Tuning Analysis: Open G# Seventh Ninth

This distinctive guitar tuning, notably used in an Yvette Young song ditty, presents a rich and harmonically complex sound. It establishes a strong G# tonality with sophisticated jazz and contemporary music influences, making it an excellent choice for experimental, ambient, progressive, or math-rock styles of playing.

Verbal Analysis

The 'Open G# Seventh Ninth' tuning immediately offers a resonant and full sonic canvas, perfectly suited for intricate fingerstyle arrangements or crafting dense, atmospheric soundscapes. The strategic doubling of the low G# notes on the 6th and 5th strings provides a powerful, droning foundation, while the upper strings introduce harmonic complexity with a striking major 9th (A#) and a minor 7th (G). The absence of a clear major or minor third lends this tuning an intriguing ambiguity and versatility, allowing it to adapt to various moods without being strictly bound to a single mode. It encourages the use of open voicings and arpeggios that shimmer with sustain, allowing individual notes to ring out and blend beautifully. Players will find it easy to achieve a rich harmonic palette, discovering unexpected chord shapes and melodic possibilities across the fretboard, ideal for intricate compositions and improvisations.

Technical Analysis

The open strings are tuned to G#3-G#3-D#4-A#4-D#4-G4, from low (6th string) to high (1st string). This arrangement technically forms a G#5 power chord (G# and D#) significantly enhanced by a prominent major 9th (A#) and a minor 7th (G). More precisely, it can be interpreted as a G#7(no3)add9 chord. The intervals relative to the root G# are as follows: Root (G# on 6th string), Root (G# on 5th string), Perfect 5th (D# on 4th string), Major 9th (A# on 3rd string), Perfect 5th (D# on 2nd string), and Minor 7th (G on 1st string). The strategic placement of identical notes—G# on the 6th and 5th strings, and D# on the 4th and 2nd strings—at different octaves creates exceptional depth, resonance, and sustain. This tuning's inherent harmonic structure lends itself exceptionally well to modal playing and exploring advanced harmonies beyond standard major/minor progressions, offering a modern and expansive sound palette.

Chordal Possibilities and Fingerboard Shapes

Strumming all open strings immediately produces the tuning's signature G#7(no3)add9 sound. Due to the consistent interval structure, barring any single fret across all six strings will effectively transpose this complex open chord, creating an instant progression of playable seventh-ninth voicings. For example, barring the 1st fret would yield an A7(no3)add9 chord. The repeated D# notes on the 4th and 2nd strings, separated by a perfect octave, allow for easy drone notes and rich melodic phrasing. Experimenting with two- or three-finger chord shapes across the fretboard will reveal a wealth of unique voicings, often sounding far more complex and harmonically sophisticated than their simple shapes might suggest, making this tuning a true playground for creative exploration and pushing the boundaries of guitar playing.

Current Tuning Notes

• String 6 (Low E): G3#
• String 5 (A): G3#
• String 4 (D): D4#
• String 3 (G): A4#
• String 2 (B): D4#
• String 1 (High E): G4

How to Tune

Please follow these instructions carefully to achieve the 'Open G# Seventh Ninth' tuning from standard E Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E):

• String 6 (Low E): Tune up 4 semitones to G3#. (Note: Tuning up 4 semitones is a significant change in tension; proceed with caution. For sustained use, a heavier gauge string is advised.)
• String 5 (A): Tune down 1 semitones to G3#.
• String 4 (D): Tune up 1 semitones to D4#.
• String 3 (G): Tune up 3 semitones to A4#. (Note: Tuning up 3 semitones is a notable change in tension; proceed with caution.)
• String 2 (B): Tune down 8 semitones to D4#. (WARNING: Tuning down 8 semitones is an extreme change in pitch. This string will be exceptionally slack, and it is strongly advised to replace it with a much heavier gauge string (e.g., a low E string from a standard set) to ensure proper intonation, playability, and to prevent string breakage or damage to your instrument.)
• String 1 (High E): Tune up 3 semitones to G4. (Note: Tuning up 3 semitones is a notable change in tension; proceed with caution.)