The 'Never Meant Guitar 2' tuning is an open and resonant guitar tuning, hinting at the rich, expansive sounds often associated with math rock, emo, and progressive genres. While drawing on elements of D-based tunings, it introduces unique harmonic complexities, resulting in a full, bright, and somewhat ethereal sound. This tuning encourages a creative approach to chord voicings and arpeggios, making it ideal for intricate fingerstyle passages, shimmering textures, and dynamic melodic lines.

Technically, the open strings are D2, A2, E3, A3, C#5, and D4. This arrangement primarily forms a D major 7th (add9) chord (D, A, E, C#, D) across the strings, providing a sophisticated harmonic foundation. The low D-A-D on strings 6, 5, and 1 creates a powerful and resonant D octave, while the inclusion of the E (the 2nd/9th of D) and C# (the major 7th of D) adds rich, jazzy, or suspended qualities to the open sound. The extremely high C#5 on the second string (significantly higher than typical guitar range) and the D4 on the first string create a bright, almost bell-like chime on the treble side, allowing for sparkling top-end melodies and harmonics. This asymmetrical structure opens up a world of unique voicings and scalar possibilities not readily available in standard tuning.

How to Tune

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones from E2 to D2.
• String 5 (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from A2 to A2.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 2 semitones from D3 to E3.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 2 semitones from B3 to C#4. (Note: While the instruction is to tune up 2 semitones, the final target note specified in the tuning notes is C#5, which is an octave higher than C#4. Reaching C#5 from a standard B3 string would typically require a much lighter gauge string to avoid breakage due to extreme tension.)
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 2 semitones from E4 to D4.

• String 6: D2
• String 5: A2
• String 4: E3
• String 3: A3
• String 2: C#5
• String 1: D4