Known affectionately as the "Owen Tuning" after its popularizer, Mike Kinsella (Owen), Kinsella's Open Cadence is a captivating and emotionally resonant guitar tuning designed to inspire unique melodic and harmonic possibilities. This tuning leans into a melancholic yet beautiful sonic landscape, perfect for intricate fingerstyle, ambient textures, and expressive indie rock.

Technical Analysis

In this tuning, your guitar strings are set to:

• 6th String (Low E): D2
• 5th String (A): G2
• 4th String (D): C3
• 3rd String (G): G3
• 2nd String (B): A3
• 1st String (High E): C4

The open strings form a rich, suspended-like chord. The notes D-G-C-G-A-C, when analyzed from a C root, present the 1st (C), 2nd (D), 5th (G), and 6th (A) intervals, effectively creating a Cadd9 (no 5th) or a C6/9 (no 5th, no 3rd) voicing. This creates a very open and harmonically complex sound, immediately evocative and full of tension and release.

Intervals between strings are highly unique:

• D2 to G2: Perfect 4th
• G2 to C3: Perfect 4th
• C3 to G3: Perfect 5th
• G3 to A3: Major 2nd
• A3 to C4: Minor 3rd

Chordal Exploration

With its open string voicing, this tuning lends itself to beautiful, ringing chords without much effort.

• Open Chord: The open strings themselves form a rich, somewhat ambiguous Cadd9/C6/9 sound (D-G-C-G-A-C). This chord provides an immediate sonic signature for the tuning.
• Relative Chords: By simply fretting the entire open string shape up two frets, you achieve an Emadd9/Em6/9 feel. Moving it up to the 5th fret, you get an F#madd9/F#m6/9.
• Easily Accessible Chords: The unique intervals mean traditional chord shapes are rendered new. However, the presence of two C's and two G's (and a D which is the 9th of C) suggests that chords rooted around C, G, or even D will sound particularly strong. Barre chords across the lower three strings will create powerful fourth-based harmonies. Experiment with two-finger voicings on the higher strings to find surprising melodic clusters that resonate beautifully with the open bass.
• Suspended and Open Voicings: Due to the lack of a traditional major or minor third in the open strings, the tuning naturally gravitates towards suspended and open voicings, offering a dreamy and expansive quality. Exploring shapes that emphasize perfect fourths and fifths will yield pleasing results.

This tuning is a fantastic playground for guitarists looking to break free from standard tuning patterns and discover new sonic textures, especially those interested in emo, indie, and alternative music styles.

How to Tune Your Guitar to Kinsella's Open Cadence

To achieve the Kinsella's Open Cadence tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these steps carefully for each string.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones from E2 to D2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change from G3 to G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 4 semitones from E4 to C4. Careful Note: Tuning this string down by 4 semitones (a major third) brings it to the edge of what's typically recommended for standard gauge strings. While generally safe, if you notice significant slack or tuning instability, consider using a heavier gauge string for optimal performance.

Remember to tune slowly and check your intonation after all strings are adjusted. Enjoy exploring the unique sounds of Kinsella's Open Cadence!