Description

The 'Open Fmaj6/9' tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant instrument, instantly providing a rich, full-bodied sound perfect for a variety of musical styles. With its open F major foundation complemented by G and D notes, this tuning offers a complex yet inviting sonic landscape. It's particularly well-suited for fingerstyle playing, allowing for lush harmonies and ringing drones. Musicians exploring folk, blues, rock, and even contemporary jazz will find this tuning inspiring, as it encourages fresh melodic and harmonic ideas that might not emerge in standard tuning. The open strings themselves form a beautiful, extended chord, making it easy to create captivating music with minimal effort. The presence of the root, third, and fifth on the lower strings (F-A-C) provides a strong, stable foundation, while the higher strings add color and extension.

Technical Analysis

Technically, this tuning sets the open strings to F2-A2-C3-G3-A3-D4. When analyzed from the root F, this arrangement forms an F major six-nine chord (Fmaj6/9): F (root), A (major 3rd), C (perfect 5th), G (major 9th/2nd), and D (major 6th/13th). A notable feature is the repetition of the A note (A2 on string 5 and A3 on string 2), which adds a shimmering, layered quality to the major third. The intervals between strings include a perfect 5th (C3 to G3) and a major 2nd (G3 to A3), contributing to the harmonic richness. This open chord structure means that simply barring across any fret will transpose the Fmaj6/9 chord, allowing for easy exploration of different keys while retaining the complex voicing. For example, barring at the 1st fret yields a Gmaj6/9, and at the 2nd fret, G#maj6/9. This tuning is excellent for creating full, extended harmonies with simple finger placements, and its drone potential with the lower F-A-C triad is immense.

Open Chords & Easily Reachable Shapes

• The open strings sound as a rich Fmaj6/9 chord (F-A-C-G-A-D), providing an immediate full harmony.
• Barre chords across any fret up the neck will consistently produce transposed Fmaj6/9 chords, simplifying complex voicings.
• The strong F-A-C major triad on the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings offers a solid base for playing power chords or simplified major chords by muting higher strings.
• The repeating A notes (A2 and A3) allow for interesting voicings and sustained tones in melodic lines.
• Experiment with single-finger fretting on the higher strings while letting the lower strings drone for unique melodic textures.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Open Fmaj6/9' tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E) - Target: F2: Tune up 1 semitones. This movement is within safe limits for standard string gauges.
• String 5 (A) - Target: A2: Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 4 (D) - Target: C3: Tune down 2 semitones. This movement is within safe limits for standard string gauges.
• String 3 (G) - Target: G3: Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 2 (B) - Target: A3: Tune down 2 semitones. This movement is within safe limits for standard string gauges.
• String 1 (High E) - Target: D4: Tune down 2 semitones. This movement is within safe limits for standard string gauges.

All specified string movements are relatively minor, meaning you should not require a different string gauge to safely achieve this tuning. Always tune carefully and check string tension.