Description

The 'SLEEP' tuning, specifically designed for the Guitar and notably employed by Slowdive for their song "Sleep," offers a deeply atmospheric and unconventional sound palette. This tuning significantly departs from standard EADGBe, creating a soundworld that is both ethereal and stark, perfect for shoegaze and ambient textures.

Technical Analysis & Harmonic Landscape

The open strings of the 'SLEEP' tuning present a rich and complex harmonic structure: D#3, A#3, F3, C#4, G#4, G#4. Reordered by pitch for easier analysis, we have D#3, F3, A#3, C#4, G#4, G#4. This voicing is highly distinctive:

• The lowest string, D#3, forms a resonant foundation.
• The F3, just a minor second above D#3, creates a powerful and immediate dissonance when both strings are played, a hallmark of this tuning's melancholic and tension-filled character.
• The A#3 provides a perfect fifth above the low D#, grounding the D# in a familiar harmonic relationship despite the surrounding tension.
• C#4 introduces a minor seventh above the D#, hinting at a dominant or minor seventh chord quality.
• The two highest strings are tuned to G#4, providing a rich octave doubling that adds fullness and sustain. The G# is an augmented fourth from D#3, or a perfect fourth from C#4, contributing to the complex harmonic color.

While not forming a simple, conventional open chord, the overall intervallic structure can be interpreted as a D# minor 7 chord (D#-A#-C#) with an added dissonant F (minor 2nd from D#) and an added G# (perfect 4th from C# or augmented 4th from D#). This results in a dense, ambiguous, and resonant voicing that avoids traditional harmony, encouraging melodic lines, sustained textures, and drone-like playing rather than straightforward strumming of open chords.

Due to the extreme tension created by the D#3 and F3, and the general departure from standard intervals, traditional chord shapes are rendered largely unusable, inviting players to explore new fingerings and unique voicings that leverage the open string drones and dissonances for specific atmospheric effects.

How to Tune (Starting from Standard EADGBe, or your current setup)

Please note that tuning changes exceeding 4 semitones up or down may require a different string gauge to maintain optimal playability and string tension.

• Low E String (6th String): Tune down 1 semitones to D#3.
• A String (5th String): Tune up 1 semitones to A#3.
• D String (4th String): Tune down 1 semitones to C#4.
• G String (3rd String): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• B String (2nd String): Tune down 3 semitones to G#4.
• High E String (1st String): Tune down 8 semitones to G#4. *Caution:* A drop of 8 semitones is significant; a heavier gauge string is strongly recommended for this string to prevent excessive looseness and improve tone.

String 6: D3#

String 5: A3#

String 4: C4#

String 3: F3

String 2: G4#

String 1: G4#