Description of Wax Wings Tuning

The 'Wax Wings Tuning' is a distinctive and highly customized low-register guitar tuning, famously utilized in the song "Wax Wings" by the progressive metal band Periphery. This tuning deviates significantly from standard E, creating a soundscape that is both heavy and harmonically rich, characteristic of modern progressive music.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning conjures a deep, resonant, and somewhat melancholic atmosphere. The extremely low D on the 6th string provides a solid, growling foundation for heavy riffs, while the higher strings, with their unique intervals, open up possibilities for complex, shimmering chords and intricate melodic lines. The wide range of notes and the presence of both D and A (an octave apart) create a sense of vastness and power. The F# and C notes in the open tuning suggest a tonality that can easily lean into bluesy, jazzy, or even modal territories, despite its metal context. It feels designed for a player who wants to explore intricate voicings and powerful, percussive riffs, offering a unique sonic palette right at their fingertips.

Notably, the open strings (D2 F#3 A2 E3 A3 C4) readily form a D dominant 9th chord (D-F#-A-C-E). This provides an incredibly rich, jazzy, or bluesy harmonic foundation without even touching a fret, allowing for sophisticated voicings and inversions to be built upon it. The inherent tension of the dominant 9th chord offers a springboard for melodic exploration. Furthermore, simple power chords on the lower strings are easily accessible due to the dropped D and the octave A's.

Technical Analysis

The 'Wax Wings Tuning' is precisely defined as D2 F#3 A2 E3 A3 C4 (low to high). This involves substantial drops from standard E tuning across most strings. Key technical observations include:

• Low D Foundation: The 6th string is dropped to D2, providing a very deep and powerful root note, often used in drop tunings for heavy music.
• Unique Intervals: The interval between the 6th (D2) and 5th (F#3) strings is a compound major 3rd (or major 10th), creating a significant leap in pitch. Following this, the 5th (F#3) to 4th (A2) string drops a minor 6th, which is unusual and creates a distinct shape across the fretboard.
• Octave A's: The 4th string (A2) and 2nd string (A3) are both tuned to A, creating an octave relationship that can be used for resonant arpeggios or powerful octave riffs.
• D Dominant 9th Open Chord: The collection of open notes D-F#-A-C-E forms a D dominant 9th chord (D9). This complex chord is immediately available, suggesting opportunities for sophisticated open voicings and melodic interplay without needing to fret.
• Standard-ish Higher Intervals: The intervals on the upper strings (A2 to E3 - Perfect 5th; E3 to A3 - Perfect 4th; A3 to C4 - Minor 3rd) offer some familiar patterns, making certain chord shapes or scales on these strings feel somewhat more conventional.

Tuning Notes & How to Tune

To achieve the 'Wax Wings Tuning', you will be adjusting your guitar strings to the following notes from low to high:

• 6th String (Low E): D2
• 5th String (A): F#3
• 4th String (D): A2
• 3rd String (G): E3
• 2nd String (B): A3
• 1st String (High E): C4

How to Tune (from Standard E Tuning)

Please follow these instructions carefully. Significant downward tuning may require adjusting string tension gradually or considering different string gauges for optimal performance and to prevent issues like fret buzz or intonation problems.

• 6th String: Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• 5th String: Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• 4th String: Tune down 5 semitones to A2. Warning: A different gauge string is advised for this significant drop to maintain proper tension and tone.
• 3rd String: Tune down 3 semitones to E3.
• 2nd String: Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• 1st String: Tune down 4 semitones to C4.