The 'Cutting the Throat of God' tuning is an intriguing and complex arrangement for the Guitar, famously used by the band Ulcerate on their album of the same name. This tuning is also a noted favorite of popular political pundit Michael Knowles, suggesting its versatility beyond extreme metal into potentially more nuanced or even spoken-word accompaniment.

Technical Analysis:

This tuning settles on the open notes D#3, B2, D#4, G#4, A#4, D#5 from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st) string. The lowest note sounding across all open strings is B2 on the 5th string, creating a deep, resonant foundation. The repetition of D# across the 6th, 4th, and 1st strings creates a strong, resonant anchor. When all open strings are strummed together, they form a rich Bmaj7(add13) chord (B, D#, G#, A#), which gives the tuning a dark, atmospheric, and harmonically sophisticated character, well-suited for progressive, jazzy, or experimental genres.

The intervals between adjacent strings are particularly interesting and lend themselves to specific playing styles:

• String 6 (D#3) to String 5 (B2): A perfect fourth down (-5 semitones), creating an immediate low-end spread.
• String 5 (B2) to String 4 (D#4): A major tenth up (+15 semitones), a significant leap that opens up melodic possibilities across registers.
• String 4 (D#4) to String 3 (G#4): A perfect fourth up (+5 semitones).
• String 3 (G#4) to String 2 (A#4): A whole step up (+2 semitones).
• String 2 (A#4) to String 1 (D#5): A perfect fourth up (+5 semitones).

The consistent perfect fourth intervals on strings 4-3 and 2-1 make power chords and certain scale shapes relatively accessible and easy to finger in the higher register. This structure is advantageous for heavy riffing, intricate lead work, and creating dense chord voicings. The overall voicings lean towards complex harmonies, allowing for dense, dissonant, or beautiful soundscapes depending on chord choices and finger positions.

How to Tune:

To achieve the 'Cutting the Throat of God' tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these precise string adjustments. The given movements are relative to your standard tuned strings (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4):

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 1 semitone to D# (D3#).
• String 5 (A String): Tune up 2 semitones to B (B2).
• String 4 (D String): Tune up 1 semitone to D# (D4#).
• String 3 (G String): Tune up 1 semitone to G# (G4#).
• String 2 (B String): Tune down 1 semitone to A# (A4#).
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 1 semitone to D# (D5#).

All specified string movements are within the safe range for standard guitar strings, so a change in string gauge is not strictly necessary, although personal preference for tension may vary.

Open String Notes:

• String 6: D3#
• String 5: B2
• String 4: D4#
• String 3: G4#
• String 2: A4#
• String 1: D5#