The "Even E5" tuning transforms your standard guitar into a powerful, resonant instrument centered around the E5 power chord. As the name suggests, it creates a balanced soundscape with a striking symmetry, featuring three E notes and three B notes across the six strings.

Verbal Analysis

Verbally, this tuning immediately presents a thick, open E5 power chord (E and B, without a major/minor third). This makes it ideal for genres requiring heavy, driving riffs, such as rock, metal, and blues. The distribution of notes – E2, E2, E3, B3, B3, B3 – provides a deep, guttural low end from the double E2s, followed by a bright, ringing top end from the triple B3s. The "even" nature and symmetry referenced in its description means that patterns and chord shapes can often be mirrored or easily transposed across different string sets, facilitating intuitive playing and composition.

Technical Analysis

Technically, the tuning is structured as E2-E2-E3-B3-B3-B3 from low to high string. This arrangement gives you:

• String 6 (Low E): E2 (Root)
• String 5 (A string tuned to E): E2 (Unison Root)
• String 4 (D string tuned to E): E3 (Octave Root)
• String 3 (G string tuned to B): B3 (Perfect Fifth)
• String 2 (B string): B3 (Unison Perfect Fifth)
• String 1 (High E string tuned to B): B3 (Unison Perfect Fifth)

The open tuning itself forms an E5 power chord, which is immensely powerful and harmonically stable. This structure makes playing other power chords incredibly straightforward: a simple barre across any fret will yield a power chord (e.g., barre at the 1st fret gives F5, 3rd fret gives G5). Full major or minor chords are not readily available in the open position due to the absence of a third, requiring specific fingerings to introduce that interval.

The consecutive B3 notes on the top three strings, combined with the low E notes, allow for interesting drone effects and harmonized lead lines. This tuning encourages a rhythmic approach and is particularly effective for heavy palm-muting and chugging. Its open nature also lends itself well to slide guitar playing, as the open strings are perfectly consonant.

Tuning Notes Overview

String 6 (Low E): E2

String 5 (A): E2

String 4 (D): E3

String 3 (G): B3

String 2 (B): B3

String 1 (High E): B3

How to Tune to Even E5

Follow these instructions carefully to tune your guitar to Even E5. Note that some strings require significant adjustments, and extreme changes may benefit from a different string gauge.

• String 6 (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to E2.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 5 semitones to E2. (Caution: This is a significant drop. Consider a heavier gauge string if this causes slackness or intonation issues.)
• String 4 (D): Tune up 2 semitones to E3.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 4 semitones to B3. (Caution: This is a substantial increase in tension. For best results and to prevent string breakage, a lighter gauge string is advised for this string if tuning up 4 or more semitones from standard G3.)
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to B3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 5 semitones to B3. (Caution: This is a significant drop. Consider a heavier gauge string if this causes slackness or intonation issues.)

Always tune carefully and check intonation after making significant changes to string tension.