Prepare for a rich and sonically intriguing experience with the D#m9 tuning! As the original discoverer noted, this is a tuning you might "stumble upon completely by accident," but it's undoubtedly "very fun to play in." It immediately sets a moody, sophisticated, and somewhat dark atmosphere, perfect for genres ranging from jazz and blues to progressive rock, metal, or even ambient soundscapes. The arrangement of notes lends itself to lush, open voicings and offers a unique canvas for melodic exploration.

Technical Analysis

This tuning is a sophisticated open D# minor 9th (D#m9) chord. When all strings are played open, they collectively produce the notes D#, F#, A#, C#, and F (enharmonically E#), which are the root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, and major ninth, respectively, of a D#m9 chord. The specific string arrangement is:

• 6th String (D#3): The root, providing a deep, resonant foundation.
• 5th String (F#3): The minor third, establishing the minor tonality.
• 4th String (C#4): The minor seventh, adding a bluesy, complex harmonic flavor.
• 3rd String (F3): The major ninth (E#), contributing the characteristic M9 extension, which gives the tuning its name and a sophisticated jazz-like quality.
• 2nd String (A#4): The perfect fifth, reinforcing the harmonic stability.
• 1st String (C#5): Another minor seventh, higher in octave, adding sparkle and fullness to the chord voicing.

The presence of the root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, and major ninth across the open strings makes this an incredibly rich and harmonically complete tuning right off the bat. The intervals create a dense, yet clear, D#m9 voicing that resonates beautifully.

Open Chords & Playability

The most striking feature of the D#m9 tuning is that the open strings themselves form a complete D#m9 chord. This allows for immediate, full-bodied harmony with minimal effort. You can strum all open strings for a deep, resonant D#m9, which is excellent for drones or as a foundational chord.

• Single-Finger Barre Chords: By barring across all strings at any fret, you can easily transpose the D#m9 shape to other minor 9th chords. For instance, a barre at the 1st fret yields Em9, at the 3rd fret Gm9, and so on. This makes navigating chord progressions incredibly intuitive for minor 9ths.
• Melodic Potential: The open string relationships create interesting melodic possibilities. You can easily play arpeggios of D#m9 across the neck. The specific voicing also allows for open string drones while fretting notes on other strings, creating compelling harmonic movement.
• Creative Shapes: The compact intervals between the 6th (D#), 5th (F#), and 4th (C#) strings, followed by the specific voicing of the F and A# on the middle strings, encourage the discovery of unique fingerings for inversions or related chords like D# minor 7, D# minor 6, or even D# diminished chords by slightly altering a single note.

How to Tune from Standard EADGBe

To achieve the D#m9 tuning, you will need to adjust multiple strings downwards from standard tuning. Please proceed carefully and use a reliable tuner.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 1 semitone to D#3.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 1 semitone to C#4.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 1 semitone to A#4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 3 semitones to C#5.

All string movements are within a reasonable range (3 semitones or less), so your current string gauge should generally be acceptable. However, as multiple strings are being tuned down, there will be a noticeable reduction in overall string tension. You may find the strings feel looser and easier to bend. Always check intonation after significant tuning changes.

String 6 (Low E): D#3

String 5 (A): F#3

String 4 (D): C#4

String 3 (G): F3

String 2 (B): A#4

String 1 (High E): C#5