Fmadd9 Open Tuning: Deep, Melancholic, and Rich

"Just a cool minor tuning that I made" — and indeed it is! This custom open tuning creates a lush, melancholic soundscape, perfect for expressive playing in genres like blues, jazz, alternative, or any style benefiting from a rich, dark harmonic foundation. The inclusion of the 9th adds a sophisticated, slightly suspended quality, preventing it from sounding overly conventional.

Technical Analysis

The open strings of this tuning lay out the notes: F2, G3#, C3, G3, G4#, F4. Analyzing these notes, we find:

• F (Root): Provided by String 6 (F2) and String 1 (F4).
• G# / Ab (Minor Third): Found on String 5 (G3#) and String 2 (G4#). This definitively establishes the minor quality of the chord.
• C (Perfect Fifth): Present on String 4 (C3), providing harmonic stability.
• G (Major Ninth): Present on String 3 (G3). This 'G' is a major 9th above F, adding color and tension.

Together, these notes form an F minor add9 chord (F-Ab-C-G). Strumming all open strings will immediately produce this rich, full chord. This open tuning offers immediate access to a complex minor harmony, encouraging exploration of melodic lines and rhythmic patterns over a sustained, evocative drone. Due to the repeated F and G# notes across different octaves, it provides a thick, layered sound.

The structure lends itself well to slide guitar due to the open chord. Fingerstyle players will find new harmonic possibilities, while lead players can utilize the open strings as drones or pedal tones. Barre chords will require a new approach, but shapes that capitalize on the open F, C, and G notes can create interesting voicings. For instance, playing a single finger barre across a fret would yield various parallel minor add9 chords (e.g., barre at the 3rd fret would yield a G#madd9 chord).

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve the Fmadd9 Open Tuning, you will adjust your strings from standard EADGBe tuning as follows. Please exercise caution when tuning, especially when raising pitch significantly.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 1 semitone from E2 to F2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 1 semitone from A2 to G3#. (Note: While the pitch movement is down one semitone from A, the target note G3# implies a significant octave jump from standard A2, which might require a different gauge string or careful tuning if your A string is not initially pitched higher.)
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). It remains at G3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 3 semitones from B3 to G4#. (Note: Similar to the 5th string, the target note G4# implies an octave jump from a B3 tuned string after lowering its pitch by 3 semitones, indicating the string might need to be higher to begin with, or the tuning process involves a more complex octave adjustment.)
• 1st String (High E): Tune up 1 semitone from E4 to F4.

Important Note on String Gauges: For tunings that require moving strings more than 4 semitones up or down, it is generally advised to consider using a different string gauge to maintain proper tension, intonation, and string life. This particular tuning involves shifts mostly within 3 semitones, but pay close attention to the 5th and 2nd string targets (G3# and G4#) if your instrument's standard string gauges struggle to achieve such high octaves for those specific string slots without excessive tension or breakage.

Here are the precise notes for each string in Fmadd9 Open Tuning, from lowest to highest:

• 6th String: F2
• 5th String: G3#
• 4th String: C3
• 3rd String: G3
• 2nd String: G4#
• 1st String: F4