This unique and resonant tuning, famously utilized by Daniel Johns of Silverchair for tracks like 'Luv Your Life', 'Tuna in the Brine', and 'Across the Night', offers a distinct sonic landscape. It's built around an open G7sus4 chord, specifically with an F in the bass, providing a rich, full, and slightly melancholic or atmospheric quality.

Technical Analysis

The open strings are tuned to F2-C3-G3-D3-G3-D4. When strummed openly, these notes perfectly form a G7sus4 chord (G-C-D-F) with an F note as the lowest bass tone. This gives the tuning an immediate harmonic richness, allowing for easy, droning chord progressions by simply barring across frets. The doubling of the G and D notes across the strings (G3 and G3, D3 and D4) contributes to a thick, layered sound.

The intervallic structure (F-C: Perfect 5th; C-G: Perfect 4th; G-D: Perfect 5th; D-G: Perfect 4th; G-D: Perfect 5th) creates a consistent and playable framework. This allows for easy access to various sus4, sus2, and 7th chords by simply shifting positions or adding minimal fingerings. Barre chords will immediately yield different voicings of the core G7sus4 structure, transposed up the neck. The open tuning lends itself well to fingerstyle arrangements and resonant strumming, creating a wide, ethereal sound that characterises many of Silverchair's later works.

How to Tune

Achieving this tuning requires significant adjustments from standard E Standard tuning. Please refer to the specific string movements below:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone from E to F2.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 3 semitones from A to C3.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 5 semitones from D to G3. (Caution: Tuning up 5 semitones is a significant adjustment; consider a heavier gauge string to prevent breakage and maintain intonation.)
• String 3 (G): Tune down 5 semitones from G to D3. (Caution: Tuning down 5 semitones is a significant adjustment; consider a lighter gauge string for better playability and intonation.)
• String 2 (B): Tune down 4 semitones from B to G3. (Caution: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant adjustment; consider a lighter gauge string for better playability and intonation.)
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 2 semitones from E to D4.

For any string movement exceeding 4 semitones (up or down), it is generally advisable to consider changing to a different string gauge to ensure optimal playability, prevent string breakage, and maintain proper intonation and tension.

String 6: F2 (Low F)

String 5: C3 (Mid C)

String 4: G3 (Mid G)

String 3: D3 (Mid D)

String 2: G3 (High G)

String 1: D4 (High D)