This is the Open Dm9 tuning for the Guitar, famously associated with musician Michael Waters. As described in the original source (http://www.ladybirdmusic.com/), it produces a beautiful sound, similar in character to other open tunings like DAEFCE, offering a rich and resonant quality.

Verbal Analysis:

This tuning immediately presents a full D minor 9 chord when strummed open, providing a lush and slightly melancholic yet sophisticated foundation. The low D on the 6th string gives it a deep, driving feel, while the higher strings fill out the minor 7th and major 9th intervals. This creates an ethereal and complex harmonic texture, making it ideal for atmospheric pieces, fingerstyle, or slide guitar. Its inherent minor quality lends itself well to blues, jazz, and reflective compositions, allowing for expressive melodies to be played over a consistent harmonic backdrop. The open voicings are particularly inspiring, encouraging new chord shapes and melodic approaches that might be less intuitive in standard tuning.

Technical Analysis:

The open strings are tuned to D2-A2-D3-F3-C4-E4. This arrangement directly forms a D minor 9 (Dm9) chord (Root D, 5th A, Octave D, minor 3rd F, minor 7th C, major 9th E). This makes it incredibly easy to play Dm9 and Dm7 chords by simply barring across the neck. Moving a single finger across all strings will yield different minor 9th chords; for example, barring at the 1st fret produces an Eb minor 9, and at the 2nd fret, an E minor 9. The presence of the root (D) and fifth (A) on the lowest strings provides a strong harmonic anchor. The consistent interval relationships between certain string pairs (e.g., a perfect fifth D-A on 6th-5th strings, a minor third D-F on 4th-3rd strings) also facilitate the creation of arpeggios and melodic lines. The tuning retains a strong bass presence with the low D and offers accessible voicings for intricate chordal work and lead playing within the minor mode, making it a versatile open tuning.

Tuning Notes:

• String 6: D2 (Low D)
• String 5: A2
• String 4: D3
• String 3: F3
• String 2: C4
• String 1: E4 (High E)

How to Tune (from Standard EADGBe):

• String 6 (Low E to D): Tune down 2 semitones. (E2 to D2)
• String 5 (A to A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). (A2 to A2)
• String 4 (D to D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). (D3 to D3)
• String 3 (G to F): Tune down 2 semitones. (G3 to F3)
• String 2 (B to C): Tune up 1 semitones. (B3 to C4) Please tune carefully when raising string tension.
• String 1 (High E to E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). (E4 to E4)