Tuning Analysis: Nick's Sun (Things Behind The Sun Tab by Nick Drake)

This unique guitar tuning, famously associated with Nick Drake's 'Things Behind The Sun,' transforms the standard guitar into a resonant, open soundscape. It's a tuning that epitomizes the intricate, melancholic, and often ethereal quality found in Drake's work, providing a rich harmonic canvas ideal for fingerstyle playing and atmospheric compositions.

Technical Overview

The open strings are tuned to G# C# G# G# D# G#, from the lowest to the highest string. This arrangement effectively creates an Open G#sus4 chord. The repeated G# notes across multiple octaves (G3#, G4#, G4#, G5#) establish a strong, pervasive root, while the D5# provides the perfect fifth. The distinctive C4# acts as the suspended fourth, giving the tuning its characteristic open and slightly unresolved, yet beautiful, quality. This suspension creates a yearning or contemplative feel, diverging from a straightforward major or minor tonality.

This configuration makes it incredibly versatile for creating drone-like harmonies and allows for easy transposition of the core suspended 4th chord by simply barring across any fret. For instance, a barre at the 1st fret would yield an Asus4 chord, and at the 2nd fret, an A#sus4. More complex chords can be formed with minimal finger movements, often involving just one or two fingers to alter the C# or D# notes to achieve major, minor, or other extended harmonies. The substantial tension adjustments on several strings indicate a deeply re-voiced instrument, optimized for the specific harmonic and melodic requirements of this tuning.

How to Tune Your Guitar to Nick's Sun

Please approach this tuning with care, as it involves significant changes in string tension from standard EADGBe tuning. For string movements of 4 semitones or more, using a different gauge string is advisable to prevent potential damage or breakage, and to maintain optimal playability.

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 4 semitones to G3#. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones is a significant increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 4 semitones to C4#. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones is a significant increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 6 semitones to G4#. Caution: Tuning up 6 semitones is a very significant increase in tension. A lighter gauge string is strongly advised to prevent damage or breakage.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 1 semitone to G4#.
• String 2 (B): Tune up 4 semitones to D5#. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones is a significant increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 4 semitones to G5#. Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones is a significant increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.

Here are the target notes for each string in Nick's Sun tuning:

String 6: G3#

String 5: C4#

String 4: G4#

String 3: G4#

String 2: D5#

String 1: G5#