The 'Brown Eyes' tuning, famously used by Red House Painters for their song of the same name, presents a highly unique and atmospheric sonic landscape. This tuning deviates significantly from standard EADGBe, creating a sound that is both dark and rich, characterized by interesting harmonic tensions.

Technical Analysis

The open strings are tuned to:

• Low E String (6th): D#3
• A String (5th): G2
• D String (4th): C3
• G String (3rd): F3
• B String (2nd): A#4
• High E String (1st): D4

When all strings are strummed open, the resulting notes (G2, C3, D#3, F3, D4, A#4, or enharmonically G, C, E♭, F, D, B♭) form a complex open chord. This configuration can be analyzed as a G minor 7 (add 4, add ♭6), featuring a root (G), minor third (B♭), perfect fourth (C), perfect fifth (D), minor sixth (E♭), and minor seventh (F). This intricate voicing creates a deeply resonant, somewhat melancholic, and atmospheric sound that is characteristic of the Red House Painters' style.

Chords will generally take on a darker, more expansive quality due to the prevalence of minor intervals and extensions. Standard chord shapes will require significant adaptation. However, the inherent harmonic structure makes voicings related to G minor 7th and its extensions more accessible. The unique high tuning of the 6th string (D#3) and 2nd string (A#4) provides distinct drone possibilities and allows for unusual melodic lines that are difficult to achieve in standard tunings. This tuning encourages an explorative approach to chord voicings and melodic phrasing.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Brown Eyes' tuning, follow these string movements from standard EADGBe tuning. Important Note: The tuning instructions describe small downward movements from standard. However, the target notes for the 6th string (D#3) and 2nd string (A#4) are significantly higher than their standard tuning counterparts (E2 and B3, respectively). Achieving these target pitches from a standard guitar setup would typically require a drastic upward tuning for these strings (11 semitones for the 6th string, 9 semitones for the 2nd string) and potentially different string gauges to avoid breakage. Please exercise extreme caution and be aware of your instrument's limits when attempting to reach these pitches.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 1 semitone to reach D#3.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones to reach G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones to reach C3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 2 semitones to reach F3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 1 semitone to reach A#4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 2 semitones to reach D4.

Here are the notes for each string in the 'Brown Eyes' tuning:

• String 6 (Low E): D#3
• String 5 (A): G2
• String 4 (D): C3
• String 3 (G): F3
• String 2 (B): A#4
• String 1 (High E): D4