Tuning Analysis: Collier 5 String

This unique 5-string guitar tuning is famously associated with Jacob Collier, reflecting his innovative approach to harmony and arrangement. It offers a deeply resonant and broad sonic palette, designed to inspire creative chord voicings and melodic ideas that diverge from standard guitar tunings.

Verbal Analysis

The Collier 5 String tuning presents a rich, open sound centered around the D major triad, specifically a Dsus2 voicing with a strong low-end foundation. The tuning features a D-A-E-A-D sequence from lowest to highest string, which immediately suggests a drone-like quality. The lowest two strings, D2 and A2, establish a powerful perfect fifth bass, providing a solid foundation for complex harmonies. The tuning feels expansive and open, ideal for arpeggiated figures, sustained chords, and intricate melodic lines that take advantage of the wide interval leaps and repeated notes.

Given its association with Jacob Collier, this tuning is likely employed for its specific harmonic potential, allowing for unique voicings that are either difficult or impossible to achieve in standard tuning. It encourages players to think differently about the fretboard, finding new shapes and relationships between notes.

Technical Analysis

The open notes of this tuning are D2, A2, E3, A3, D4. Let's break down the intervals:

• String 5 (D2) to String 4 (A2): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
• String 4 (A2) to String 3 (E3): Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
• String 3 (E3) to String 2 (A3): Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
• String 2 (A3) to String 1 (D4): Perfect 4th (5 semitones)

The overall tuning configuration of D-A-E-A-D is effectively a Dsus2 chord (D, A, E) where the A and D notes are repeated across octaves. The strong prevalence of perfect fifths in the lower strings (D2-A2-E3) provides a powerful, resonant base. The subsequent perfect fourths (E3-A3-D4) create a bright, open sound on the higher strings. This combination allows for a full, rich open strum that inherently rings with the harmonics of a Dsus2 chord.

Open Chords and Accessibility

Playing all open strings simultaneously yields a magnificent Dsus2 chord (D-A-E-A-D). This chord is incredibly resonant and forms the harmonic foundation of the tuning. Due to the perfect fifths on the lower strings, power chords rooted on D or A become easily accessible and very full-sounding.

Other accessible chords include:

• D Major: By fretting the 3rd string (E3) up two semitones to F#3, you get D-A-F#-A-D, a clear D major chord.
• D Minor: By fretting the 3rd string (E3) up one semitone to F3, you get D-A-F-A-D, a clear D minor chord.
• A Power Chord: The combination of A2-E3 (strings 4 and 3) provides a natural A5 power chord.

The repeating A and D notes in different octaves make it easy to create melodic lines and arpeggios that emphasize these tonic and dominant tones. This tuning is excellent for creating drone-based music, ambient soundscapes, or intricate fingerstyle pieces that leverage its unique harmonic intervals.

Tuning Notes

• String 5 (Lowest): D2
• String 4: A2
• String 3: E3
• String 2: A3
• String 1 (Highest): D4

How to Tune

This tuning involves significant downward adjustments from standard guitar tuning. Please proceed with caution, especially with the larger semitone drops. For optimal tone and string life, considering a heavier gauge string for the lowest strings might be advisable.

• String 5 (Lowest): To achieve D2, tune this string down 7 semitones. This is a substantial drop; exercise care and monitor string tension. A heavier gauge string is strongly recommended.
• String 4: To achieve A2, tune this string down 5 semitones. This is beyond the recommended 4 semitone limit for a standard gauge string, so a heavier gauge string is advised for best results.
• String 3: To achieve E3, tune this string down 3 semitones.
• String 2: To achieve A3, tune this string down 2 semitones.
• String 1 (Highest): To achieve D4, tune this string down 2 semitones.

Always tune slowly and re-check your notes, especially when making significant changes to string tension.