Which tuning is this?

[Basshead]

Happy new year fellas, few people asked me about the tuning Im using on this piece of mine, can any of you guess which one it is? (dont look at the comments please) and I find this very interesting, is this an ear or a theory issue? to me its really obvious what Im doing, there are some clues too here and there but if you only listen to the tune and dont look at the fingers, can you tell? some people not even watching my fingers can guess...

[GuyBoden]

It's not tuned in Fourths, I'd know fourth tuning, because that's what I use.

Very nice touch and feel. But, I'd like to hear some Jazz

Video quality and sound has improved immensely with your new setup.

[frabarmus]

Nice tune and nice guitar!

About the tuning: what makes it sound like an "open tuning" or an "alternate tuning" is your extensive use of open strings (if you ask me).

[pauln]

If the first couple of strums are the open strings (I think they are) the tuning is a clear EM9 major ninth sound (like the intro of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", except that is up the neck 079877).

Based on the M9 sound I'd call it open E major ninth tuning, however you can also hear it as a B major ninth sound BM9/E

It sounds like the guitar's 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings are tuned up to make the major E,

3rd G#
4th E
5th B
6th E

Then for the ninth, which is clearly on the 1st string

1st F#

3rd G#
4th E
5th B
6th E

The second string sounds like D# to me (open B is OK but too big a gap)

1st F#
2nd D#
3rd G#
4th E
5th B
6th E

Agree with GuyBodin, your production standard is excellent.

[Basshead]

Not even close mates...keep trying :-)

The name is actually a massive clue!

[frabarmus]

The name is actually a massive clue!

Renaissance lute tuning? (Standard tuning with G string down to F#)?

[Basshead]

Nope, I actually used that type of tuning for this other composition, normally call Rondeña in Flamenco world.

[pauln]

The stated challenge was to tell the tuning by
not watching or comments, but only listening.
Now seeing first chord is fretted 0 2 6 2 4 0 0
and sounding E B E G# D# F# (if that is right),
one figures the open tuning is E A D# F# D# F#.

[Basshead]

Nope, kinda interesting, anyone else wanna try?

[GuyBoden]

Eadgbe

[Basshead]

Yeah, standard tuning it is, but kinda interesting that few people thought I was using some exotic tuning, its true that I mostly invented (to myself) 90% of the chords Im using in this piece but if you see the name...lydian...it goes from E lydian (basically b major with the pedal bass on E) to same thing but lydian dominant, I was trying to learn and do something similar to what John Mclaughling does with Shakti, specially in an old video but I ended up quitting and coming with this LOL yeah nice try.

[Moonbeam]

It’s standard tuning EADGBE. The sound comes from heavy use of open strings and Lydian harmony, not an alternate tuning. That’s why it feels exotic by ear even though the guitar is tuned normally...