The EADA E Drone Tuning is a unique and highly resonant guitar tuning, characterized by its open, spacious sound and the prominent drone created by the repeated 'A' notes on the 2nd and 3rd strings. This tuning invokes a feeling of expansiveness, making it ideal for ambient soundscapes, folk music, or experimental rock. It's particularly well-suited for fingerstyle playing, slide guitar, and creating hypnotic, sustained chords where the drone truly shines. The symmetric E notes on the lowest and highest strings frame the tuning beautifully, providing a strong tonal foundation.

Technically, this distinctive tuning features the notes E2-A2-D3-A3-A3-E4 from the 6th to the 1st string. The core of the tuning centers around the A and D notes, with the open strings forming a powerful, resonant sound. Strumming all open strings produces a rich Dsus2/E chord (D, E, A, with the low E as the bass) or an A5 (power chord) with added D and E color. This harmonic blend creates a modal and open character, distinct from standard major or minor tunings. The identical A3 notes on the 2nd and 3rd strings make for easy drone effects and interesting melodic possibilities, allowing for sympathetic string vibrations and a full, ringing quality. Barre chords across the fretboard will yield various suspended and power chords, making it easy to transpose harmonic ideas. For example, a barre at the 5th fret would produce an Gsus2/A.

How to Tune to EADA E Drone Tuning

Follow these steps to set up your guitar for the EADA E Drone Tuning. Pay close attention to the string movements, particularly when tuning strings up or down by multiple semitones.

• 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): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is D3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 2 semitones. Raise the pitch from G3 to A3. (Care should be taken when tuning up, though 2 semitones is generally safe for standard string gauges).
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones. Lower the pitch from B3 to A3.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is E4.

Important Note on String Gauge: When tuning a string up or down by more than 4 semitones, it is generally advised to consider a different string gauge to ensure optimal playability and to prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument.