The "Abyssal D Standard" tuning plunges your 7-string guitar into the deepest sonic realms, living up to its powerful and ominous moniker. With every string tuned down a significant nine semitones, this tuning creates an incredibly heavy and resonant soundscape, perfect for genres like Djent, Deathcore, Sludge Metal, and any style demanding earth-shattering lows and a crushing sonic presence.

Technical Analysis:

• This is a 7-string tuning, with notes from lowest to highest: D1 G1 C2 F2 A3# D3 G3.
• The tuning starts with a series of perfect fourths (D1-G1-C2-F2) which makes forming heavy power chords across the lower strings incredibly intuitive and powerful. A single finger barre on these four strings yields a rich, complex, and dark chord voicing.
• A distinctive and highly unusual characteristic of this tuning is the interval between the 4th (F2) and 3rd (A3#) strings, and the subsequent string order. The 3rd string (A3#) is not only a tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th) above the 4th string F2, but also jumps an entire octave, making it significantly higher in pitch.
• Even more unconventionally, the 3rd string (A3#) is higher in pitch than the 2nd string (D3). This inverted pitch relationship breaks traditional guitar string ordering and will necessitate a completely different approach to chord voicings and scale patterns, offering unique harmonic possibilities but requiring significant adaptation.
• Despite its nominal resemblance to 'D Standard', this tuning significantly modifies the typical 'A' to 'A#' (Bb) in the higher register and shifts the entire tuning to an exceptionally low D1 base. This creates a very dark and potentially dissonant harmonic palette, especially when strumming all open strings, which produce the notes D, G, C, F, A#, D, G. This ensemble of notes can evoke a complex Gsus4 with an added F and A# (Bb), creating a rich, melancholic, and heavy open chord.

Open Chords & Playing Style:

• The lower four strings (D1-G1-C2-F2) are perfectly suited for crushing power chords and chugging riffs. Barre an entire fret across these strings to easily achieve thick, harmonically rich voicings.
• Due to the extreme depth and unconventional string order, particularly the A3# and D3 relationship, this tuning is best explored by experimental players, those looking for ultra-low djent tones, or musicians seeking to create unique, dissonant sound textures. Traditional chord shapes will not translate directly to the upper strings.
• Expect a profound, almost subterranean rumble that will demand a robust amplifier and speaker setup to truly articulate its full depth.

Current Tuning Notes:

String 7 (lowest): D1
String 6: G1
String 5: C2
String 4: F2
String 3: A3#
String 2: D3
String 1 (highest): G3

How to Tune:

Given the extreme drop in pitch for all strings, a significantly heavier gauge string set is strongly advised to maintain proper tension, intonation, and playability. Tuning down 9 semitones (almost a full octave) on standard gauge strings can result in very loose, floppy strings and poor tone. If you are tuning down more than 4 semitones, a different gauge string is generally recommended to achieve the best results.

• String 7: Tune down 9 semitones to D1.
• String 6: Tune down 9 semitones to G1.
• String 5: Tune down 9 semitones to C2.
• String 4: Tune down 9 semitones to F2.
• String 3: Tune down 9 semitones to A3#.
• String 2: Tune down 9 semitones to D3.
• String 1: Tune down 9 semitones to G3.