This is a distinctive guitar tuning, artfully named "Third Eye D", drawing inspiration from the original description "narcolepsy // third eye blind". It reshapes the standard guitar into a powerful and resonant open D Major chord, specifically a Dmaj/F# (D Major with F# in the bass).

Verbal Analysis

Upon strumming, this tuning immediately presents a full, vibrant D Major chord with an underlying, driving F# bass note. It feels bright, open, and harmonically rich, making it highly suitable for strumming anthemic chords or fingerpicking melodic patterns that effortlessly resonate within the D Major tonality. The repeated notes across octaves (F#, A, D) give it a drone-like quality, perfect for creating expansive soundscapes or driving rock riffs, much like the dynamic sound often associated with bands like Third Eye Blind.

Technical Analysis

The instrument is a Guitar. The target tuning notes are as follows:

• 6th String (Low E position): F#2
• 5th String (A position): A2
• 4th String (D position): D3
• 3rd String (G position): F#3
• 2nd String (B position): A3
• 1st String (High E position): D4

The resulting open tuning notes are F#2-A2-D3-F#3-A3-D4. This arrangement forms a complete D Major chord (D, F#, A) with the F# note serving as the lowest bass tone, effectively making it a Dmaj/F# chord in open position. The intervals between the strings (from 6th to 1st) are: Major 3rd (F#2 to A2), Perfect 4th (A2 to D3), Major 3rd (D3 to F#3), Perfect 4th (F#3 to A3), Perfect 4th (A3 to D4). This creates a highly consonant and harmonious open sound.

Because of its open D Major quality, players can easily create various D Major voicings by simply barring across frets. Sliding a single finger up and down the fretboard will produce different major chords (e.g., barring at the 2nd fret yields an E Major chord, barring at the 3rd fret yields an F Major chord). Power chords are easily accessible by simply muting the open strings not needed and playing two or three adjacent strings. The drone notes, especially the F# and A, allow for rich sustained sounds and creative melodic improvisation within the D Major scale. This tuning encourages exploration of melodic lines over a stable harmonic foundation.

How to Tune to Third Eye D (F# A D F# A D)

To achieve the "Third Eye D" tuning, begin from standard EADGBe tuning and adjust each string as follows:

• 6th String (Low E): Tune up 2 semitones from E2 to F#2. (Tune up 2 semitones)
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at A2. (Keep as is; no change (0 semitones))
• 4th String (D): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) at D3. (Keep as is; no change (0 semitones))
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 1 semitone from G3 to F#3. (Tune down 1 semitones)
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3. (Tune down 2 semitones)
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 2 semitones from E4 to D4. (Tune down 2 semitones)

Important Note on String Tension: Tuning changes of more than 4 semitones up or down can put excessive stress on your guitar strings and neck, potentially leading to string breakage or intonation issues. For tunings requiring such extreme changes (e.g., -5 or +5 semitones), it is highly recommended to consider using a different gauge of strings (thicker for lower tunings, thinner for higher tunings) to maintain optimal tension and guitar health. In this particular tuning, all string adjustments are within a safe range for standard string gauges.