Tuning Overview: Open A 6add9

This captivating tuning, officially named Open A 6add9, offers a rich and expansive sonic palette. It's famously utilized by the artist The Tallest Man on Earth in his song "Rivers," showcasing its potential for evocative and intricate compositions.

Verbal Analysis:

At its heart, this tuning provides a full, resonant A major chord when strummed open, but it's far from a simple major tuning. The harmonious addition of the major 6th (F#) and the major 9th (B) transforms the standard open A into something much more sophisticated and harmonically dense. The overall feel is bright and open, yet with a subtle melancholic or yearning quality often associated with extended chords. It lends itself beautifully to fingerstyle playing, allowing individual notes to ring out and weave intricate tapestries of sound. The lowest E string provides a solid foundation, while the higher strings, with their unique intervals, create a shimmering, complex texture that resonates with a dreamy quality. This tuning is particularly well-suited for folk, indie, and introspective acoustic music.

Technical Analysis:

The open notes for this guitar tuning are (from low E string to high E string): E2 A2 C#4 F#4 B3 E4.

• The core A major triad (A, C#, E) is strongly present across the A2 (5th string), C#4 (4th string), E2 (6th string), and E4 (1st string), providing a clear tonal center.
• The F#4 on the 3rd string introduces the major 6th, adding a sweet and often wistful quality to the open chord.
• The B3 on the 2nd string provides the major 9th (or major 2nd), further enriching the harmonic structure and contributing to the open, shimmering sound.

When strummed open, this tuning produces a full A6add9 chord (A-C#-E-F#-B). This makes it incredibly versatile for songwriting, as a single strum delivers a rich, complex harmony. The specific intervals between adjacent open strings are:

• 6th to 5th String (E2 to A2): Perfect 4th
• 5th to 4th String (A2 to C#4): Compound Major 3rd (A to C# across an octave)
• 4th to 3rd String (C#4 to F#4): Perfect 4th
• 3rd to 2nd String (F#4 to B3): Descending Perfect 5th (or ascending Perfect 4th if transposing B3 up an octave to B4) - this unique interval creates distinctive voicings.
• 2nd to 1st String (B3 to E4): Perfect 4th

The unusual interval between the 3rd and 2nd strings (F#4 to B3) means that conventional chord shapes will require adaptation, but it simultaneously unlocks new possibilities for unique voicings and melodic patterns. Simple two-finger shapes can often yield surprisingly complex harmonies, making it an inspiring tuning for exploration. The open, extended nature of this tuning makes it particularly resonant and full-bodied, ideal for expressive playing.

How to Tune:

To achieve the Open A 6add9 tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these precise adjustments:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Tune to E2.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Tune to A2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 1 semitone to C#4.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Tune to B3.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Tune to E4.
• Note: All string movements for this tuning are within a safe range, involving only minor adjustments. For tunings requiring movements greater than 4 semitones up or down, it is generally advised to consider a different string gauge to maintain optimal string tension and prevent potential damage to the instrument.

6th String (Low E): E2

5th String (A): A2

4th String (D): C#4

3rd String (G): F#4

2nd String (B): B3

1st String (High E): E4