Verbal Analysis

This unique tuning, humorously noted by its creator as something stumbled upon 'just messing' and later recognized for its use by American Football in 'Give Me The Gun', offers a truly distinct sonic palette. It possesses a rich, open, and resonant quality that lends itself beautifully to atmospheric, arpeggiated patterns and intricate melodic lines. The interplay of Fs and Cs creates a strong, drone-like foundation, while the G and E introduce surprising harmonic depth and color. This results in a sound that can feel both expansive and intimately melancholic, ideal for creating emotive soundscapes and nuanced compositions where chords ring out with sustained presence and unexpected extensions.

Technical Analysis

The FGCFCE tuning (F2 G2 C3 F3 C4 E4) presents a fascinating departure from standard EADGBE, establishing a unique and harmonically rich landscape. Let's break down the open strings:

• The low F2 (6th string) and F3 (3rd string) firmly establish F as the root, providing a powerful, almost pedal-tone foundation.
• The G2 (5th string) introduces a major second, giving a characteristic suspended or extended flavor to any F-based harmony.
• The C3 (4th string) and C4 (2nd string) strongly reinforce C as a prominent harmonic center, creating a resonant perfect fifth relationship with the Fs.
• The E4 (1st string) acts as a major seventh interval relative to the low F, hinting at an Fmaj7 sound, or forming a clear C major triad (C-E-G) with other strings.

Collectively, the open strings F G C F C E can be interpreted as an F Major 7th Add 9 (F-G-C-E) voicing, offering a lush, sophisticated harmony that rings out without any fretting.

Chords within Reach:

• Open F Major 7th (Fmaj7add9): The open strings themselves form this intricate and beautiful chord, perfect for immediate arpeggiation or full, ringing strumming.
• Open C Major / C Add9: By selectively playing strings such as the 4th, 5th, 2nd, and 1st (C3, G2, C4, E4), a clear C Major triad emerges, often with a G in the bass (C/G). The presence of the Fs provides opportunities for richer, more complex voicings.
• Suspended Chords: The inclusion of the G (a major second from F, a perfect fourth from C) makes it inherently easy to create sus2 and sus4 voicings over various roots, adding tension and resolution.
• Drone Chords: The repeated Fs and Cs throughout the tuning make it exceptionally well-suited for drone-based playing. Simple one-finger barres can yield surprisingly complex and resonant chord qualities, creating new sonic landscapes. For instance, barring all strings at the 3rd fret would yield G Bb Eb G Bb D, an open G minor 7th chord.
• Unique Voicings: The wide and varied intervals between adjacent strings, coupled with the clustering of certain notes (like the two Cs), will naturally inspire unconventional and highly original chord shapes and melodic patterns.

How to Tune Your Guitar to FGCFCE

To achieve the FGCFCE tuning from standard EADGBE, please adjust your strings carefully and incrementally as described below:

• 6th String (Low E to F2): Tune up 1 semitone.
• 5th String (A to G2): Tune down 2 semitones.
• 4th String (D to C3): Tune down 2 semitones.
• 3rd String (G to F3): Tune down 2 semitones.
• 2nd String (B to C4): Tune up 1 semitone.
• 1st String (High E to E4): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones).

Note: All indicated string movements are within safe ranges for standard gauge guitar strings. No special considerations for string gauge are needed to achieve this tuning.