Verbal Analysis: The Sound of Nick Drake

This tuning is famously associated with the enigmatic British singer-songwriter Nick Drake, whose deeply personal and often melancholic music utilized unique tunings to create rich, resonant soundscapes. This specific tuning, E-A-C-G-B-E, is remarkably close to standard tuning but introduces a singular, yet profound, alteration on the 4th string. This minor adjustment to the D string, dropping it to C, significantly changes the harmonic possibilities, steering the player away from familiar chord voicings and opening up new, often poignant, melodic and harmonic pathways that became a hallmark of Drake's distinctive fingerstyle.

Technical Analysis: Unlocking New Harmonies

The tuning E-A-C-G-B-E presents an intriguing harmonic palette. Compared to standard E-A-D-G-B-E, only the 4th string is altered, dropping from D to C. This creates a minor third interval between the 5th (A) and 4th (C) strings, whereas standard tuning has a perfect fourth. The rest of the intervals between adjacent strings remain consistent with standard tuning: a Perfect 4th (E-A), a Perfect 4th (C-G), a Major 3rd (G-B), and a Perfect 4th (B-E).

The open strings themselves form an interesting cluster of notes. Played together, E-A-C-G-B-E hints strongly at an E minor 7 sus4 chord (E-G-B-E with A and C added) or could be viewed as an A minor 7 chord with an E bass and an added B, suggesting a modal or suspended quality rather than a strong major or minor tonality. The presence of both C and G alongside E, B, and A provides a foundation that can easily lean towards E minor, C major, or even A minor tonalities. The open strings offer a dark, introspective quality perfect for intricate arpeggios and fingerpicking.

Chords that become readily accessible or take on new voicings due to this tuning include:

• E minor shapes: With E, G, B readily available across the open strings, conventional E minor chord shapes can be easily adapted or found with minimal fretting, often resulting in fuller, more open voicings.
• C major/minor shapes: The open C on the 4th string naturally encourages C major (C-E-G) or C minor (C-Eb-G) voicings. The E on the 6th and 1st strings will often provide a contrasting bass or drone.
• A minor/major shapes: The A on the 5th string and C on the 4th provide a strong foundation for A minor. With some fretting, A major chords can also be formed, often with unique extensions due to the open strings.

The unique interval on the 4th string encourages players to discover new fingerings and shapes, moving away from standard barre chord positions and into more open, ringing voicings, characteristic of Nick Drake's sound.

How to Tune: E A C G B E

To achieve the Nick Drake tuning, start from standard E A D G B E and follow these precise steps:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is E2.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is A2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones. The target note is C3. Note: Tuning down 2 semitones is well within safe limits for standard guitar strings and typically requires no special string gauge.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is G3.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is B3.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is E4.