Verbal Analysis:

This tuning, aptly named "Open Fmaj7 Voicing," transforms your guitar into a rich, resonant F Major 7th chord when played open. It's an excellent choice for beginners eager to grasp music theory, as it clearly lays out the root, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh of an F major 7 chord. The unique arrangement of notes across the strings provides a full, lush sound, perfect for strumming, arpeggios, and exploring melodic lines within the F major scale.

When played open, the notes resonate to form a complete F Major 7th chord (F-A-C-E) with some notes doubled across octaves, creating a full and harmonious sound. The original description suggests muting the first string gives an open minor triad, but with the open strings F-A-C-A-C, this actually forms an F Major triad. This tuning is fantastic for blues, folk, and jazz, offering easy access to different voicings by simply fretting across a single fret, or moving a basic shape up the neck.

Technical Analysis:

• Open Chord: The open strings form an F Major 7th chord (F-A-C-A-C-E). This provides a foundational chord for exploration.
• Interval Structure: From the low F, the tuning progresses with a Major 3rd (A), Perfect 5th (C), Major 3rd (A, octave up), Perfect 5th (C, octave up), and finally a Major 7th (E). This explicit construction of an Fmaj7 chord makes it a great learning tool.
• Chord Accessibility:
• Barre Chords: By barring all strings at any fret, you instantly get a Major 7th chord. For example, barring at the 1st fret yields an F#maj7, at the 3rd fret a G#maj7/Abmaj7, and at the 5th fret an Amaj7.
• Related Chords: Given the Fmaj7 foundation, F major, F minor (by changing the A to Ab), and D minor (the relative minor) chords are easily accessible with minimal finger movement. Experimenting with different bass notes will also open up a wealth of suspended and slash chords.
• Melodic Opportunities: The open Fmaj7 voicing provides a strong harmonic anchor, making it easier to play melodies and solos within the F major scale or its modes, always sounding harmonically rich against the open strings.

How to Tune:

This tuning requires several adjustments from standard E Standard tuning. Please use a reliable tuner and proceed carefully, especially when tuning strings up.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone from E2 to F2. This is a minor adjustment.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change to A2 (0 semitones).
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3. This is a common drop tuning adjustment.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3. This is a moderate adjustment; proceed with care.
• 2nd String (B): Tune up 1 semitone from B3 to C4. A minor adjustment.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change to E4 (0 semitones).

Important Note on String Gauge: For tunings that involve significant changes (typically more than 4 semitones up or down), a different string gauge might be advised to maintain proper tension and intonation. In this particular tuning, all string adjustments are within a safe range for standard gauge strings, but always listen to your guitar and check intonation after tuning.

6th String: F2 (tuned up 1 semitone from E Standard)

5th String: A2 (no change from E Standard)

4th String: C3 (tuned down 2 semitones from E Standard)

3rd String: A3 (tuned up 2 semitones from E Standard)

2nd String: C4 (tuned up 1 semitone from E Standard)

1st String: E4 (no change from E Standard)