About This Tuning: Soundgarden's 'Like Suicide' DGDGBC

This unique and compelling tuning, often associated with Soundgarden's powerful track "Like Suicide," transforms the guitar into an instrument of profound depth and resonance. It's a departure from standard tunings, designed to facilitate heavy, droning riffs and open, atmospheric soundscapes that defined much of the Seattle sound.

Technical Analysis:

The tuning settles into D2 G2 D3 G3 B2 C4 from low to high. This creates a fascinating blend of open string relationships:

• The lower four strings (D-G-D-G) establish a recurring pattern of a Root and its Perfect Fourth (relative to the lowest D). This allows for powerful, resonant droning effects and easy access to heavy, ringing voicings by barring across these strings. For example, barring at the 5th fret yields a G-C-G-C voicing.
• The open strings, when strummed together (D-G-D-G-B-C), create a complex, rich voicing that can be interpreted as a Dsus4add6addb7. This chord is not a simple major or minor triad but rather a dissonant yet compelling blend of intervals (Root, 4th, Octave, 4th, Maj6, Min7 relative to D). This contributes significantly to its dark and expansive sonic character.
• The most striking feature is the dramatic drop of the 2nd string (B string) by a full octave from B3 to B2. This lowers the melodic range of that string significantly, allowing for massive low-end intervals and unusual melodic phrasing that would be impossible in standard tuning.
• The 1st string (high E) is also dropped significantly to C4, providing the minor 7th to the open D root, further enhancing the dark, melancholic quality of the tuning.

Playing Considerations:

While not an 'open chord' tuning in the traditional sense of a simple major or minor triad, the DGDGBC arrangement offers unique advantages:

• Riff-Friendly Lower Strings: The D-G-D-G pattern on the bass strings is perfect for heavy, chugging riffs and driving rhythms, where maintaining a strong harmonic foundation with ringing fourths is desired.
• Unique Voicings: The combination of the lower D and G strings with the B2 and C4 on the higher strings opens up a world of unconventional chord voicings and arpeggios, ideal for creating expansive textures.
• Dynamic Range: The extremely low B2 string provides an extended lower register, allowing for wider interval jumps and a broader dynamic range when composing or improvising.

This tuning is a fantastic choice for guitarists looking to explore alternative sounds, particularly those inspired by grunge, hard rock, or experimental metal, offering a distinct tonal palette for heavy, melodic, and atmospheric compositions.

How to Tune to DGDGBC:

To achieve the Soundgarden 'Like Suicide' DGDGBC tuning, you will start from standard EADGBe tuning and adjust your strings as follows. Pay close attention to the substantial changes required for some strings.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones from E2 to D2.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• String 4 (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). It remains at D3.
• String 3 (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). It remains at G3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 12 semitones from B3 to B2. This is a significant drop of an entire octave. Warning: Such a drastic drop in pitch can lead to very loose string tension and may require a heavier gauge string to maintain playability and intonation.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 4 semitones from E4 to C4.

Always retune several times and stretch your strings gently to ensure they settle into pitch properly, especially after significant changes.