Tuning Analysis: Open C6/9 Drone

The "Open C6/9 Drone" tuning transforms your standard 6-string guitar into a sonic landscape rich with sophisticated harmonies and unique melodic opportunities. This setup, with its carefully chosen intervals, deviates significantly from conventional tunings, inviting players to explore new musical territories suitable for genres like folk, blues, jazz-influenced pieces, and experimental fingerstyle.

Verbal Observations

Upon first strum, the open strings (D-G-E-A-C-E) immediately convey a sense of depth and harmonic complexity. While the lowest string provides a robust D drone, the upper strings harmonically lean towards a C6/9 chord. This blend offers a sound that is both familiar and exotic, reminiscent of a sophisticated minor-ish chord, yet with an inherent brightness from the major 6th and 9th extensions. The wide intervals, particularly between the 5th and 4th strings (G to E), create a spacious quality, allowing individual notes to resonate clearly within the overall harmony. It's a tuning that encourages open voicings and allows melodies to sing over a lush, sustained harmonic bed.

Technical Analysis & Chordal Possibilities

This tuning, D2-G2-E3-A3-C4-E4, offers a unique set of intervals:

• String 6 (D2) to String 5 (G2): Perfect 4th (P4)
• String 5 (G2) to String 4 (E3): Major 6th (M6) - a significantly wide interval.
• String 4 (E3) to String 3 (A3): Perfect 4th (P4)
• String 3 (A3) to String 2 (C4): Minor 3rd (m3)
• String 2 (C4) to String 1 (E4): Major 3rd (M3)

The open strings D, G, E, A, C, E collectively form a C6/9 chord (C-E-G-A-D) with an added root D, creating a rich, suspended harmony. This implies that the tuning is naturally suited for pieces that leverage this particular chord quality or modal structures related to C major or D Dorian/Mixolydian scales.

Key chordal observations and accessible shapes:

• Open Am Chord: The top three strings (A-C-E) form a perfect A minor triad, making open A minor shapes very resonant and easily accessible.
• Dsus4 Voicings: The lower strings (D-G-E) provide a strong Dsus4 foundation, which can be easily expanded upon or used as a drone.
• Power Chords: The Perfect 4th intervals on strings 6-5 (D-G) and 4-3 (E-A) mean that two-finger power chord shapes are still readily available and can be moved across these string sets.
• Melodic Potential: The interplay between the lower D drone and the C-E-G-A-D (C6/9) notes on the upper strings opens up a canvas for intricate arpeggios and melodic lines that naturally outline these sophisticated harmonies. Sliding single-note lines across the string sets will yield unique intervallic leaps, characteristic of the tuning.

How to Tune

To achieve the "Open C6/9 Drone" tuning from standard E-A-D-G-B-E, follow these precise string adjustments. All movements are within safe limits for standard gauge strings, generally not exceeding 4 semitones up or down.

• 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): Tune up 2 semitones from D3 to E3.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitone from B3 to C4.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones), remaining at E4.

Note: For tunings involving movements greater than 4 semitones up or down, it is generally recommended to consider a different string gauge to maintain optimal tension and prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument. This tuning's adjustments are all within safe operational limits.