Verbal Analysis

This "Drop F 7-String" tuning plunges the guitar into an extremely low and heavy sonic landscape, ideal for genres like deathcore, djent, and extreme metal, as exemplified by bands like The Acacia Strain and Vildhjarta. The tuning is two whole steps down from a 7-string drop A tuning, resulting in a profoundly deep and guttural sound. The overall feel is incredibly thick, with a resonant low-end that can shake foundations, lending itself to a sludgy, chugging attack perfect for devastatingly slow riffs or quick, percussive muted patterns. The unique intervallic structure in the upper strings, particularly the non-sequential pitch order among the middle strings, can create unusually dissonant and unsettling textures when played open or with complex voicings, offering a distinct flavor of sonic aggression and chaos.

Technical Analysis

• Open String Notes and Intervals: The tuning is F1 - C2 - F2 - A#3 - D#4 - G3 - C4, from the lowest (7th) to the highest (1st) physical string.
  • The lowest three strings (7-6-5) form a powerful F5 chord (F-C-F), providing a solid, resonant foundation for low-end riffs, characteristic of "drop" tunings where the lowest string is dropped by a whole step relative to a standard fourth interval.
  • A notable feature is the non-monotonic pitch progression among the higher strings: the 2nd string (G3) is actually lower in pitch than both the 4th string (A#3) and the 3rd string (D#4). This creates specific, potentially dissonant, intervals that are unique to this tuning.
  • The intervals from the lowest to the highest physical string are:
    • String 7 (F1) to String 6 (C2): Perfect 5th (+7 semitones)
    • String 6 (C2) to String 5 (F2): Perfect 4th (+5 semitones)
    • String 5 (F2) to String 4 (A#3): Augmented 4th (Tritone) + Octave (+18 semitones total, F2 to A#2 is +6 semitones, then A#2 to A#3 is +12 semitones). This is a very large jump in pitch between these two strings.
    • String 4 (A#3) to String 3 (D#4): Perfect 4th (+5 semitones)
    • String 3 (D#4) to String 2 (G3): Diminished 5th DOWN (-8 semitones). This is a significant step down for an adjacent string.
    • String 2 (G3) to String 1 (C4): Perfect 4th (+5 semitones)
• Chordal Possibilities:
  • The F-C-F on the bottom three strings (7, 6, 5) immediately provides a powerful, open F5 chord, which is perfect for heavy, one-finger power chords across these strings, enabling a truly crushing low end.
  • Due to the extremely low range and irregular intervals, traditional open major or minor chords are largely inaccessible.
  • However, the unique arrangement of the upper strings (G3, A#3, D#4, C4 across strings 2, 4, 3, 1 respectively, when ordered by pitch) opens up possibilities for highly dissonant or atmospheric voicings and complex chord extensions, ideal for experimental or avant-garde heavy music.
• Gauge Recommendation: All strings are tuned down significantly (between 4 to 6 semitones from standard 7-string tuning). For optimal playability, intonation, and to prevent excessive string floppiness, using a much heavier gauge string set than standard is strongly advised. The 7th string, especially, would benefit from an extremely heavy gauge due to being tuned down a full 6 semitones. Players should exercise care when tuning up more than 3 or 4 semitones or tuning down more than 4 semitones on standard gauges. As all movements here exceed 4 semitones down, an entirely different string gauge set is highly recommended.

Open String Notes

String 7 (lowest): F1

String 6: C2

String 5: F2

String 4: A#3

String 3: D#4

String 2: G3

String 1 (highest): C4

How to Tune

• String 7: Tune down 6 semitones to F1.
• String 6: Tune down 4 semitones to C2.
• String 5: Tune down 4 semitones to F2.
• String 4: Tune down 4 semitones to A#3.
• String 3: Tune down 4 semitones to D#4.
• String 2: Tune down 4 semitones to G3.
• String 1: Tune down 4 semitones to C4.