The Aflack 2 Tuning: A Celtic/Folk Landscape

The "Aflack 2" tuning, true to its Celtic/Folk description, opens up a rich and resonant sonic landscape for your guitar. With open strings tuned to D-A-C-G-A-C, this configuration offers a unique blend of melancholic depth and vibrant harmonic possibilities. The low D and A strings create a powerful, drone-like foundation, which is a hallmark of many traditional folk styles, providing a steady backdrop for melodic exploration.

This tuning inherently leans towards a D minor 7th sound (D-A-C), further enriched by the inclusion of a G, which acts as a suspended 4th or an 11th. This allows for full-bodied open chords to ring out with minimal effort, making it ideal for accompanying traditional melodies, crafting atmospheric soundscapes, or exploring modal compositions. The arrangement of notes also facilitates comfortable fingerings for common minor, suspended, and even some altered chords, while the repeated C and A notes across different octaves provide interesting harmonic resonance and ease of playing certain intervals.

It is particularly well-suited for fingerstyle playing, allowing the open strings to sustain beautifully and act as a sympathetic drone while melodies are articulated on higher frets. The "Aflack 2" encourages creative phrasing and an exploration of chord voicings that might be less accessible in standard tuning.

Technical Analysis

"Aflack 2" is an open tuning for Guitar, configured from low to high as D2-A2-C3-G3-A3-C4. Compared to standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning, this involves several significant alterations:

• 6th String (Low E): Tuned down a full step to D2.
• 5th String (A): Remains at A2.
• 4th String (D): Tuned down a full step to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Remains at G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tuned down a full step to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Tuned down two full steps (a major third) to C4.

The intervals between the open strings, from lowest to highest, are: a Perfect 5th (D-A), followed by a Minor 3rd (A-C), then a Perfect 5th (C-G), a Major 2nd (G-A), and finally another Minor 3rd (A-C). The overall open tuning produces a rich D minor 7th (add11) tonality, providing a lush and evocative harmonic backdrop that resonates with the stated Celtic/Folk genre.

How to Tune Your Guitar to Aflack 2

To achieve the "Aflack 2" tuning, carefully adjust each string from its standard tuning note according to the instructions below:

• 6th String (Low E to D2): Tune down 2 semitones from its standard E2.
• 5th String (A to A2): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from its standard A2.
• 4th String (D to C3): Tune down 2 semitones from its standard D3.
• 3rd String (G to G3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from its standard G3.
• 2nd String (B to A3): Tune down 2 semitones from its standard B3.
• 1st String (High E to C4): Tune down 4 semitones from its standard E4. Please note that for this significant drop, a different gauge string may be advised to maintain optimal tension and tone.