This unique tuning, aptly named "F minor 7", transforms your guitar into a rich, resonant soundscape built around the F minor 7 chord. As indicated by its origin, it's a creative exploration stemming from the FACGCE tuning, aiming for a minor tonality, and it certainly delivers. The open strings immediately form a complete F minor 7 chord (F-Ab-C-Eb), providing an incredibly resonant foundation for improvisation, songwriting, and atmospheric playing.

Technical Analysis:

• The tuning's open notes are F2 - G#3 - C3 - F3 - C4 - D#5 (low to high).
• At its core, this is an F minor 7 tuning. The intervals from the lowest F (string 6) are:
  • String 6 (F2) to String 5 (G#3): A minor tenth (compound minor third, F to Ab).
  • String 6 (F2) to String 4 (C3): A compound perfect fifth.
  • String 6 (F2) to String 3 (F3): A perfect octave.
  • String 6 (F2) to String 2 (C4): A two-octave perfect fifth (compound perfect fifth).
  • String 6 (F2) to String 1 (D#5): A two-octave minor seventh (compound minor seventh, F to Eb).
• The open strings lay out the F minor 7 chord notes: F (root), G# (Ab, minor third), C (perfect fifth), F (octave root), C (octave perfect fifth), D# (Eb, minor seventh). This makes for a full and vibrant open chord.
• The prevalence of repeated F and C notes across the strings (F-G#-C-F-C-D#) creates a powerful drone effect and offers unique harmonic possibilities.

Musical Applications and Chords:

The most immediate benefit of this tuning is the open F minor 7 chord. This makes it ideal for:

• Slide Guitar: The parallel nature of some strings and the full open chord make it exceptionally well-suited for slide playing, allowing for sweeping minor 7th harmonies.
• Droning & Ambient Music: The strong minor 7th resonance provides a rich foundation for ambient textures, fingerstyle arpeggios, and sustained notes.
• Open Chords: Beyond the open F minor 7, moving a single finger can reveal a wealth of related chords. For example, barring across a single fret will produce various minor 7th chords up the neck. Experiment with moving the entire shape up the neck to find other minor 7th voicings.
• Creative Voicings: The unique string intervals, particularly the minor tenth between strings 6 and 5, encourage unconventional voicings and chord shapes that would be difficult or impossible in standard tuning. Explore shapes around the repeated F and C notes.

How to Tune:

To achieve this tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps. Please exercise caution when tuning strings up.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone to F2. (Tune up 1 semitones)
• String 5 (A): Tune down 1 semitone to G#3. (Tune down 1 semitones)
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones to C3. (Tune down 2 semitones)
• String 3 (G): Tune down 2 semitones to F3. (Tune down 2 semitones)
• String 2 (B): Tune up 1 semitone to C4. (Tune up 1 semitones)
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 1 semitone to D#5. (Tune down 1 semitones)

All string movements are within safe limits. For any tuning changes exceeding 4 semitones up or down, considering a different string gauge is often recommended, though not necessary for this specific tuning.

Here are the notes for each string, from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st):

• String 6: F2
• String 5: G#3
• String 4: C3
• String 3: F3
• String 2: C4
• String 1: D#5