Tuning Analysis: Kiss The Rain (Sungha Jung Arrangement)

This captivating tuning, meticulously crafted for Sungha Jung's renowned arrangement of "Kiss The Rain," offers a deeply resonant and harmonically rich soundscape. Primarily utilizing lowered strings, it creates a warm, full-bodied tone that is exquisitely suited for intricate fingerstyle pieces and expressive melodies. The unique and wide intervals within this tuning push players beyond conventional chord shapes, encouraging a creative and exploratory approach to the fretboard. It is a specialized tuning designed to evoke specific musical textures rather than broad applicability, making it perfect for capturing the melancholic beauty and nuanced emotion of the piece it's named after.

Technical Breakdown:

The open strings are tuned to D#3, F#3, B2, F#4, B3, F4, from the lowest (6th) string to the highest (1st) string. This configuration results in a complex and highly unconventional set of intervals across the fretboard:

• The lowest notes, D#3 and F#3, establish a minor third interval, providing a rich, low-end foundation.
• The placement of B2 on the 4th string creates a powerful bass note. When combined with D#3 and F#3 from the lower strings, a strong B Major triad (B - D# - F#) is immediately evident across multiple strings (B2, D#3, F#3, B3, F#4). This suggests a strong B Major tonality or a related modal center for the piece.
• A particularly striking feature is the significant jump from the 4th string (B2) to the 3rd string (F#4), an interval of a full octave plus a perfect fifth. This extraordinarily wide leap in pitch, along with the descent from the 5th string (F#3) to the 4th string (B2), renders traditional chord voicings unusable and necessitates specific, arrangement-driven fingerings or open-string voicings.
• The highest string, tuned to F4, introduces a tritone (augmented 4th) relationship to the foundational B note. This creates a distinct harmonic tension, offering possibilities for specific modal flavors (e.g., Lydian with a flattened 7th) or simply a potent dissonance for melodic emphasis and resolution within the piece.

This tuning is clearly optimized for intricate melodic lines and arpeggiated patterns rather than standard strumming, leveraging the unique open string voicings and wide intervals for expressive performance.

How to Tune Your Guitar:

To achieve the Kiss The Rain tuning, carefully adjust your guitar strings from standard EADGBe as follows. Always tune with care, making small, gradual adjustments to avoid string breakage or damage to your instrument.

• 6th String (Low E): Start with the 6th string, typically tuned to E2. Tune down 1 semitones to reach D#3.
• 5th String (A): Start with the 5th string, typically tuned to A2. Tune down 3 semitones to reach F#3.
• 4th String (D): Start with the 4th string, typically tuned to D3. Tune down 3 semitones to reach B2.
• 3rd String (G): Start with the 3rd string, typically tuned to G3. Tune down 1 semitones to reach F#4.
• 2nd String (B): Start with the 2nd string, typically tuned to B3. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at B3.
• 1st String (High E): Start with the 1st string, typically tuned to E4. Tune up 1 semitones to reach F4.

Note: All string movements in this tuning are within a reasonable range (maximum of 3 semitones down, 1 semitone up), meaning a different gauge string is generally not required. However, always exercise care and gradually adjust tension to prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument.

Open String Notes:

• 6th String: D#3
• 5th String: F#3
• 4th String: B2
• 3rd String: F#4
• 2nd String: B3
• 1st String: F4