Verbal Analysis: The X-Static Tuning

This intriguing tuning, famously utilized in the Foo Fighters track "X-Static," offers a unique sonic landscape, departing significantly from standard guitar tuning. It presents a blend of stability in the lower register with distinct, sometimes dissonant, voicings in the upper strings. The character of this tuning is one of open, ringing dissonance and surprising harmony, perfectly suited for intricate acoustic patterns and atmospheric soundscapes. The wide intervallic jumps and drops between adjacent strings prevent the formation of conventional open chords, instead encouraging specific fingerings and arpeggiated patterns that highlight its individual character.

For players, this tuning will immediately feel unconventional. While the lowest E and A strings retain their standard pitch, the middle and higher strings are altered, creating a sound that can range from haunting to harmonically rich. The interplay of D# and A# (enharmonically Eb and Bb) with the open E and G creates a unique harmonic tension that defines its sound. This tuning is not for strumming basic chords, but rather for exploring melodic lines, open-string drones, and specific chord voicings that exploit its unique intervals, much like its use in the Foo Fighters song.

Technical Analysis: Unpacking the Voicing

The X-Static tuning, from lowest to highest string, is E2-A2-D#4-G3-A#4-D#5. Let's break down its structure:

• The 6th and 5th strings (E2 and A2) retain their standard perfect fourth interval (5 semitones).
• A significant jump occurs between the 5th and 4th strings (A2 to D#4), spanning an octave and a major sixth (18 semitones). This creates a very wide, open gap in the register.
• An unusual descending interval is found between the 4th and 3rd strings (D#4 to G3), where the 3rd string is a major sixth lower than the 4th string (9 semitones down). This 'drop' is a key characteristic, often used to create tension or unexpected voicings.
• Another substantial leap occurs between the 3rd and 2nd strings (G3 to A#4), covering an octave and a minor third (15 semitones).
• Finally, the top two strings (A#4 to D#5) resolve into a perfect fourth (5 semitones), mirroring the E-A interval but in a higher register, and featuring the key D# (Eb) note.

Harmonically, the open strings offer the notes E, A, D# (Eb), G, A# (Bb), D# (Eb). The open 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings (G3, A#4, D#5) form a clear Eb Major triad in second inversion (G - Bb - Eb). This provides a surprising major harmony amidst the broader, more ambiguous collection of notes.

The full open string voicing (E2-A2-D#4-G3-A#4-D#5) presents a complex chord containing E, G, A, Bb, Eb. This combination hints at an E minor harmony (E, G) but is heavily colored by the A# (Bb) and D# (Eb), giving it a more exotic, almost E Phrygian or E harmonic minor feel. The two D# notes (on strings 4 and 1) resonate across two octaves, providing a powerful and sustaining drone. This tuning is clearly designed for specific open string voicings and arpeggiated riffs rather than traditional strummed chords.

How to Tune to X-Static Tuning

To achieve the X-Static tuning, follow these adjustments from standard EADGBe tuning. Note that most adjustments are minor (within 1 semitone), so no special string gauges are typically required.

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains E2.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains A2.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 1 semitone. The note becomes D#4.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 1 semitone. The note becomes A#4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 1 semitone. The note becomes D#5.