This tuning, famously used by Thurston Moore on Sonic Youth's 2006 album 'Rather Ripped,' along with CGDGCD on other tracks, is a prime example of their experimental approach to the guitar. It's an incredibly low, deeply resonant, and often dissonant tuning that immediately evokes the band's signature textural and noise-rock soundscapes. The extreme detuning across nearly all strings creates a very low string tension, which contributes to unique bending and strumming characteristics, often resulting in a looser, more percussive feel, and a tendency for strings to flap or buzz, adding to its raw, avant-garde aesthetic. The overall sonic profile would be dark, dense, and rich with overtones, favoring drone-like passages, muted strumming, and heavy feedback over conventional melodic lines or traditional harmonic resolution. The unusual interval relationships, particularly the non-monotonic pitch order, challenge standard guitar playing methods, encouraging exploration of new fingerings and harmonic perspectives.

Technical Analysis

The open string notes for this tuning are: D2, D#3, A#3, D#4, G3, G3 (from lowest to highest string).

• Extreme Detuning: All strings are tuned significantly lower than standard EADGBe. The 1st (high E) string, for instance, is dropped an astounding 9 semitones, indicating a need for very careful string gauge selection to maintain any semblance of playability and intonation.
• Non-Monotonic Pitch Order: A striking feature of this tuning is that the 2nd string (G3) is tuned *lower* than the 3rd string (D#4). This is highly unusual and defies the typical ascending pitch order of guitar strings, forcing players to adopt unconventional fingerings and re-evaluate their approach to chord voicings and melodic patterns.
• Dissonant & Suspended Harmonies:
  • The lowest two strings (D2 and D#3) form a jarring minor 9th interval, setting a tense, foundational dissonance.
  • Strings 5, 4, and 3 (D#3, A#3, D#4) form a D#sus4 or D#5 chord shape, providing an open, yet somewhat suspended, quality.
  • The addition of the G3 notes on the top two strings (unison) against the D#, A#, D# cluster creates a complex, highly dissonant harmony (D#, A#, D#, G). This isn't a conventional major or minor chord, but rather a tone cluster designed for textural impact, emphasizing dissonance and open-ended resolution.
• Open Chords and Playability: Playing all open strings yields a dense, complex, and dissonant chord, more of a sonic texture than a traditional harmony. Standard chord shapes are largely impractical or significantly recontextualized. The tuning encourages exploration of two- or three-note clusters, open-string drones, and percussive techniques. The unison G3s on the top two strings provide a thick, ringing drone. Due to the extremely low tension on many strings, a heavier gauge string set is highly recommended to achieve better intonation and playability, especially on the more drastically detuned strings.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped Tuning' from standard EADGBe, follow these steps:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 6 semitones to D3#. Caution: This is a significant drop. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension, tone, and to prevent potential intonation issues.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 4 semitones to A3#. Caution: This is a significant drop. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension, tone, and to prevent potential intonation issues.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 4 semitones to D4#. Caution: This is a significant drop. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension, tone, and to prevent potential intonation issues.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 4 semitones to G3. Caution: This is a significant drop. A heavier gauge string is strongly advised for optimal tension, tone, and to prevent potential intonation issues.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 9 semitones to G3. Caution: This is an extreme drop in pitch. A much heavier gauge string is strongly advised to maintain any playable tension, prevent buzzing, and ensure adequate intonation.

Here are the open notes for the 'Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped Tuning':

• 6th String: D2
• 5th String: D3#
• 4th String: A3#
• 3rd String: D4#
• 2nd String: G3
• 1st String: G3