This "Open F5" tuning transforms your guitar into a powerful, resonant instrument, perfect for styles ranging from blues and rock to experimental slide and bowed guitar work. As its name suggests, striking the open strings immediately produces a full and deep F5 power chord, ready to launch into heavy riffs or soaring melodies. The dual F notes across the lower strings provide a thick, foundational bass, while the octave C and F notes build a rich harmonic stack. This tuning offers a straightforward canvas for expressive playing, making it especially intuitive for slide guitarists who can simply bar across any fret to achieve a new power chord.

Technical Analysis

The Open F5 tuning presents the notes F2-F2-C3-F3-C4-F4 from thickest to thinnest string. This arrangement is a robust F5 power chord (Root-Fifth) distributed across multiple octaves, with the root (F) on the 6th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st strings, and the perfect fifth (C) on the 4th and 2nd strings. The intervals between the open strings are:

• 6th String (F2): The foundational root note.
• 5th String (F2): A unison with the 6th string, significantly reinforcing the low F and adding thickness to the sound.
• 4th String (C3): A perfect fifth above the F root, providing harmonic stability.
• 3rd String (F3): An octave above the 6th and 5th strings, another strong F root that adds depth.
• 2nd String (C4): An octave above the 4th string, a higher perfect fifth that brightens the chord.
• 1st String (F4): An octave above the 3rd string, completing the F power chord in a higher register and adding sparkle.

This dense stacking of roots and fifths creates immense sustain and a commanding presence. The simplicity of an open power chord means that moving a single finger or a bar across any fret will instantly give you another power chord in a different key (e.g., barring at the first fret yields an F#5, at the second fret a G5, and so on). While the tuning primarily focuses on power chords, the close voicings of the Fs and Cs can inspire interesting drone-based melodic lines and open up possibilities for complex arpeggios or even experimental harmonic textures, especially with a slide or e-bow. The resonant nature of this tuning also lends itself well to percussive techniques and open-string flourishes.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open F5 tuning from standard E-A-D-G-B-E, follow these string adjustments:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone to F2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 4 semitones to F2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune up 1 semitone to C4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune up 1 semitone to F4.

Note: Always tune carefully and be mindful of string tension, especially when tuning strings up.

The Open F5 tuning from the 6th (thickest) to the 1st (thinnest) string is as follows:

String 6: F2

String 5: F2

String 4: C3

String 3: F3

String 2: C4

String 1: F4