B13addm3 Tuning: A Canvas for Atonal Exploration

This unique Guitar tuning, aptly named B13addm3 Tuning, is described as "A strange tuning perfect for oddly shaped atonal chords." It certainly lives up to its description, offering a complex and highly dissonant palette that encourages avant-garde and experimental musical approaches.

Technical Analysis

The open strings of this tuning lay out the notes D2 - A2 - D3 - G4# - B3 - D5# (low to high). When analyzed from the lowest D as a root, the intervals present a challenging harmonic landscape:

• 6th String (D2): Root
• 5th String (A2): Perfect 5th
• 4th String (D3): Octave
• 3rd String (G4#): Augmented 4th (Tritone)
• 2nd String (B3): Major 6th
• 1st String (D5#): Augmented 2nd (or minor 9th from D)

This combination features prominent dissonances such as the tritone (D to G#) and the minor second equivalent (D to D# across octaves). While the tuning name suggests a B-centric harmony, specifically a B13 with an added minor third, the open strings do not directly form a standard B13 chord (B-D#-F#-A-C#-E-G#). Instead, they offer fragments and alterations, creating an open sonority that is rich in tension and ideal for exploring atonal or highly chromatic compositions.

Verbal Analysis & Open Chords

Forget traditional major and minor triads; this tuning is designed to break free from conventional harmony. The open strings themselves form a dense, clashing chord that is striking and full of character. It's a tuning that will immediately push players out of their comfort zone, inspiring new fingerings and chord shapes. The wide intervallic stretches and dissonant clusters invite experimentation with extended harmonies, polytonality, and soundscapes rather than simple strumming.

Due to its inherent dissonance, the 'open chord' itself functions as a ready-made atonal cluster. This tuning would be excellent for:

• Experimental music genres.
• Soundtrack and ambient work requiring unique textures.
• Creating complex, "outside" jazz voicings with minimal effort.
• Avant-garde fingerstyle arrangements.

While simple major or minor chords are not readily available in their standard forms, the tuning facilitates the discovery of unique chord voicings and melodic possibilities that are otherwise inaccessible.

How to Tune

To achieve the B13addm3 Tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these precise string adjustments:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to A2.
• 4th String (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to D3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 1 semitones to G4#.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to B3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 1 semitones to D5#.

Please note that while most movements are minor, tuning up the 3rd string by 1 semitone, while small, should always be done with care to avoid string breakage. If you're exploring extreme tunings with larger semitone shifts, consider using a different gauge string for optimal performance and safety.