Step into the unique sonic landscape often associated with Polvo, particularly from their album "Celebrate the New Dark Age," with this intriguing and highly resonant guitar tuning. Named Polvo's Angular Drone, this tuning crafts a distinctive sound profile that blends strong, sustained drone notes with a bright, open major tonality. It's an excellent choice for experimental playing, angular riffing, and creating rich, full soundscapes, making it ideal for indie rock, post-rock, and other genres that prioritize texture and atmosphere.

Technical Breakdown:

This tuning features a distinctive architecture with repeated notes across different octaves, creating a powerful, layered drone effect. The open strings are tuned to G2-G2-C3-C3-C4-E4 (from the lowest string to the highest string).

• Low End Foundation: The two lowest strings are tuned to a unison G2, providing a deep, guttural, and resonant foundation that anchors the tuning.
• Mid-Range Core: The next three strings (C3-C3-C4) are all variations of C across different octaves. This creates a massive, ringing C drone, especially with the perfect octave jump between the 4th and 3rd strings (C3 to C4). The doubled C notes add significant harmonic richness.
• Melodic Top: The highest string is E4. When played open, the strings collectively form an open C Major chord (C-E-G) but with a unique and powerful voicing. The abundance of C's and G's (G being the fifth of C) creates an incredibly full, almost orchestral C Major sound, rich in overtones and sustain.

Open Chord Possibilities:

The open strings themselves ring out as a very rich and resonant C Major chord, specifically a C major triad (C-E-G) with heavily doubled roots and fifths across multiple octaves. This makes open strumming exceptionally full and impactful.

The pervasive G and C drone notes naturally encourage drone-based playing and sustained sonic textures. Simple barre chords or single-finger fretting across all strings at a given fret will produce powerful, consonant voicings, often major chords or inversions of the fundamental C-E-G structure. For instance, barring at the 5th fret would yield an F Major sound (F-A-C, with many Fs and Cs present). The unique intervals also open up possibilities for creating suspended chords and crafting interesting melodic lines that exploit the natural resonance of the C and G drones. Experiment with slides, hammer-ons, and open-string flourishes to truly explore its angular and atmospheric nature.

Open String Notes:

String 6 (Low E equivalent): G2
String 5 (A equivalent): G2
String 4 (D equivalent): C3
String 3 (G equivalent): C3
String 2 (B equivalent): C4
String 1 (High E equivalent): E4

How to Tune:

To achieve Polvo's Angular Drone tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-e):

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up from its standard E note to G2. This is a movement of 3 semitones up.
• String 5 (A): Tune down from its standard A note to G2. This is a movement of 2 semitones down.
• String 4 (D): Tune down from its standard D note to C3. This is a movement of 2 semitones down.
• String 3 (G): Tune down from its standard G note to C3. This is a movement of 7 semitones down. Caution: Tuning down 7 semitones is a significant drop in pitch and will drastically reduce string tension. For optimal playability, tone, and to prevent potential intonation issues, it is strongly advised to use a heavier gauge string for this particular string, or proceed with extreme care.
• String 2 (B): Tune up from its standard B note to C4. This is a movement of 1 semitone up.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change. The string remains at its standard E4 note (0 semitones movement).

Important Note on String Tension: While most string movements in this tuning are relatively minor, tuning String 3 down by 7 semitones will significantly loosen its tension. Conversely, tuning String 6 up by 3 semitones will moderately increase its tension. Always listen to your guitar and make adjustments slowly and carefully to prevent string breakage or potential neck damage. For any extreme changes (especially the -7 semitones), using a different string gauge is highly recommended for the best performance and to maintain proper intonation and feel.