About the Bb Minor 11 Open Tuning

This innovative guitar tuning transforms your instrument into a rich, resonant, open Bb minor 11 chord. It's a highly sophisticated and versatile tuning, ideally suited for genres that appreciate depth, mood, and complex harmony, such as jazz, blues, ambient soundscapes, and contemporary composition. Unlike many open tunings that simplify to a basic major or minor triad, the Bb Minor 11 Open immediately provides a full, luscious voicing that is both dark and expansive.

Verbal Analysis

Imagine a deep, melancholic yet hopeful sound. The open strings resonate with a full, uncompromised Bb minor 11 chord, offering a canvas of rich harmonic possibilities. This tuning evokes a sense of introspection, mystery, and a sophisticated urban night. It allows for effortless access to complex voicings that would be challenging or impossible in standard tuning, opening up new avenues for improvisation and composition. The natural resonance of the open strings makes for a huge, sustained sound.

Technical Analysis

The guitar strings are tuned to the following notes, from low E to high E:

• 6th String (Low E): F2
• 5th String (A): A#3 (Bb3)
• 4th String (D): C#4 (Db4)
• 3rd String (G): G#4 (Ab4)
• 2nd String (B): C4
• 1st String (High E): D#5 (Eb5)

When played open, these notes collectively form a complete Bb minor 11 chord, arranged as follows:

• 5th String (A#3/Bb3): The Root (Bb)
• 4th String (C#4/Db4): The minor 3rd (Db)
• 6th String (F2): The perfect 5th (F)
• 3rd String (G#4/Ab4): The minor 7th (Ab)
• 2nd String (C4): The 9th (C)
• 1st String (D#5/Eb5): The 11th (Eb)

This exquisite arrangement provides an immediate harmonic foundation. Due to the inherent chord, fingerings for related chords like Bb minor, Bb minor 7, and various inversions and extensions of Bb minor 11 become remarkably simple. Sliding shapes up and down the neck allows for easy transposition of this powerful chord. Furthermore, the specific voicings across the strings facilitate unique melodic and rhythmic patterns, making it a powerful tool for composition and performance.

Open String Notes

• String 6: F2 (Low F)
• String 5: A#3 / Bb3 (A Sharp 3 / B Flat 3)
• String 4: C#4 / Db4 (C Sharp 4 / D Flat 4)
• String 3: G#4 / Ab4 (G Sharp 4 / A Flat 4)
• String 2: C4 (Middle C)
• String 1: D#5 / Eb5 (D Sharp 5 / E Flat 5)

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve the Bb Minor 11 Open tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these specific adjustments for each string. Please use a reliable tuner for accuracy.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune your 6th string up 1 semitone to F2.
• 5th String (A): Tune your 5th string up 1 semitone to A#3 / Bb3.
• 4th String (D): Tune your 4th string down 1 semitone to C#4 / Db4.
• 3rd String (G): Tune your 3rd string up 1 semitone to G#4 / Ab4.
• 2nd String (B): Tune your 2nd string up 1 semitone to C4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune your 1st string down 1 semitone to D#5 / Eb5.

Important Note on String Tension: The described string movements are minor, with each string requiring an adjustment of only 1 semitone up or down. This means you do not need to worry about changing string gauges for this tuning, as the tension changes are well within safe limits for standard guitar strings. For tunings requiring more significant changes (typically exceeding 4 semitones up or down), a different string gauge is generally advised, but that is not the case here.