The DAEAAE tuning, famously associated with Owl City, transforms your standard guitar into an instrument capable of producing ethereal, resonant soundscapes. This unique open tuning creates a rich, layered harmonic foundation that is perfect for ambient music, indie pop, and experimental textures, allowing for lush, wide-open voicings with minimal effort.

Technical Analysis:

The open strings are tuned to D2-A2-E3-A3-A3-E4 (from low to high). This specific configuration results in an open Dsus2 chord. When all open strings are strummed, the resulting notes form D, A, and E, creating a wonderfully open and airy quality. The intervals relative to the low D are a perfect 5th (A2), a major 2nd (E3), a perfect 5th (A3), a perfect 5th (A3 again, creating a unison or octave effect with the 5th string), and another major 2nd (E4). This voicing, featuring doubled As and Es and the prominent D and E, gives the tuning a bright, floating, and resonant character, providing a sense of expansiveness.

Open Chords and Possibilities:

• Strumming all open strings yields a full Dsus2 chord, which can serve as a foundation for countless melodic and harmonic ideas.
• Due to the open and symmetric nature of the repeated A and E notes, simple barres or two-finger shapes can produce complex and harmonically interesting chords. For example, a single finger barre across the higher strings (E3-A3-A3-E4) will create voicings with that inherent sus2 quality.
• The prominent A and E notes throughout the tuning make it remarkably easy to imply A major or E major tonalities by focusing on specific string groups or adding minimal fretting.
• Experiment with open string drones against fretted notes to discover shimmering, layered soundscapes characteristic of ambient and atmospheric music.
• The identical A notes on the 3rd and 2nd strings offer interesting unison or octave possibilities, significantly enhancing the tuning's resonance and richness.

String 6: D2 (Low D)

String 5: A2

String 4: E3

String 3: A3

String 2: A3

String 1: E4 (High E)

How to Tune:

To achieve the DAEAAE tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these steps:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• String 5 (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 4 (D): Tune up 2 semitones to E3. (Caution: Tuning up increases string tension. Proceed slowly and carefully.)
• String 3 (G): Tune up 2 semitones to A3. (Caution: Tuning up increases string tension. Proceed slowly and carefully.)
• String 2 (B): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).

Please note that string movements exceeding 4 semitones up or down generally advise a different string gauge to maintain optimal playability and string longevity. For this tuning, the maximum movement is 2 semitones, which is generally acceptable for most standard string gauges. Always tune carefully and check intonation after making significant changes.