Overview: City and Colour's Delaware Tuning

This unique tuning, famously utilized by City and Colour in his song "Hello, I'm In Delaware," offers a distinctive and atmospheric sonic landscape. It leans heavily into ringing, open voicings, creating a rich, melancholic, yet often bright, sound perfect for arpeggiated patterns and sustained chords. The resonant foundation provided by the lower strings underpins the higher, melodic intervals, giving the tuning a full, almost piano-like quality. It's an excellent choice for fingerstyle playing, allowing complex harmonies to emerge with relative ease and creating an immersive soundscape.

Technical Analysis

This is an open tuning, specifically F#3-B2-F#4-B3-D#5-G#5 (low to high), which essentially forms a vibrant B major 6th chord (B D# F# G#) across the open strings. Let's break down the intervals and harmonic possibilities:

• The open strings immediately present a Bmaj6 chord (B, D#, F#, G#) with a strong foundation, particularly with the repeated F# and B notes across different octaves.
• The 6th string (F#3) and 5th string (B2) are a perfect 4th apart (or an inverted perfect 5th), providing a deep, resonant bass and a powerful harmonic anchor.
• The 4th string (F#4) acts as an octave of the 6th string, further reinforcing the F# drone, and creates a perfect 4th interval with the 3rd string (B3), mirroring the lower string relationship.
• The 3rd string (B3) and 2nd string (D#5) span a major third and an octave, providing the crucial major quality and brightness to the overall chord.
• The 2nd string (D#5) and 1st string (G#5) form a perfect 4th, completing the Bmaj6 harmony with the G#, which is the major 6th of B.

This tuning offers immediate access to rich Bmaj6 or G# minor 7th voicings by simply strumming the open strings. Chords like B major, G# minor, and F# major become easily accessible with minimal fretting, often leveraging the resonant open string drones. The harmonic symmetry between the F# and B pairs on the lower strings can inspire interesting melodic and harmonic exploration, making complex voicings feel natural and intuitive.

How to Tune (from Standard E-A-D-G-B-e)

This tuning requires significant adjustments from standard EADGBe. Please use a reliable tuner and exercise caution, especially with strings tuned up multiple semitones. For movements exceeding 4 semitones up or down, a different string gauge might be advised to maintain optimal tension and prevent string breakage.

• 6th String: Tune up 2 semitones to F#3.
• 5th String: Tune up 2 semitones to B2.
• 4th String: Tune up 4 semitones to F#4. This is a significant increase in pitch and string tension. While the instruction specifies "up 4 semitones," the target note F#4 is quite high for a D string's typical range. Consider using a lighter gauge string or proceed with extreme caution.
• 3rd String: Tune up 4 semitones to B3. This is a significant increase in tension. Consider using a lighter gauge string for this string or proceed with extreme caution.
• 2nd String: Tune up 4 semitones to D#5. This is a significant increase in pitch and string tension. While the instruction specifies "up 4 semitones," the target note D#5 is quite high for a B string's typical range. Consider using a lighter gauge string or proceed with extreme caution.
• 1st String: Tune up 4 semitones to G#5. This is a significant increase in pitch and string tension. While the instruction specifies "up 4 semitones," the target note G#5 is quite high for a high E string's typical range. Consider using a lighter gauge string or proceed with extreme caution.