Tuning Analysis: Dean Murphy's Open D 8-String Tuning

This unique tuning, known as "Open D 8 String, Dean Murphy," is specifically tailored for an 8-string guitar and featured in Dean Murphy's song "American Splendor." It's an expansive open tuning designed to deliver a rich, resonant sound, characteristic of extended-range guitars.

Verbal Analysis

At its core, this is an Open D tuning, meaning that when all eight strings are strummed open, they collectively form a D Major chord. The voicing of D1, A1, D2, A2, D3, F#4, A3, D4 creates a massive, full sound that resonates deeply across four octaves. The low D1 and A1 provide a guttural foundation, typical of 8-string guitars, allowing for a profound bass presence. The strategic placement of multiple D and A notes creates a powerful drone effect, making this tuning ideal for styles that benefit from sustained harmonic backdrops, such as ambient, progressive metal, or folk music. The overall feel will likely be loose and vibrant due to the significant downtuning of most strings, allowing for expressive bends and a warm, slightly slacker tone.

Technical Analysis

The open string notes are precisely:

• 8th String: D1 (Root)
• 7th String: A1 (Perfect 5th)
• 6th String: D2 (Octave)
• 5th String: A2 (Perfect 5th, one octave up)
• 4th String: D3 (Octave, two octaves up)
• 3rd String: F#4 (Major 3rd, two octaves up)
• 2nd String: A3 (Perfect 5th, two octaves up)
• 1st String: D4 (Octave, three octaves up)

Open Chords and Voicings:

• Open D Major: Strumming all open strings immediately yields a full and rich D Major chord, making it exceptionally easy to compose or improvise in the key of D.
• Power Chords: The abundance of root (D) and fifth (A) notes allows for incredibly full power chords. Simple two-finger shapes can be used higher up the neck on sets of adjacent strings (e.g., 8th/7th or 6th/5th) to create powerful voicings.
• Drone Textures: The multiple D and A notes provide excellent opportunities for creating sustained drone sounds, which can underpin melodies or percussive riffs. Barre chords across sets of strings will create rich, extended harmonies or inversions of D major.
• Minor Chords: While the tuning is biased towards D Major, D minor could be achieved by carefully fretting the 3rd string (F#) down one semitone to F. Other minor chords would require standard fretting techniques.

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve Dean Murphy's Open D 8-String tuning, follow these specific adjustments from your standard 8-string tuning. Take care with the string tension, especially with significant drops in pitch.

• 8th String (lowest pitch): Tune down 4 semitones to D1. (Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant drop; consider a heavier gauge string for optimal tension and tone, or proceed with care to avoid floppiness.)
• 7th String: Tune down 2 semitones to A1.
• 6th String: Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• 5th String: Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to A2.
• 4th String: Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to D3.
• 3rd String: Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• 2nd String: Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• 1st String (highest pitch): Tune down 2 semitones to D4.

Here are the notes for each string in Dean Murphy's Open D 8-String tuning, from the lowest (8th) to the highest (1st) string:

8th String: D1 (Sub-contra D, the lowest D on an 8-string guitar)

7th String: A1 (Sub-contra A)

6th String: D2 (Contra D)

5th String: A2 (Contra A)

4th String: D3 (Great D)

3rd String: F#4 (Small F#, creating the major third in the open D chord)

2nd String: A3 (Small A)

1st String: D4 (One-lined D, the highest D in this tuning)