Tuning Analysis: Minor chord piano style

The "Minor chord piano style" tuning, as its name and description (EStilo piano para guitarra) suggest, transforms your guitar into an instrument that echoes the rich harmonies of a piano, specifically focusing on minor chords.

Verbal Analysis

This is a truly unique and immediately gratifying open tuning. With all open strings ringing, you're presented with a full E minor triad (E-G-B-E-G-B) spanning three octaves. This means simply strumming all open strings delivers a powerful, resonant E minor chord, making it incredibly easy to achieve a rich, melancholic sound without any fretting. It's fantastic for songwriters or players looking for an immediate harmonic foundation. This 'piano style' approach means that common chord shapes will be completely re-contextualized, opening doors to new voicings and textures. Barre chords across the neck will naturally produce other minor chords (e.g., barring at the 1st fret will give you an F minor, 3rd fret a G minor, etc.), offering a systematic way to explore minor harmony. While major chords will require more unconventional fingerings, the ease of access to minor chords and their inversions is a significant advantage.

Technical Analysis

The tuning sets the guitar's open strings to E2-G2-B2-E3-G3-B3 (from low E to high E string). This arrangement creates a stacked E minor arpeggio:

• String 6 (E2) to String 5 (G2): Minor Third (3 semitones)
• String 5 (G2) to String 4 (B2): Major Third (4 semitones)
• String 4 (B2) to String 3 (E3): Perfect Fourth (5 semitones) - effectively repeating the root E an octave higher.
• String 3 (E3) to String 2 (G3): Minor Third (3 semitones)
• String 2 (G3) to String 1 (B3): Major Third (4 semitones)

The consistent E-G-B pattern across octaves (E2-G2-B2, then E3-G3-B3) is the core of its 'piano style' nature, allowing for deep, resonant minor chord voicings. This structure makes it ideal for drone-based music, slide guitar, or exploring modal harmonies over an Em foundation.

How to Tune

To achieve the "Minor chord piano style" tuning from standard E-A-D-G-B-E, follow these steps:

• String 6 (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Stays at E2.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G. This movement is within safe limits.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones to B. This movement is within safe limits.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 3 semitones to E. This movement is within safe limits.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 4 semitones to G. Please take care, as this is a significant drop. Consider a heavier gauge string if you plan to use this tuning frequently to maintain string tension and intonation.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 5 semitones to B. This is a substantial drop. We strongly advise considering a heavier gauge string for this string to prevent excessive looseness, improve tone, and ensure proper intonation.

Always tune slowly and carefully to avoid string breakage or damage to your instrument.

String 6: E2
String 5: G2
String 4: B2
String 3: E3
String 2: G3
String 1: B3