Tuning Analysis: Open Em7 Tuning

This tuning, referred to as the "Marquette" tuning in its original context, is a rich and resonant open tuning for Guitar. It's designed to create a full E minor 7 chord when strummed open, offering a deep, melancholic, yet versatile soundscape.

Verbal Analysis

The Open Em7 tuning immediately presents a dark, bluesy, or soulful character. Strumming all strings open yields a beautifully voiced E minor 7 chord, which means you can achieve a full chord with just a single finger or by barring across a fret. This makes it incredibly user-friendly for slide guitar or for quickly modulating minor 7th chords up and down the neck. The repeating E and G notes across different octaves create a natural drone and sustain, adding depth and complexity to the overall sound. It's particularly well-suited for genres like blues, folk, rock, and ambient music where a rich harmonic foundation is desired. The lower strings provide a robust bass register, while the higher strings add sparkle to the minor 7th.

Technical Analysis

The tuning notes are E2-G2-E3-G3-B3-D4 (from low E to high E string). Let's break down the intervals relative to the lowest E note:

• 6th String (E2): Root (E)
• 5th String (G2): Minor Third (G)
• 4th String (E3): Octave (E)
• 3rd String (G3): Octave + Minor Third (G)
• 2nd String (B3): Perfect Fifth (B)
• 1st String (D4): Minor Seventh (D)

As evident, the open strings spell out E-G-B-D, which constitutes a complete E minor 7th chord (E, G, B, D). The intelligent doubling of the root (E) and minor third (G) across different octaves creates a thick and harmonically dense voicing. This structure allows for a strong, resonant Em7 chord when played open. Furthermore, any barre across all six strings at a higher fret will produce the corresponding minor 7th chord (e.g., barring at the 1st fret yields an Fm7, 2nd fret an F#m7, and so on), simplifying chord progressions dramatically.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Em7 tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), follow these steps:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains E2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G. The note changes from A2 to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 2 semitones to E. The note changes from D3 to E3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains G3.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The note remains B3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 2 semitones to D. The note changes from E4 to D4.

Important Note on String Gauge: The maximum string movement in this tuning is 2 semitones up or down. While these changes are generally safe for standard gauge strings, always tune carefully and slowly to avoid string breakage, especially when tuning up. For movements exceeding 4 semitones (either up or down), a different string gauge is typically recommended, though this is not a concern for this particular tuning.

6th String: E2

5th String: G2

4th String: E3

3rd String: G3

2nd String: B3

1st String: D4