Tuning Analysis: The F# Drone with Tension

This unique guitar tuning, known as "F# F# F# F# E B" and reportedly found on sonicyouth.com, is a highly experimental and dissonant setup designed for a very specific sonic texture rather than conventional harmony. It features a powerful, multi-octave F# drone across the four lowest strings, creating a dense and resonant foundation.

Technically, the tuning features two F#3 notes on the 6th and 5th strings, followed by two F#4 notes (an octave higher) on the 4th and 3rd strings. This creates an incredibly dense, two-octave F# unison drone. The addition of E4 (a minor seventh relative to F#) on the 2nd string and B4 (a perfect fourth relative to F#) on the 1st string introduces significant dissonance and tension. When played open, the combination of F# (Root), F# (Root), F# (Octave), F# (Octave), E (minor 7th), and B (perfect 4th) does not form a standard major or minor chord. Instead, it creates a complex, suspended, and somewhat unsettling sound, reminiscent of an F#7sus4, but with a strong, sustained F# fundamental underpinning everything.

Due to its unconventional nature, this tuning is best suited for textural playing, ambient soundscapes, or experimental music where traditional chord voicings are less important than sonic color and sustained resonance. Chords formed by simply barring across a single fret would maintain the drone characteristic while shifting the root, but the dissonant intervals on the higher strings would remain, requiring careful melodic and harmonic exploration. For example, barring at the 2nd fret would yield G# G# G# G# F# C#, maintaining the drone but with a different root and new tensions. Slide playing could be very effective in this tuning, allowing for smooth glides through the dissonant intervals and emphasizing the drone.

How to Tune Your Guitar to F# F# F# F# E B

To achieve this unique tuning, you will need to adjust your guitar strings as follows:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 2 semitones from its standard E to F3#.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones from its standard A to F3#.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 4 semitones from its standard D to F4#. *Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones significantly increases string tension. Proceed with care, and consider using a heavier gauge string for this if you intend to keep this tuning for extended periods.*
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone from its standard G to F4#.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 5 semitones from its standard B to E4. *Caution: Tuning up 5 semitones is a very significant increase in tension. We strongly recommend using a heavier gauge string for this to avoid string breakage and potential neck damage.*
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 7 semitones from its standard E to B4. *Extreme Caution: Tuning up 7 semitones is an extremely high increase in tension, reaching nearly a full octave up. This carries a high risk of string breakage and potential damage to your guitar's neck or bridge. It is highly advisable to use a significantly heavier gauge string, or even a different type of string (e.g., a baritone string for the higher range) if you plan to use this tuning. Proceed with extreme caution.*

Here are the open notes for each string:

• String 6 (Low E): F3#
• String 5 (A): F3#
• String 4 (D): F4#
• String 3 (G): F4#
• String 2 (B): E4
• String 1 (High E): B4