Tuning Analysis: Alt9

The Alt9 tuning, as described, is designed for an 'experimental pop punk or hardcore shoegaze' sound. This immediately suggests a rich, potentially dissonant, and harmonically complex sonic landscape, moving beyond standard power chords or simple open voicings. The specific intervallic structure of the open strings confirms this, offering a sophisticated harmonic foundation perfect for lush textures and ethereal washes of sound, or conversely, for creating jarring, intense sonic moments.

Technical Breakdown: An E Major 9 Chord

Upon technical analysis, the open strings (from low to high) are E2, B2, E3, F#4, G#4, D#5. Let's break down the harmonic content:

• String 6 (E2): The root note, establishing E as the tonal center.
• String 5 (B2): A perfect fifth above the root (E), reinforcing the E tonality.
• String 4 (E3): An octave above the lowest E, providing depth and power.
• String 3 (F#4): A major second (or ninth) above E.
• String 2 (G#4): A major third above E.
• String 1 (D#5): A major seventh above E.

Collectively, these notes spell out an E Major 9 chord (E - G# - B - D# - F#), with doubled E and B notes providing a strong, full voicing. This means that simply strumming all open strings yields a beautiful, rich E Major 9 harmony. This sophisticated open chord allows for immediate access to lush, expansive sounds, a hallmark of shoegaze, and can provide a complex harmonic bed for melodic lines or dissonant overlays typical in experimental pop punk or hardcore.

Playing Possibilities & Chord Shapes:

The E Major 9 open voicing offers several creative avenues:

• Open Chords: The full open strum is an Emaj9. By fretting just one or two notes, many interesting voicings can emerge. For instance, muting the highest string could yield an Emaj7add9.
• Drone & Melody: The E-B-E power chord foundation (strings 6, 5, 4) provides a stable drone, over which melodic phrases or arpeggios can be played on the higher, harmonically rich strings.
• Easy Access Chords: Barre chords on this tuning will naturally create different major 9 chords or variations thereof, making it easy to transpose the open chord shape up the neck. For example, a full barre at the 1st fret would yield an Fmaj9, at the 3rd fret a Gmaj9, and so on.
• Inversions & Voicings: The unique distribution of notes (especially the high F#4, G#4, D#5) allows for interesting inversions and extended voicings with minimal effort, ideal for creating 'wall of sound' textures.

How to Tune:

To achieve the Alt9 tuning, adjust your strings as follows. Please refer to an electronic tuner for accuracy.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune to E2. Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 5 (A): Tune to B2. Tune up 2 semitones from standard A2.
• String 4 (D): Tune to E3. Tune up 2 semitones from standard D3.
• String 3 (G): Tune to F#4. Tune down 1 semitones. Note that achieving F#4 generally requires a higher starting pitch for this string, or a much lighter gauge string if starting from standard G3 (which would be an extreme upward tension increase).
• String 2 (B): Tune to G#4. Tune down 3 semitones. Similar to string 3, reaching G#4 implies starting from a high pitch, or using a very light string if beginning from standard B3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune to D#5. Tune down 1 semitones. Again, D#5 is a very high pitch for a guitar's highest string, suggesting a light gauge string is likely in use.

Important Note on String Gauge: While the individual string movements specified above are relatively small (within +/- 3 semitones), the target pitches for strings 3, 2, and 1 (F#4, G#4, D#5) are considerably higher than standard tuning. Using a standard gauge set of strings to achieve these higher pitches without breaking them, or risking neck damage due to extreme tension, is highly inadvisable. For optimal playability and string longevity in this tuning, it is strongly recommended to use a specialized lighter gauge string set, particularly for the higher strings, to accommodate the increased tension required for these elevated pitches.