Tuning Description: Winner's Blues (Sonic Youth)

This unique tuning, prominently featured on "Winner's Blues" from Sonic Youth's 1994 album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, is a testament to the band's pioneering approach to guitar. Sonic Youth is renowned for its use of unconventional tunings to create rich, dissonant, and often beautiful soundscapes. This specific tuning exemplifies their signature style, offering a foundation for experimental textures, droning chords, and unconventional melodic lines. It provides a unique sonic palette that departs significantly from standard guitar tuning.

Technical Analysis

The open string notes for this tuning are (low to high):

• E2 (6th String)
• E2 (5th String)
• B2 (4th String)
• E3 (3rd String)
• G#4 (2nd String)
• B3 (1st String)

Analysing these notes, we see a heavy emphasis on E and B, forming a strong E power chord (E-B-E). The repeated E2 on the 6th and 5th strings creates a deep, resonant drone. The B2 on the 4th string adds the perfect fifth, followed by an octave E3 on the 3rd string. The G#4 on the 2nd string introduces the major third, giving the open tuning a clear E Major tonality, albeit with some unusual octave placements. The high B3 on the 1st string then completes an E Major arpeggio within an octave range. This tuning essentially presents an open E Major chord (E, G#, B) with doubled roots and fifths across multiple octaves.

Due to the open E Major voicing, this tuning is highly conducive to resonant, droning chords. Simple barres across certain frets will likely yield interesting major or minor tonalities, while open string interplay will create a full, rich sound. The intervals between strings (perfect unison E2-E2, perfect fourth E2-B2, perfect fourth B2-E3, major third E3-G#4, and a perfect fourth G#4-B3 -- *Note: there is a discrepancy between the calculated movement for string 2 and 1 vs the final notes. The analysis is based on the final notes provided in the 'tuning_notes' key.*) allow for unique chord voicings that are difficult or impossible to achieve in standard tuning. The close proximity of the 6th and 5th strings at a unison E2 offers a powerful low-end drone. Chords like open E Major, E Major 7th, or E sus chords will naturally resonate. Experimentation with single-finger fretting can lead to rich harmonic clusters.

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve the Winner's Blues tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these steps:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The string remains at E2.
• 5th String (A): Tune your standard A2 string down 5 semitones to E2. (Note: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant change. Consider using a different gauge string for optimal tension and tone.)
• 4th String (D): Tune your standard D3 string down 3 semitones to B2.
• 3rd String (G): Tune your standard G3 string down 3 semitones to E3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune your standard B3 string down 3 semitones to G3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune your standard E4 string down 5 semitones to A3. (Note: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant change. Consider using a different gauge string for optimal tension and tone.)

6th String: E2

5th String: E2

4th String: B2

3rd String: E3

2nd String: G#4

1st String: B3