The Open Em7 Drone tuning is an experimental and highly resonant setup for the guitar, designed primarily for improvisation and creating lush, harmonically rich soundscapes. As its name suggests, when strummed open, this tuning immediately resolves to an E minor seventh chord, providing a deeply melancholic yet versatile foundation.

Technical Analysis

This tuning transforms your guitar into an E minor seventh (Em7) chord with doubled root and minor third: E2-G2-B2-D3-E3-G3.

• The foundational low E (string 6) anchors the tuning.
• Strings 6, 5, and 4 (E-G-B) form a strong E minor triad.
• Adding string 3 (D) completes the E minor seventh chord (E-G-B-D).
• Strings 2 (E) and 1 (G) further reinforce the root and minor third an octave higher, adding fullness and drone-like qualities. This creates a rich, layered texture that rings out beautifully.

Chords and Playability

With the open strings forming an Em7, this tuning excels at:

• Open Em7: Immediately available, perfect for ambient textures and introspective pieces.
• Minor 7th Chords: By barring across various frets, you can easily transpose the Em7 shape up the neck to create other minor seventh chords (e.g., barring at the 1st fret gives Fm7, 3rd fret Gm7, etc.). This makes a large family of minor 7th chords very accessible.
• Drones and Riffs: The repeated E and G notes on higher strings make it excellent for drone-based music and crafting simple yet powerful melodic riffs over the open minor seventh harmony.
• Suspended Harmonies: Simple single-finger additions or subtractions can easily create suspended (sus2, sus4) harmonies and other modal voicings.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Em7 Drone tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string movements carefully:

• String 6 (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Target Note: E2.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones. Target Note: G2.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones. Target Note: B2.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 5 semitones. Target Note: D3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 7 semitones. Target Note: E3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 9 semitones. Target Note: G3.

Important Note on String Gauge: Please be aware that strings 3, 2, and 1 require significant downtuning (5, 7, and 9 semitones respectively). Tuning down more than 4 semitones (or up more than 4 semitones) can result in very slack strings, intonation issues, or even string breakage if attempting to tune up significantly. For optimal playability, tone, and to prevent potential damage, it is highly recommended to use a heavier gauge string set specifically designed for downtuning when using this tuning.

String 6: E2 (Low E)

String 5: G2

String 4: B2

String 3: D3

String 2: E3

String 1: G3 (High G)