C#F#C#G#AE Guitar Tuner
C#F#C#G#AE | D♭G♭D♭A♭AE F#min9 - Guitar tuning, chords & scales
Overview
This custom tuning, aptly named "F#min9" and described as being used for a "skramz project," offers a deeply resonant and somewhat melancholic soundscape right from the open strings. It creates a rich, full F# minor 9th chord without any fretting, making it incredibly expressive and inspiring for songwriting in this key. The broad range of notes, spanning from a low C#3 to a high E4, provides a powerful foundation and an expansive harmonic canvas. The specific arrangement of notes also hints at the raw, emotional, and sometimes dissonant characteristics often found in genres like skramz, favoring open, complex harmonies over standard chord shapes.
Technical Analysis
The open strings are tuned to C#3 F#3 C#4 G#4 A3 E4 (low to high). When considering F# as the root, these notes beautifully construct a complete F# minor 9th chord:
- String 5: F# (Root)
- String 2: A (Minor 3rd)
- String 6 & 4: C# (Perfect 5th)
- String 1: E (Minor 7th)
- String 3: G# (Major 9th)
The lowest C# on the 6th string serves as a powerful pedal tone, grounding the F#min9 chord with a low fifth. The octave displacement between String 3 (G#4) and String 2 (A3) is particularly noteworthy. The interval from G#4 to A3 is a descending Major 7th (11 semitones down), which creates a significant drop in pitch between adjacent strings. This contributes to the unique open, sometimes dissonant, quality of the tuning and demands a thoughtful approach to fingerings and voicings.
The intervals between adjacent strings, from low to high, are:
- String 6 (C#3) to String 5 (F#3): Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
- String 5 (F#3) to String 4 (C#4): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
- String 4 (C#4) to String 3 (G#4): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
- String 3 (G#4) to String 2 (A3): Descending Major 7th (11 semitones down)
- String 2 (A3) to String 1 (E4): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
Open Chords and Reachable Voicings
The most prominent feature is the F# minor 9th chord readily available on the open strings. This allows for immediate harmonic richness and is ideal for drone-like passages or open strumming. By simply barring across various frets, you can easily transpose this F#min9 shape into other minor 9th chords (e.g., barring at the 2nd fret yields G#min9). The lower three strings (C#3, F#3, C#4) form a powerful, low-end C# with an implied F#sus2 sound. The unique drop in pitch from the 3rd to 2nd string encourages exploration of open string drone possibilities and non-standard melodic phrasing, perfect for an experimental soundscape. The open E4 on the highest string also offers a bright contrast against the darker, lower harmonies.
How to Tune
To achieve this F#min9 tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these precise steps:
- 6th String (Low E): Tune down 3 semitones to C#3.
- 5th String (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
- 4th String (D): Tune down 1 semitone to C#4.
- 3rd String (G): Tune up 1 semitone to G#4.
- 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
- 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to E4.
Note: All string movements are within typical tension tolerances. However, always exercise care when adjusting string tension.
6th String: Tuned to C#3, providing a deep, resonant bass note.
5th String: Tuned to F#3, serving as the root of the open F# minor 9th chord.
4th String: Tuned to C#4, an octave above the 6th string, reinforcing the low C# and providing the 5th of the F# chord.
3rd String: Tuned to G#4, contributing the major 9th to the F# minor 9th chord.
2nd String: Tuned to A3, providing the minor 3rd of the F# minor 9th chord, creating a significant drop in pitch from the 3rd string.
1st String: Tuned to E4, completing the F# minor 9th chord as the minor 7th.
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Capos for C#F#C#G#AE
Capo | Tuning | Name |
---|---|---|
-1 | CFCGG#D# | Fmin9 |
0 | C#F#C#G#AE | F#min9 |
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Tuning Map
- Fret
- S6
- S5
- S4
- S3
- S2
- S1
- -13
- D#
- G#
- C#
- F#
- A#
- D#
- -12
- E
- A
- D
- G
- B
- E
- -11
- F
- A#
- D#
- G#
- C
- F
- -10
- F#
- B
- E
- A
- C#
- F#
- -9
- G
- C
- F
- A#
- D
- G
- -8
- G#
- C#
- F#
- B
- D#
- G#
- -7
- A
- D
- G
- C
- E
- A
- -6
- A#
- D#
- G#
- C#
- F
- A#
- -5
- B
- E
- A
- D
- F#
- B
- -4
- C
- F
- A#
- D#
- G
- C
- -3
- C#
- F#
- B
- E
- G#
- C#
- -2
- D
- G
- C
- F
- A
- D
- -1
- D#
- G#
- C#
- F#
- A#
- D#
- 0
- E
- A
- D
- G
- B
- E
- 1
- F
- A#
- D#
- G#
- C
- F
- 2
- F#
- B
- E
- A
- C#
- F#
- 3
- G
- C
- F
- A#
- D
- G
- 4
- G#
- C#
- F#
- B
- D#
- G#
- 5
- A
- D
- G
- C
- E
- A
- 6
- A#
- D#
- G#
- C#
- F
- A#
- 7
- B
- E
- A
- D
- F#
- B
- -3
- -3
- -1
- 1
- -2
- 0