Verbal Analysis

Thurston Moore's 'Kool Thing' tuning is a quintessential example of Sonic Youth's unconventional approach to guitar. Far from a standard melodic tuning, it's designed for texture, dissonance, and a strong drone foundation, allowing for the creation of unique, noisy soundscapes. It's a tuning that encourages experimentation and breaks away from traditional chord shapes, pushing the boundaries of what a guitar can sound like. As the original description notes, it's definitely "a weird one," characteristic of all Sonic Youth songs, and invites players to explore its unique sonic landscape.

Technical Analysis

• Open String Notes: The tuning features a striking F# drone across the lower four strings: F#3, F#3, F#4, F#4. The two highest strings are B3 and E4.
• Interval Structure: Relative to the lowest F#3, the open strings form an F# (Root) - F# (Unison) - F# (Octave) - F# (Octave) - B (Perfect 4th) - E (Major 7th). This creates a unique sonic bed, heavily rooted in F# with the higher strings adding a distinct non-diatonic flavour.

Chords and Playability

This tuning is not primarily designed for conventional chord progressions, but rather for exploring resonant textures and sonic experimentation. Its unique architecture offers specific open chord voicings and opportunities for abstract sound creation:

• Open F# Drone: Strumming just the lowest four strings immediately yields a powerful F# drone, effectively an F# power chord spanning two octaves. This forms the backbone of the tuning, allowing for rhythmic, percussive exploration or sustained ambient textures.
• Full Open Strum: Strumming all six strings (F# - F# - F# - F# - B - E) results in an open, dissonant, yet resonant sound. While not a conventional chord, it can be interpreted as an F#sus4 with an an added E (F#m7sus4 without a 5th), or a partial F#7 voicing. This voicing lends itself to avant-garde arpeggios or as a basis for creating tension and release.
• Exploration: This tuning encourages the player to discover new voicings through single-finger fretting or small cluster shapes against the pervasive F# drone. Traditional barre chords would primarily shift the F# drone up, creating new harmonic contexts with the open B and E strings. The tuning is ripe for creating feedback and overtones due to the close voicings of the F# notes.

Open String Notes

• String 6 (Low E): F#3
• String 5 (A): F#3
• String 4 (D): F#4
• String 3 (G): F#4
• String 2 (B): B3
• String 1 (High E): E4

How to Tune (from Standard EADGBe)

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 2 semitones to F#3.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 4 semitones to F#4. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones can put significant tension on your string. For frequent use, consider a lighter gauge string to prevent potential string breakage or neck damage.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is at B3.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is at E4.