Tuning Analysis: Low F & A# Octave Drop 8

This unique 8-string guitar tuning, internally referred to as "8 String Drop F/Drop A# w/ low F" and described as an "8 string Drop E variation EAEADGBE up one half step," presents a powerful and deeply resonant sonic landscape. Designed for extended range, it offers a challenging yet rewarding setup for players exploring heavy, experimental, or progressive genres.

Verbal Analysis

The 'Low F & A# Octave Drop 8' tuning is characterized by its exceptionally deep low end and a distinctive sonic profile shaped by its irregular intervals. The presence of F notes at F1, F2, and F4, alongside A# notes at A#2 and A#3, creates a strong harmonic foundation centered around F and A# (B-flat). This provides a rich, dark, and often dissonant texture when strumming open strings, making it ideal for thick, crushing riffs and complex chord voicings. The wide gaps between the lowest strings create a unique challenge and opportunity for sound design, forcing players to be deliberate with their picking and fretting, while the upper strings offer a more familiar, albeit transposed, playing experience.

Technical Analysis

This 8-string tuning features the following notes:

• String 8 (Lowest): F1
• String 7: A#2
• String 6: F2
• String 5: A#3
• String 4: D#4
• String 3: G#4
• String 2: C4
• String 1 (Highest): F4

Interval Analysis:

• String 8 (F1) to String 7 (A#2): A remarkably wide compound Major 6th (22 semitones). This creates a significant sonic leap between the lowest two strings.
• String 7 (A#2) to String 6 (F2): A diminished 5th down (6 semitones). This tritone interval is highly characteristic and adds a stark, dissonant quality.
• String 6 (F2) to String 5 (A#3): Another wide compound Augmented 4th (18 semitones), reinforcing the unconventional spacing.
• String 5 (A#3) to String 4 (D#4): Perfect 4th (5 semitones).
• String 4 (D#4) to String 3 (G#4): Perfect 4th (5 semitones).
• String 3 (G#4) to String 2 (C4): A Major 3rd down (8 semitones down, or 4 semitones up if considered within the same octave as G#3). This breaks the consistent Perfect 4th pattern.
• String 2 (C4) to String 1 (F4): Perfect 4th (5 semitones).

Open Chords and Playability:

• The open tuning is not easily reducible to a single, common chord across all strings due to its highly irregular intervals.
• However, the tuning strongly emphasizes F and A# (B-flat). Open octaves of F are present on Strings 8 (F1), 6 (F2), and 1 (F4), providing a powerful, full F sound. Open octaves of A# are found on Strings 7 (A#2) and 5 (A#3).
• The lowest three strings (F1, A#2, F2) create an F-Bb-F structure that can imply an Fsus4 harmony or a B-flat major chord with an F in the bass (Bb/F).
• The upper five strings (A#3, D#4, G#4, C4, F4) present a sequence of Perfect 4th - Perfect 4th - Major 3rd - Perfect 4th. This pattern, similar to the upper strings of standard guitar tuning, allows for familiar power chord shapes and scale runs starting on A# (B-flat). Barring across these strings will yield various shifted open chords, for example, a barre at the first fret would produce B-E-A-D-F#, a Bsus4-like voicing.
• This tuning is exceptionally well-suited for heavy riffs, providing a foundational low F for djent and progressive metal, and allowing for complex, dissonant harmonies through its unique string intervals.

How to Tune

To achieve the 'Low F & A# Octave Drop 8' tuning, adjust your strings as follows. Please note that for the lowest F1 string, a heavier gauge string is generally recommended to maintain optimal tension and intonation, even with minimal tuning adjustments, due to the extremely low target pitch.

• String 8 (F1): Tune down 1 semitone to F1.
• String 7 (A#2): Tune down 1 semitone to A#2.
• String 6 (F2): Tune up 1 semitone to F2.
• String 5 (A#3): Tune up 1 semitone to A#3.
• String 4 (D#4): Tune up 1 semitone to D#4.
• String 3 (G#4): Tune up 1 semitone to G#4.
• String 2 (C4): Tune up 1 semitone to C4.
• String 1 (F4): Tune up 1 semitone to F4.

String 8 (Lowest): F1

String 7: A#2

String 6: F2

String 5: A#3

String 4: D#4

String 3: G#4

String 2: C4

String 1 (Highest): F4