This distinctive tuning, named "Soon (Capo) Tuning," is specifically crafted to facilitate playing My Bloody Valentine's track "Soon" with a capo placed at the first fret. It's an ingenious solution that avoids extreme string tension adjustments, allowing guitarists to achieve the song's signature sound without risk to their instrument. The resulting open strings create a lush, resonant soundscape, perfectly suited for shoegaze, ambient, and drone compositions.

Technical Analysis: Open F-based Voicing

Technically, this is an open tuning built predominantly around the note F. The open strings are tuned to F2-F2-F3-F3-C4-F4 (low to high). This arrangement immediately forms a powerful F5 chord across multiple octaves. The individual notes provide a deeply harmonic foundation:

• 6th String (Low E): F2 (Root)
• 5th String (A): F2 (Octave of the 6th string)
• 4th String (D): F3 (Octave of the 5th/6th strings)
• 3rd String (G): F3 (Octave of the 4th string)
• 2nd String (B): C4 (Perfect Fifth relative to F)
• 1st String (High E): F4 (Two octaves above the 6th string, completing the F major voicing)

This configuration is essentially an F5 power chord spread across the guitar, with the C4 on the 2nd string providing the crucial fifth. The abundance of Fs at various octaves creates an incredibly rich and sustained drone effect, while the C provides harmonic stability. With a capo on the first fret, the effective open tuning shifts to F#2-F#2-F#3-F#3-C#4-F#4, lending a brighter, more shimmering quality to the overall sound, characteristic of its shoegaze inspiration.

Chordal and Playing Possibilities

The open strings themselves resonate as a grand F5 chord. This makes it exceptionally easy to create powerful, full-sounding chords simply by barring across any fret, instantly generating a power chord (e.g., barring at the 1st fret, with capo on the 1st, effectively the 2nd fret, would yield an F#5/G5 chord). The tuning's drone-like quality makes it perfect for sustained chords, delay-heavy soundscapes, and intricate melodic lines that emphasize the F-C harmonic relationship. While standard chord shapes will be re-contextualized, two and three-string voicings that utilize the inherent F and C notes will be easily accessible, encouraging unique harmonic exploration.

How to Tune Your Guitar

Achieving this tuning requires careful adjustment of each string from standard E Standard tuning. Please use a reliable tuner and proceed with caution, especially with significant pitch changes:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 1 semitones to F2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 4 semitones to F2. Caution: Tuning down by this amount requires careful adjustment to avoid string slack or intonation issues.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 3 semitones to F3. Caution: Tuning up by 3 semitones can increase string tension; ensure your guitar's neck can handle the change and tune slowly.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune up 1 semitones to C4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune up 1 semitones to F4.

General Advice: For strings tuned up by 3 or more semitones, or down by 4 or more semitones, it is advisable to consider using a different string gauge to ensure optimal tension, playability, and to prevent potential damage to your guitar or strings in the long term. Always tune gradually and re-check intonation.

Low E String (6th): F2

A String (5th): F2

D String (4th): F3

G String (3rd): F3

B String (2nd): C4

High E String (1st): F4