Open Fsus2 Tuning: A Resonant and Expansive Soundscape

The "Open Fsus2 Tuning" (F2 G2 C3 F3 G3 C4) provides a unique and resonant sonic landscape, departing significantly from standard tuning. It's often discovered by guitarists experimenting, as the original description hints at, leading to its accidental charm and versatility. This tuning creates a rich, full sound with open strings ringing out an Fsus2 chord, perfect for achieving drone-like textures, expressive melodies, and exploring new harmonic possibilities across various genres, including folk, blues, and experimental music.

Technical Analysis

Technically, this tuning arranges the strings to form an Fsus2 chord when played open: F (root), G (suspended 2nd/9th), and C (perfect 5th). The intervals between the open strings are as follows:

• 6th String (F2) to 5th String (G2): Whole Step (Major 2nd)
• 5th String (G2) to 4th String (C3): Perfect Fourth
• 4th String (C3) to 3rd String (F3): Perfect Fourth
• 3rd String (F3) to 2nd String (G3): Whole Step (Major 2nd)
• 2nd String (G3) to 1st String (C4): Perfect Fourth

This consistent repetition of F-G-C across the lower and upper string sets creates a highly resonant and harmonically rich foundation. The suspended 2nd (G) gives the tuning an open, ethereal quality, making it less direct than a major or minor open tuning, and instead offers a versatile platform for melodic and arpeggiated playing. The prevalence of perfect fourths makes finding octaves and harmonizing notes intuitive across the fretboard.

Open Chords and Playing Potential

The most prominent open chord is, of course, the Fsus2 itself, ringing beautifully across all six strings. Due to the parallel nature of the tuning, simply barring all strings at any fret will yield a suspended 2nd chord based on that fret's root note. For instance:

• Barre at 1st fret: F#sus2
• Barre at 3rd fret: G#sus2 / Absus2
• Barre at 5th fret: Asus2
• Barre at 8th fret: Bsus2
• Barre at 10th fret: Dsus2

This ease of changing the root of the suspended chord opens up a world of possibilities for slide guitar playing, as well as for creating moving bass lines or drone melodies. While direct major or minor triads require more intricate fingering due to the suspended 2nd interval, the strong fundamental (F) and perfect fifth (C) provide a solid base for constructing power chords (e.g., F5 by muting the G strings, or by adjusting the fingering slightly). The repeating note structure also makes it intuitive to find octaves and create rich, harmonically layered melodies.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open Fsus2 tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string adjustments. Please note that significant changes (exceeding 4 semitones up or down) might require a different string gauge for optimal tension, intonation, and playability.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone to F2. (Care should always be taken when tuning up, especially by more than a couple of semitones, to avoid string breakage.)
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 4 semitones to G3. (Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change; if you plan to use this tuning frequently, a heavier gauge string is advised to maintain appropriate string tension and intonation.)
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 4 semitones to C4. (Tuning down 4 semitones is a significant change; if you plan to use this tuning frequently, a heavier gauge string is advised to maintain appropriate string tension and intonation.)

Ensure your guitar is properly intonated after making significant tuning changes to achieve the best sound.

6th String: F2

5th String: G2

4th String: C3

3rd String: F3

2nd String: G3

1st String: C4