality, ideal for atmospheric and melodic playing.

Verbal Analysis

The overall feel of this tuning is one of openness and melancholy, yet with a surprising brightness due to the prevalence of higher octaves. With the open strings forming a C# minor chord, it immediately offers a rich, full sound that evokes introspection and emotional depth. It's perfectly suited for genres like alternative rock, indie, folk, and ambient music, where its unique harmonic structure can create spacious and memorable textures. Players might find it encourages fingerstyle patterns, arpeggios, and slide techniques that fully exploit the sustained open notes. The arrangement of notes across the fretboard also suggests opportunities for interesting inversions and partial chords that might be challenging in standard tuning.

Technical Analysis

The target notes for this tuning are: C#3 (6th string), C#4 (5th string), F3 (4th string), G#4 (3rd string), C#5 (2nd string), C#5 (1st string).

Analyzing these open notes, we find the following intervals relative to the lowest C#3:

• 6th String: C#3 (Root)
• 5th String: C#4 (Octave)
• 4th String: F3 (Minor Third)
• 3rd String: G#4 (Perfect Fifth + Octave)
• 2nd String: C#5 (Root + Two Octaves)
• 1st String: C#5 (Root + Two Octaves)

This arrangement creates a complete C# minor chord (C#-F-G#) with significant octave doublings, particularly on the C# notes. The open strings themselves form a rich, full C# minor chord, making it an excellent platform for drone-based compositions or for easily hitting a powerful minor chord with a single strum. The close proximity of C#4 (5th string) and F3 (4th string) creates a minor third, while G#4 (3rd string) provides the perfect fifth. The higher C#5 notes on the 1st and 2nd strings add sparkle and sustain.

Due to the nature of this tuning, common chord shapes from standard tuning will not apply. However, new shapes emerge. Sliding a finger across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings at various frets will often yield major or minor chords, as the top two strings are unison (C#5 C#5) and the 3rd string is G#4. For example, barring the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings at the 4th fret (moving from C#5 G#4 C#5) would give E5 B5 E5, forming an E power chord. Similarly, moving these three strings up or down will maintain a consistent interval relationship, simplifying lead lines and melodic ideas.

Important Note on Tuning Discrepancy: While the target notes for this tuning are provided as C#3, C#4, F3, G#4, C#5, C#5, the accompanying string movement instructions from standard EADGBe tuning (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4) would actually result in C#2, C#3, F3, G#3, C#4, C#4 respectively. This suggests either a very specific instrument setup (e.g., baritone guitar, capo on a higher fret, or specialized string gauges for significantly higher tension to reach the specified octave for the provided tuning_notes from a standard string gauge) or that the given tuning_notes are intended as the final sounding pitches irrespective of the standard-tuning string movement calculations. For the purposes of this analysis, the described chords and intervals are based on the explicitly provided tuning_notes (C#3, C#4, F3, G#4, C#5, C#5). Please refer to the 'How to Tune' section for the instructions based on the provided semitone movements from a standard EADGBe setup.

Tuning Notes

From thickest (6th) to thinnest (1st) string, the target notes for this tuning are:

• 6th String: C#3
• 5th String: C#4
• 4th String: F3
• 3rd String: G#4
• 2nd String: C#5
• 1st String: C#5

How to Tune (from Standard EADGBe)

To achieve this tuning from a standard EADGBe setup (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4), follow these instructions for each string. Please be mindful of string tension, especially with larger movements. The movements specified below are relative to standard tuning and would result in the following notes:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 3 semitones from E2 to C#2. This movement (-3 semitones) is within a generally safe range for standard string gauges.
• 5th String (A): Tune up 4 semitones from A2 to C#3. This movement (+4 semitones) is at the upper limit of what is typically advised for standard string gauges; exercise caution. For frequent use, considering a slightly lighter gauge string might prevent breakage.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 3 semitones from D3 to F3. This movement (+3 semitones) is within a generally safe range for standard string gauges.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 1 semitone from G3 to G#3. This movement (+1 semitone) is well within a safe range for standard string gauges.
• 2nd String (B): Tune up 2 semitones from B3 to C#4. This movement (+2 semitones) is within a generally safe range for standard string gauges.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 3 semitones from E4 to C#4. This movement (-3 semitones) is within a generally safe range for standard string gauges.

Gauge Advisory: Generally, for movements exceeding 4 semitones up or down (i.e., less than -4 or greater than +4), a different gauge string is advised to maintain optimal playability, intonation, and string longevity. For this specific tuning, based on the provided semitone movements, only the 5th string is at the +4 semitone threshold, so while playable with standard gauges, caution is advised during tuning.