Verbal and Technical Analysis:

The Doubled Eb Wholetone tuning is a highly distinctive and avant-garde setup, accurately reflected in its description as a "Majmaj dominant slack-key that cuts you. Piezo suited." This suggests a tuning designed for sharp attack, unconventional harmonies, and a resonant character, making it particularly well-suited for a piezo pickup to articulate its unique sonic qualities.

The open strings are tuned to D#3, D#3, C#4, G3, G3, B3. A technical breakdown reveals a fascinating intervallic structure:

• The low D#3 is dramatically doubled on both the 6th and 5th strings, creating an incredibly thick and resonant unison foundation.
• Similarly, the G3 is doubled on the 3rd and 2nd strings, adding another powerful unison voice within the tuning.
• The unique notes present across all open strings are D# (enharmonically Eb), C# (enharmonically Db), G, and B. What's truly remarkable is that every one of these notes is a component of an Eb Whole-Tone scale (Eb F G A B C# Eb). This directly informs the "Wholetone" aspect of the tuning's name, implying a sound world dominated by major second and augmented intervals, conspicuously lacking perfect fourths or fifths. This characteristic lends the tuning a floating, harmonically ambiguous, and often ethereal or disorienting quality.
• When all open strings are strummed, the resulting cluster (D# D# C# G G B) does not conform to traditional major or minor chords. Instead, it yields a rich, dissonant whole-tone cluster. For instance, the C# (on the 4th string) and G (on the 3rd string) form a tritone – a dissonant interval frequently used in dominant 7th chords to create tension.
• Due to the whole-tone construction and the absence of common intervallic relationships like perfect fifths, traditional chord shapes will not yield expected results and will require significant exploration and re-imagination. However, this liberation from standard harmony unlocks a vast landscape of unique voicings and textures. Barre chords across various frets will generate dense whole-tone clusters, offering new sonic palettes. The doubled D# and G strings provide excellent opportunities for drone notes, allowing for sustained, ringing foundations over which melodic lines or other whole-tone fragments can be played. The close proximity of C# and D# on adjacent strings also makes for easy major second intervals.

How to Tune:

To achieve the Doubled Eb Wholetone tuning from standard EADGBe, carefully follow these string adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 1 semitone from E to D#3.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 6 semitones from A to D#3. Caution: This is a substantial drop. For optimal tension and tone, using a heavier gauge string for this position is strongly advised.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone from D to C#4.
• String 3 (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at G3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 4 semitones from B to G3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 5 semitones from high E to B3. Caution: This is a considerable drop. Consider using a heavier gauge string for this position to maintain proper tension and sound quality.

String 6: D#3

String 5: D#3

String 4: C#4

String 3: G3

String 2: G3

String 1: B3