FAEACF: The Fmaj7 Open Chord Tuning for Emo/Math Rock

This unique guitar tuning, officially named FAEACF (Fmaj7), is a creative exploration primarily designed for the expressive and often intricate sounds of emo and math rock genres, as described by its creator. It opens up the guitar to a rich, resonant Fmaj7 chord (F-A-C-E) when strummed open, providing a beautiful, bright, and slightly dissonant harmonic foundation.

The tuning offers a fresh sonic palette, encouraging unconventional chord voicings and melodic ideas, perfect for those seeking to break away from standard tuning patterns and inject new textures into their playing.

Technical Analysis

FAEACF is an open tuning for a 6-string guitar. When all strings are played open, they collectively form a clear Fmaj7 chord, with specific notes across the fretboard: F2 (low F), A2, E3, A3, C4, and F4 (high F). This arrangement strategically places the root (F), major third (A), major seventh (E), and perfect fifth (C) across the instrument, with octave doublings of F and A, which significantly enhances its lush and full-bodied sound.

The interval structure between adjacent strings is as follows:

• String 6 (F2) to String 5 (A2): Major Third
• String 5 (A2) to String 4 (E3): Major Sixth
• String 4 (E3) to String 3 (A3): Perfect Fourth
• String 3 (A3) to String 2 (C4): Minor Third
• String 2 (C4) to String 1 (F4): Perfect Fourth

This specific layout contributes to its distinctive voicings and harmonic possibilities, making it highly versatile for creative composition in its intended genres.

Open Chords & Voicings

The most immediate benefit of the FAEACF tuning is the natural Fmaj7 chord that rings out when all strings are played open. This provides an instant, rich harmonic foundation ideal for atmospheric passages, intros, or as a starting point for complex progressions.

Due to the direct presence of F, A, C, and E across the strings, various Fmaj7 voicings and inversions become incredibly accessible with minimal fretting. Sliding a single finger across a fret can often yield new, consonant chords while maintaining the overall harmonic character. For instance, a barre at the first fret would produce an F#maj7 chord, at the third fret a Gmaj7, and so on, maintaining the melodic and harmonic 'flavor' of the tuning.

The close proximity of certain notes, such as A3-C4 on strings 3 and 2, or E3-A3 on strings 4 and 3, facilitates the creation of tight clusters and interesting inversions, which are particularly conducive to the intricate arpeggios and melodic patterns common in math rock and progressive genres, allowing for unique fingerings and expressive passages.

How to Tune

To achieve the FAEACF tuning, start from standard EADGBe tuning and make the following adjustments. Please note that while the string movements for this tuning are generally within a safe range, tuning up more than 4 semitones or down more than 4 semitones from standard may require a different string gauge to ensure optimal playability and string longevity.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 1 semitones to F2.
• String 5 (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at A2.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 2 semitones to E3.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 2 semitones to A3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitones to C4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 1 semitones to F4.

String 6 (Low F): F2

String 5 (A): A2

String 4 (E): E3

String 3 (A): A3

String 2 (C): C4

String 1 (High F): F4