Tuning Analysis: Open Bm

The Open Bm tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant soundscape, immediately evoking a melancholic or introspective mood when strummed open. This tuning, with its deep and rich minor tonality, is particularly well-suited for blues, folk, rock, or any genre where a darker, more emotionally charged foundation is desired. It's excellent for slide guitar, drone passages, or creating atmospheric textures, allowing for a full minor chord to ring out with ease.

Technical Breakdown

This Open Bm tuning sets the open strings to D2 - F#3 - B2 - F#4 - B3 - D4 (from lowest to highest string). These notes collectively form a B minor chord (B, D, F#).

• The lowest string, D2, provides a foundational minor third below the root B, adding significant depth and resonance to the overall sound.
• The arrangement features a strong presence of the root (B) and the perfect fifth (F#) across different octaves, bolstered by the minor third (D) at the highest and lowest points.
• Specifically, the intervals from the root B are: D (minor 3rd), F# (perfect 5th), B (root), F# (perfect 5th, octave higher), B (root, octave higher), D (minor 3rd, octave higher).
• This precise harmonic structure ensures that an un-fretted strum yields a clear, powerful, and deeply expressive B minor chord, making it an ideal open tuning for songwriting in this key.

Open Chords and Playability

With the Open Bm tuning, simply strumming the open strings produces a rich B minor (Bm) chord. This allows for immediate song creation and drone-based playing. The parallel nature of the tuning across different octaves makes it incredibly intuitive for exploring new chord shapes:

• By barring all strings at a single fret, you can easily transpose the B minor chord up or down the neck. For example, barring at the 1st fret yields a C minor (Cm), while barring at the 3rd fret gives you a D minor (Dm).
• The presence of repeated F# and B notes at different octaves simplifies the creation of power chords and partial chords, as many notes are already in harmony.
• Experiment with droning the open strings while fretting single notes on the higher or lower strings to create melodic lines over the stable minor harmony, particularly effective for slide guitar.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Bm tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these steps carefully:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 3 semitones to B2.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 1 semitones to F#4.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at B3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 2 semitones to D4.

Important Note: Generally, when tuning strings up or down by more than 4 semitones, it is advisable to consider using a different string gauge to maintain optimal string tension and intonation. For this particular Open Bm tuning, while most changes are within a moderate range, the significant drops on strings 5 and 4 might result in a looser feel compared to standard tuning. Always tune carefully and listen to your instrument.