DACFADFC Guitar Tuner

DACFADFC D Minor 7 For 8 String - Guitar tuning, chords & scales

Description - D Minor 7 For 8 String

For those who want more open tunings for 8 string

The "D Minor 7 for 8 string" tuning is a rich and resonant open tuning for the 8-string guitar, perfect for those seeking a deep, atmospheric, and chordally expressive sound. As its name suggests, this tuning immediately provides a full D Minor 7 chord when strummed open, making it incredibly intuitive for songwriting and improvisation in the key of D minor.

Technical Analysis

This tuning transforms the standard 8-string setup (commonly F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4) into a powerful D Minor 7 voicing across multiple octaves. The open notes are D1 A1 C2 F2 A2 D3 F3 C4 from lowest to highest string.

Analyzing the intervals from the lowest D (D1), we find the following structure:

String 8 (D1): Root
String 7 (A1): Perfect 5th
String 6 (C2): Minor 7th
String 5 (F2): Minor 3rd
String 4 (A2): Perfect 5th (Octave of String 7)
String 3 (D3): Octave Root (Octave of String 8)
String 2 (F3): Minor 3rd (Octave of String 5)
String 1 (C4): Minor 7th (Octave of String 6)

This arrangement creates a dense and harmonically complete D Minor 7 chord (D-F-A-C) directly from the open strings. The strategic repetition of the root, minor third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh across different octaves provides a rich harmonic foundation and offers many options for fingerings and voicings. The lower strings establish a solid bass foundation while the upper strings fill out the chordal structure.

Playability and Chords

The primary advantage of this tuning is the instant access to a powerful D Minor 7 chord by simply strumming all open strings. This makes it ideal for ambient textures, drone-based compositions, or heavy riffs in the key of D minor.

Open D Minor 7: A full, resonant Dm7 is available with a single strum, perfect for rich chordal pads or as a starting point for complex voicings.
Accessible Minor Chords: Moving a single finger can often create related minor chords or suspended chords. For instance, by barring across certain frets, you can explore other minor 7th chords with relative ease due to the consistent intervalic relationships.
Drone and Riff Potential: The repeated D and A notes provide excellent drone possibilities, while the low D and F offer a heavy foundation for powerful, low-end riffs.
Slide Guitar: This open tuning is particularly well-suited for slide guitar, allowing for fluid melodic lines and chordal glides within the D minor scale.

While focused on Dm7, the consistent structure allows for creative exploration of other chord types by adjusting specific notes. For example, slightly altering the F notes to F# could lead towards D Major 7 ideas, though this would require conscious fretboard navigation.

How to Tune

To achieve the "D Minor 7 for 8 string" tuning, you will be tuning down most of your strings significantly from a standard 8-string tuning (assumed to be F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4). Please proceed with caution, especially with large downward adjustments. For movements exceeding 4 semitones (either up or down), it is generally advisable to consider a different string gauge to maintain proper tension and intonation.

String 8 (Lowest F#1): Tune down 4 semitones to D1. (Note: This is a significant drop; exercise caution. Fret movement: Tune down 4 semitones)
String 7 (B1): Tune down 2 semitones to A1. (Fret movement: Tune down 2 semitones)
String 6 (E2): Tune down 4 semitones to C2. (Note: This is a significant drop; exercise caution. Fret movement: Tune down 4 semitones)
String 5 (A2): Tune down 4 semitones to F2. (Note: This is a significant drop; exercise caution. Fret movement: Tune down 4 semitones)
String 4 (D3): Tune down 5 semitones to A2. (Recommendation: Consider a heavier gauge string for optimal tension. Fret movement: Tune down 5 semitones)
String 3 (G3): Tune down 5 semitones to D3. (Recommendation: Consider a heavier gauge string for optimal tension. Fret movement: Tune down 5 semitones)
String 2 (B3): Tune down 6 semitones to F3. (Recommendation: Consider a heavier gauge string for optimal tension. Fret movement: Tune down 6 semitones)
String 1 (Highest E4): Tune down 4 semitones to C4. (Note: This is a significant drop; exercise caution. Fret movement: Tune down 4 semitones)