The Bill Orcutt Skipped Standard tuning is a unique and minimalist approach to the guitar, often associated with the experimental musician Bill Orcutt. This tuning dramatically reconfigures the instrument by removing the A and D strings, leaving a sparse 4-string setup that fosters a distinct sonic landscape.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning strips the guitar down to its essentials, creating wide intervallic gaps that challenge traditional playing styles. The absence of the middle A and D strings opens up the sonic space, encouraging players to think vertically across a more limited string set and explore drones and resonant harmonies. It's a tuning that promotes a raw, direct sound, ideal for percussive attacks, slide playing, or creating intricate melodic lines that stand out against the backdrop of the low E string.

Technical Analysis

• Open String Notes: The tuning consists of the notes E2, G3, B3, E4.
• Intervals: The intervals between the strings are highly distinct: a formidable major 10th (E2 to G3), followed by a standard major 3rd (G3 to B3), and then a perfect 4th (B3 to E4). This configuration breaks away from the mostly perfect 4ths of standard tuning.
• Open Chords: Strumming the open strings produces an E minor triad (E-G-B-E). This provides a melancholic yet resonant foundation. The upper three strings (G-B-E) themselves form a G major triad in its first inversion, adding a brighter harmonic possibility within the tuning.
• Chordal Possibilities: The open E minor triad makes this tuning particularly well-suited for blues, folk, and experimental music in the key of E minor. By simply barring across the frets, a player can easily achieve other minor triads (e.g., barring at the 1st fret gives F minor, 2nd fret for F# minor). The large gap between the lowest E and the G string encourages inventive voicings, often leading to bass-heavy textures with shimmering upper partials. Dyads and sparse triads will become key elements in exploring this tuning, pushing players beyond conventional chord shapes.

Tuning Notes Breakdown

• String 4 (Lowest): E2
• String 3: G3
• String 2: B3
• String 1 (Highest): E4

How to Tune

This tuning simplifies the standard setup by physically removing the A (5th) and D (4th) strings. For the remaining strings, no pitch adjustments are needed from their standard tuning positions to achieve this setup. The instructions below clarify the individual string tunings for the retained strings:

• String 4 (E2): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 3 (G3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 2 (B3): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 1 (E4): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).

Given that no string requires movement beyond 0 semitones from its standard pitch, there is no need for concern regarding string gauge changes for the retained strings. The primary 'tuning' action here is the physical removal of the A and D strings to achieve this configuration.