Tuning Analysis: b/f# Double Capo

The "b/f# Double Capo" tuning transforms your standard guitar into a vibrant, high-pitched sonic landscape, built around an open F#sus4(add6) chord. This unique configuration is characterized by its bright, ringing quality, making it ideal for drone-like compositions, intricate fingerstyle, or creating a shimmering sonic bed for songwriting.

Verbal Analysis

Imagine a guitar that sings with open resonance, where strumming all strings without fretting creates a rich, full chord. This tuning achieves just that, delivering an F#sus4(add6) straight from the open strings. The prominent F# root and the perfect fourths (B notes) provide a strong, almost ethereal drone, while the higher D# adds a beautiful major sixth, giving the chord a sweet, slightly melancholic yet uplifting feel. It’s a tuning that encourages experimentation with open string harmonies and can lead to surprisingly complex textures with minimal effort. The higher overall pitch of the strings contributes to a bright, almost mandolin-like or even banjo-esque timbre, especially on the upper registers.

Technical Analysis

From the lowest string (6th) to the highest (1st), the notes are tuned to F#3 B2 F#4 B3 D#5 F#5. This arrangement reveals a distinct chordal structure:

• Root (F#): Present on the 6th, 4th, and 1st strings, providing a strong tonal center across multiple octaves.
• Perfect 4th (B): Found on the 5th and 3rd strings, adding to the suspended quality and creating a lush, open harmony with the F# notes.
• Major 6th (D#): Located on the 2nd string, this interval gives the tuning its unique character, turning a simple suspended chord into something richer and more expressive.

The resulting open voicing, F#3 B2 F#4 B3 D#5 F#5, forms an F#sus4(add6) chord. This setup naturally lends itself to creating soaring melodies over a droning base. Due to the repeated intervals (P4 between F# and B, and a minor 3rd between D# and F# on the top two strings), many chord shapes will be easily movable up and down the neck, allowing for quick modulation. Common chords like F#maj, Bmaj, D#min can be found with slight adjustments from the open position, and the overall tension creates a very articulate and resonant sound, perfect for ambient textures or intricate fingerpicking patterns. The absence of a traditional major or minor third in the open tuning leaves it harmonically versatile.

How to Tune

Achieving the "b/f# Double Capo" tuning requires significant adjustments from standard EADGBe. Please follow these steps carefully, and note the advice regarding string gauge for larger semitone changes:

• 6th String (Low E equivalent): Tune up 2 semitones from E to F#3.
• 5th String (A equivalent): Tune up 2 semitones from A to B2.
• 4th String (D equivalent): Tune up 4 semitones from D to F#4. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones places significant tension on the string. Consider using a lighter gauge string if this tuning is played frequently to prevent breakage and potential neck damage.
• 3rd String (G equivalent): Tune up 4 semitones from G to B3. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones places significant tension on the string. Consider using a lighter gauge string if this tuning is played frequently to prevent breakage and potential neck damage.
• 2nd String (B equivalent): Tune up 4 semitones from B to D#5. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones places significant tension on the string. Consider using a lighter gauge string if this tuning is played frequently to prevent breakage and potential neck damage.
• 1st String (High e equivalent): Tune up 2 semitones from E to F#5.

Always tune slowly and check your intonation. For tunings involving semitone changes of 4 or more, it is generally recommended to use a different, lighter gauge string set to avoid excessive tension on your instrument and the strings themselves.

The open notes for this "b/f# Double Capo" tuning are:

• 6th String: F#3 (the lowest note)
• 5th String: B2
• 4th String: F#4
• 3rd String: B3
• 2nd String: D#5
• 1st String: F#5 (the highest note)