Verbal and Technical Analysis

This unique tuning, aptly named Houghton's Dissonant D#, is a fascinating setup for the guitar, specifically noted for its use by Phillip Houghton to create a dissonant soundscape. It deviates significantly from standard tuning, offering a rich and complex sonic palette.

Open String Notes:

• 6th String (Low E position): D#3
• 5th String (A position): G2
• 4th String (D position): D3
• 3rd String (G position): G3
• 2nd String (B position): B3
• 1st String (High E position): E4

Key Characteristics:

• Re-entrant Tuning: A defining and highly unusual feature is that the 5th string (G2) is tuned significantly lower in pitch than the 6th string (D#3). This 're-entrant' configuration means that the physical order of the strings does not correspond to a continually ascending pitch, profoundly altering how chord shapes and bass lines are perceived and played.
• Inherent Dissonance: As the description states, this is a dissonant tuning. When all open strings are strummed, the notes are G2, D3, D#3, G3, B3, E4 (ordered by ascending pitch). The presence of both D3 (a perfect 5th) and D#3 (an augmented 5th or minor 6th) relative to the lowest root G2, combined with E4 (a major 6th), creates a deliberate tension and richness.
• G Major Core with Alterations: Strings 5 through 2 (G2, D3, G3, B3) remarkably form an open G major chord, providing a familiar harmonic anchor. However, the introduction of the D#3 on the 6th string against this G major framework creates a strong, often clashing, melodic and harmonic pull.

Chordal Insights:

The open string configuration doesn't immediately lend itself to conventional major or minor chords, leaning instead towards a complex, altered sound. The strong open G major chord on strings 5-2 offers a foundation, but the D# on the 6th string will force players to rethink standard fingerings. It suggests voicings that are either intentionally jarring or highly specific, potentially evoking an altered dominant, diminished, or Lydian #2 quality depending on the context. The re-entrant 5th string means that traditional barre chords and scale shapes will be significantly altered, encouraging exploration of new intervallic relationships and creative fingerings across the fretboard. This tuning is ideal for experimental compositions, ambient textures, or pieces requiring a distinct, unsettling, yet beautiful harmonic tension.

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve the Houghton's Dissonant D# tuning, please adjust your strings as follows:

• 6th String (Low E position): Tune to D#3. Tune down 1 semitones.
• 5th String (A position): Tune to G2. Tune down 2 semitones.
• 4th String (D position): Tune to D3. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• 3rd String (G position): Tune to G3. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• 2nd String (B position): Tune to B3. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• 1st String (High E position): Tune to E4. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).

Note: All string movements described above are within safe limits for standard guitar strings, with no individual string requiring more than a 2-semitone adjustment from its implied starting position.