This unique guitar tuning, often associated with the legendary Joni Mitchell and notably used in her song "I Don't Know Where I Stand," offers a rich and distinctive sonic palette. It's a testament to Mitchell's innovative approach to guitar playing, creating harmonies and textures not achievable in standard tuning.

Verbal Analysis

At its heart, this tuning provides a deeply resonant foundation with two low F notes, giving it a powerful, almost drone-like quality. The subsequent strings build upon this, creating an open chord that is both rich and ambiguous. It invites a fingerstyle approach, allowing the open strings to ring out and blend, producing lush textures perfect for introspective folk and jazz-influenced compositions. The arrangement encourages unique melodic lines and chord voicings that feel natural within its specific intervals, moving away from conventional guitar shapes.

Technical Analysis

The open notes of this tuning are F2-F2-C3-G3-A3-C4. Analyzing these intervals from the lowest F (F2):

• String 6 (F2): Root
• String 5 (F2): Unison (Octave 0)
• String 4 (C3): Perfect 5th
• String 3 (G3): Major 9th (or Major 2nd)
• String 2 (A3): Major 3rd
• String 1 (C4): Perfect 5th (or Octave)

This arrangement presents an Fmaj9 quality (F-A-C-G) as its open chord, with a strong emphasis on the root and fifth due to the doubled Fs and Cs. The presence of the G (Major 9th) adds a sophisticated, suspended-like richness. While not a conventional open major or minor, this tuning provides a powerful harmonic canvas. Barre chords across the frets will directly transpose this Fmaj9 structure, for instance, a barre at the 1st fret yields an F#maj9, and at the 3rd fret, a Gmaj9. This makes it intuitive to explore different keys while retaining the characteristic open voicing.

How to Tune

To achieve this unique tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone from E2 to F2. (Tune up 1 semitones)
• String 5 (A): Tune down 4 semitones from A2 to F2. (Tune down 4 semitones)
  Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant drop. If this feels too loose or causes intonation issues, consider using a heavier gauge string for optimal performance.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3. (Tune down 2 semitones)
• String 3 (G): Keep as is; no change from G3 to G3. (Keep as is; no change (0 semitones))
• String 2 (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3. (Tune down 2 semitones)
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 4 semitones from E4 to C4. (Tune down 4 semitones)
  Note: Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant drop. If this feels too loose or causes intonation issues, consider using a heavier gauge string for optimal performance.

String 6: F2 (Low F)
String 5: F2 (Another low F, a unison with the 6th string, providing a deep, resonant foundation.)
String 4: C3 (Mid-range C, a perfect fifth above the F root.)
String 3: G3 (Middle G, functioning as a major second or ninth, adding harmonic color.)
String 2: A3 (Mid-range A, the major third of the F chord, giving it a bright character.)
String 1: C4 (High C, an octave above C3 and a perfect fifth above the F root, completing the chord.)