Tuning Analysis: E1 Draconic

Verbal Description

The E1 Draconic tuning, as its name vividly suggests, plunges your 7-string guitar into a realm of extreme low-end, delivering a truly monstrous and crushing sonic experience. This tuning is the epitome of heavy, designed for genres like doom metal, djent, progressive metal, or any style demanding immense sonic weight and a profound, resonant growl. It evokes the powerful, ancient sound of its namesake, perfect for creating dark, atmospheric soundscapes and riffs that feel grounded deep within the earth. Despite its aggressive nature, the unique intervallic structure also allows for surprisingly rich and complex open chord voicings.

Technical Analysis

This tuning sets the open strings to E1-B1-E2-A2-E3-A3-D4, positioning E1 as the lowest possible note within the GTDB system. It represents a significant departure from standard 7-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), creating a distinct and powerful intervallic structure:

• String 7 (E1) to String 6 (B1): Perfect 5th
• String 6 (B1) to String 5 (E2): Perfect 4th
• String 5 (E2) to String 4 (A2): Perfect 4th
• String 4 (A2) to String 3 (E3): Perfect 5th
• String 3 (E3) to String 2 (A3): Perfect 4th
• String 2 (A3) to String 1 (D4): Perfect 4th

The prominent use of Perfect 4th and Perfect 5th intervals throughout the tuning makes it exceptionally well-suited for crafting massive power chords and intricate, resonant voicings. The open strings themselves, E-B-E-A-E-A-D, form a complex harmony rather than a simple triad. This combination of notes strongly implies an E minor or E suspended quality, but with the added depth of A and D, providing a fertile ground for a range of modern harmonic ideas.

Open Chord Voicings and Accessibility:

• The lowest three strings (E1-B1-E2) instantly form a robust E5 Power Chord, perfect for foundational riffs.
• Strings 4-3-2 (A2-E3-A3) present an A5 Power Chord.
• The contiguous Perfect 4ths (e.g., B1-E2-A2, E3-A3-D4) allow for easy single-finger barres to create stacks of fourths, ideal for modern, heavy riffing and open, suspended chords.
• The repeated E and A notes across different octaves provide excellent opportunities for creating sustained drone notes, adding immense depth and texture to chords and melodic lines.
• Chords that leverage these distinct intervals, such as open-string power chords, suspended voicings, and even slightly dissonant clusters, will sound particularly massive and resonant due to the extreme low range. This tuning encourages exploration of wide voicings and aggressive, percussive techniques.

Open String Notes & How to Tune

Below are the target notes for each string in E1 Draconic tuning. To achieve this tuning from standard 7-string B-E-A-D-G-B-E, please follow the detailed instructions for each string carefully.

• String 7 (Lowest String): Tune to E1.
• String 6: Tune to B1.
• String 5: Tune to E2.
• String 4: Tune to A2.
• String 3: Tune to E3.
• String 2: Tune to A3.
• String 1 (Highest String): Tune to D4.

How to Tune (from Standard 7-string B-E-A-D-G-B-E)

This tuning involves significant drops in pitch for most strings. For optimal performance, intonation, and to prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument, it is highly recommended to use a heavier gauge string set specifically designed for extremely low tunings. Please proceed with care.

• String 7 (Lowest String): From its standard B1, tune down 7 semitones to reach E1. (Warning: This is a very large drop, a heavier gauge string is strongly advised.)
• String 6: From its standard E2, tune down 5 semitones to reach B1. (Warning: This is a significant drop, a heavier gauge string is advised.)
• String 5: From its standard A2, tune down 5 semitones to reach E2. (Warning: This is a significant drop, a heavier gauge string is advised.)
• String 4: From its standard D3, tune down 5 semitones to reach A2. (Warning: This is a significant drop, a heavier gauge string is advised.)
• String 3: From its standard G3, tune down 3 semitones to reach E3.
• String 2: From its standard B3, tune down 2 semitones to reach A3.
• String 1 (Highest String): From its standard E4, tune down 2 semitones to reach D4.