The FADADE tuning is an evocative open tuning, famously utilized by Swervedriver in their song "Kill The Superheroes." This tuning transforms the guitar's sonic landscape into a rich, resonant canvas, primarily centered around a D minor tonality with an added 9th.

Technical Analysis:

• The open strings are tuned to F2 A2 D3 A3 D4 E4.
• This arrangement of notes (D, E, F, A) creates an open D minor (add9) chord. In this configuration, D serves as the root, F as the minor third, A as the perfect fifth, and E as the added ninth.
• The repetition of D and A across multiple strings provides a strong drone quality, allowing for full, sustained chords with minimal effort and great resonance.
• The intervals between the strings are structured as follows:
  • Low F (6th string) to A (5th string): Major 3rd
  • A (5th string) to D (4th string): Perfect 4th
  • D (4th string) to A (3rd string): Perfect 5th
  • A (3rd string) to D (2nd string): Perfect 4th
  • D (2nd string) to E (1st string): Major 2nd

Verbal Analysis & Chordal Implications:

Verbally, FADADE feels expansive and slightly melancholic due to its D minor foundation. The open D minor (add9) chord rings out beautifully without any fretting, providing an instant harmonic richness. This characteristic makes it an excellent choice for atmospheric, shoegaze-influenced textures and open-string riffs.

The tuning's structure, with its repeated D and A notes, naturally facilitates drone-based playing and allows for powerful, ringing open chords. Simple barres across certain frets will yield full, resonant chords:

• A full barre across any fret will transpose the open Dm(add9) structure up the neck, maintaining its characteristic sus2/sus4-like quality. For example, barring at the 5th fret would yield a G minor (add9) shape.
• The identical intervals of a Perfect 4th between strings 5-4 and 3-2 (A-D, A-D) make it particularly easy to create consistent chord voicings and melodic patterns across these strings, lending itself well to arpeggiated figures and modal explorations.
• Chords related to D minor (e.g., C major, G minor, A major/minor) will often find comfortable and resonant voicings within this tuning due to the open D and A notes acting as common tones or strong foundations.

How to Tune:

To achieve the FADADE tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps:

• Low E String (6th): Tune up 1 semitone from E2 to F2.
• A String (5th): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from A2 to A2.
• D String (4th): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from D3 to D3.
• G String (3rd): Tune up 2 semitones from G3 to A3.
• B String (2nd): Tune up 3 semitones from B3 to D4.
• High E String (1st): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) from E4 to E4.

All string adjustments are within a safe range (with the largest adjustment being 3 semitones up for the 2nd string), so a change in string gauge is generally not required for this tuning.