Tuning Analysis: Open Am/D

The 'Open Am/D' tuning transforms your standard Guitar into a vibrant, resonant soundscape, primarily centered around the A minor chord with a foundational D bass. This tuning is designed to be highly accessible for creating rich, open chord voicings and drone-based music, as highlighted by the original description: "Low D provides drone/base for 5th fret bar."

Verbal Analysis

Imagine a tuning that feels both expansive and introspective. 'Open Am/D' offers a melancholic yet full sound, perfect for fingerstyle arrangements, folk, blues, or even heavier genres seeking an open, ringing quality. The low D string acts as a deep, resonant pedal tone, allowing you to establish a strong harmonic anchor while the upper strings weave melodic and harmonic patterns around it. The open strings themselves create an instant A minor chord with an added D in the bass, giving a sense of depth and complexity without fretting. This makes it incredibly intuitive for creating a vast array of sounds by simply barring across frets or using simple two or three-finger chord shapes.

Technical Analysis

The open notes of this tuning are D2 E2 A2 E3 A3 C4 (from low to high string). Let's break down its harmonic structure:

• The lowest string (D2) establishes a strong root or drone.
• The subsequent strings (E2, A2, E3, A3, C4) combine to form a clear A minor chord (A, C, E) with doubled roots and fifths, giving it exceptional fullness.
• Together, the open strings (D-E-A-E-A-C) create a rich D minor 9 (Dm9) voicing if D is considered the root (D, E, A, C are D-9-5-b7). Alternatively, it functions as an A minor chord with an added D in the bass, clearly reflecting the 'Am/D' in its name.

Due to this open configuration, several chords become easily accessible:

• Open Strings: As noted, the open tuning provides a full A minor chord over a D bass, or a Dm9 voicing. This immediately gives a rich harmonic foundation for playing.
• Barre Chords: The parallel nature of the tuning on certain strings makes barre chords particularly effective. For example, barring all strings at the 5th fret yields the notes G-A-D-A-D-F, creating a powerful G minor 9 voicing (minus the 3rd, Bb, but with the b7, F, and 9th, A). Moving this shape up to the 7th fret gives A-B-E-B-E-G, forming an A minor 9 (again, without the 3rd, C, but with the b7, G, and 9th, B). This allows for easy transposition of complex, open-sounding minor 9 chords up and down the neck.
• Drone Chords: The low D string can be used as a constant drone, allowing you to play various chords and melodies on the higher strings that resonate against the D, creating unique harmonic tensions and releases.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Open Am/D' tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-e), you will need to adjust your strings as follows. Please exercise caution, especially with larger downward movements, as string tension will decrease significantly. For movements exceeding 4 semitones up or down, considering a different gauge string is often advised for optimal tone and playability.

• String 6 (Low E to D): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• String 5 (A to E): Tune down 5 semitones to E2. Caution: This is a significant drop in tension; a lighter gauge string might be beneficial.
• String 4 (D to A): Tune down 5 semitones to A2. Caution: This is a significant drop in tension; a lighter gauge string might be beneficial.
• String 3 (G to E): Tune down 3 semitones to E3.
• String 2 (B to A): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• String 1 (High E to C): Tune down 4 semitones to C4. Caution: This is a notable drop in tension; a lighter gauge string might be beneficial.