Major Sixth Tuning (C.A.F#.D#.C.A)

Like the minor third tuning, the strings of the major sixth tuning are tuned to a C diminished seventh chord. Both tunings contain the notes CAF#D#, though the strings are in a different order and different tones are doubled.

Despite this superficial similarity, the tunings are vastly different, primarily because the six strings of the minor third tuning are compressed into little more than an octave, while the major sixth tuning spans over three and a half octaves. As a result, chords in the major sixth tuning tend to sound sparse, with large intervals between successive chord notes. Scales are awkward because they cannot be played in a single position, making certain melodic passages awkward. On the other hand, the range of the tuning is immense, since there are five octaves from the lowest C to the highest C. This is as large a span as most midsized keyboards!