Description: Csus Cornell Tuning

This distinctive guitar tuning, officially named Csus Cornell and documented from Chris Cornell's "Seasons" (Ultimate Guitar Tab version 1), creates a deep, resonant, and harmonically rich soundscape. While the name suggests a C suspended chord, the open strings technically produce an Fsus2/4 chord (F-G-C-F-C-F). This configuration is a hallmark of alternative and grunge music, providing a powerful, droning foundation with a unique blend of suspended tension and open resonance.

Verbal Analysis: The Csus Cornell tuning delivers a thick, full-bodied open sound that is perfect for expansive textures and heavy, driving riffs. The strategic placement of multiple F and C notes across the strings enhances natural resonance, creating a sustained, almost symphonic drone effect. The inclusion of a G note on the 5th string introduces a suspended second (or ninth) interval, adding a rich harmonic tension and complexity that is characteristic of Chris Cornell's work. This tuning encourages open-string playing and can dramatically simplify chord shapes, especially power chords and various suspended voicings, allowing for single-finger barres to create intricate harmonies with ease. It's particularly effective for rhythmic, low-end focused playing.

Technical Analysis: The open strings, from lowest (6th) to highest (1st), are tuned to F2-G2-C3-F3-C4-F4. Analyzing the intervals from the lowest F, we find a Perfect 1st (F), Major 2nd (G), Perfect 4th (C), Perfect 8th (F), Perfect 11th (C), and Perfect 15th (F). This specific arrangement clearly defines an Fsus2/4 chord. Key chords and voicings easily accessible in this tuning include:

• Open Fsus2/4 Chord: Simply strumming all six open strings yields this powerful and resonant chord, providing the tuning's core harmonic identity.
• Drone-based Chords: The abundance of F and C notes allows for a natural drone effect. By fretting single notes on other strings, players can create moving melodies over a sustained harmonic bed.
• Barred Suspended Chords: Barring all strings at a single fret (e.g., at the 5th fret) will produce a transposed version of the open chord's interval structure, giving you notes like C-D-G-C-G-C. This can function as a Gsus4 chord, but more broadly offers a powerful suspended voicing that can be leveraged for various harmonic contexts.

Open String Notes:

Here are the precise notes for each open string in the Csus Cornell tuning, presented from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st) string:

• String 6: F2
• String 5: G2
• String 4: C3
• String 3: F3
• String 2: C4
• String 1: F4

How to Tune:

To achieve the Csus Cornell tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these exact string adjustments:

• String 6 (E): Tune up 1 semitone from E2 to F2.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 2 semitones from A2 to G2.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 2 semitones from G3 to F3.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitone from B3 to C4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 1 semitone from E4 to F4.

Important Note: All required string movements are within the safe range of -4 to +4 semitones. Therefore, a change in string gauge is generally not necessary or advised for comfortable playability with this tuning.