Verbal Analysis

The "Oh Dear Father - RVR" tuning offers a profoundly resonant and melancholic sound, perfectly crafted for the song it accompanies. With its open F minor tonality, it creates a rich, full-bodied drone that encourages introspection and emotional depth. The strategic doubling of F and C notes across various octaves contributes to a natural sustain and harmonic complexity, allowing for expressive musicality without requiring intricate finger positions. The overall feel is incredibly grounded and powerful, largely due to the exceptionally low F1 on the 6th string, which lays down a formidable foundation for the entire sound.

Technical Analysis

This tuning is a variant of an Open F minor tuning, with the strings set to F1 G#2 C2 F2 C3 F3 from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st) string.

Open String Voicing:

The open strings directly spell out an F minor chord: F (root), G# (enharmonically Ab, the minor third), and C (the perfect fifth). The presence of multiple F and C notes across different octaves (F1, F2, F3 and C2, C3) significantly reinforces this F minor tonality, making a simple open strum yield a powerful and complete F minor chord.

String Intervals (from 6th to 1st string):

• 6th String (F1) to 5th String (G#2): Compound minor third / Augmented second
• 5th String (G#2) to 4th String (C2): Diminished fifth (or a major third if considering the octave)
• 4th String (C2) to 3rd String (F2): Perfect Fourth
• 3rd String (F2) to 2nd String (C3): Perfect Fifth
• 2nd String (C3) to 1st String (F3): Perfect Fourth

This arrangement provides a strong F fundamental, harmonically supported by its perfect fifth (C) and defining minor third (G#/Ab). The repeating F-C relationship across strings creates a harmonically rich and resonant landscape.

Chords and Playability:

• Open F Minor: The most immediate benefit is the natural F minor chord produced by strumming all open strings, offering a deep, full resonance.
• Barre Chords: This tuning is highly conducive to barre chords. By barring all strings at any given fret, you can effortlessly transpose the open F minor chord up the neck (e.g., 1st fret for F# minor, 2nd fret for G minor, etc.).
• F Major: An F major chord is easily accessible by simply fretting the 5th string (G#2) up one semitone to A2. This transforms the minor third (G#/Ab) into a major third (A), yielding the F A C F C F voicing.
• Power Chords and Drones: The abundance of F and C notes makes it exceptionally simple to create powerful, resonant drone sounds and two-note power chords (F5, C5). Selective strumming or muting allows for strong rhythmic and melodic phrasing with minimal finger movement, taking full advantage of the consistent F-C intervals across various string pairs.
• Exploring Other Chords: The structure also encourages experimentation with suspended chords or inversions by adjusting the G# (Ab) and C notes. For instance, shifting the G# (5th string) to Bb (4th fret) could open up Fsus4 voicings, or shifting the C (4th string) to D could create Fsus2.

How to Tune

Please note that these tuning adjustments are provided as specified in the tuning data. Tuning up or down significantly (more than 4 semitones in either direction) may require a different gauge string to maintain proper tension and prevent damage. For adjustments of 3 or 4 semitones, always proceed with caution.

• For your 6th string (Low E), tune up 4 semitones to F1. Please proceed with caution as this is a notable adjustment.
• For your 5th string (A), tune up 2 semitones to G#2.
• For your 4th string (D), tune up 1 semitone to C2.
• For your 3rd string (G), tune up 1 semitone to F2.
• For your 2nd string (B), tune up 3 semitones to C3. Please proceed with caution as this is a notable adjustment.
• For your 1st string (High E), tune up 3 semitones to F3. Please proceed with caution as this is a notable adjustment.

The notes for this tuning, from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st) string, are as follows:

6th String: F1

5th String: G#2

4th String: C2

3rd String: F2

2nd String: C3

1st String: F3