D-A-C#-F#-C#-D
• OVERVIEW •
Introduced by multi-tuning Japanese virtuoso Ichika Nito in 2019. His jagged configuration twists all but the 5str away from Standard – while never taking any of them more than 2 semitones from this starting point.
Fantastic for fresh major-key melodies and extended chord shapes. Try teasing out the dissonance of the parallel octaves on 4+2str and 6+1str – separated by a clashing minor 2nd (C#-C# vs. D-D). Ethereal indeed!
Pattern: 7>4>5>7>1
Harmony: Dmaj7 | 1-5-7-3-7-1
• TUNING TONES •
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• SOUNDS •
Ichika Nito’s 2019 Ethereal Demo showcases his signature mix of vigorous legato, fluid rhythms, and two-handed tapping techniques – inspired in part by early training in classical piano. He expands on these foundations in a rare English-translated NatalieMu interview: “[I] divide the guitar into the upper half [6-5-4str] and the lower half [3-2-1str], and think of it as the bass and treble of a piano. I press the strings alternately with [both] hands so that the sound is not interrupted. There are many notes…as I want to connect them as smoothly as possible…”.
Here, Nito makes particular use of the parallel octaves on 4+2str – with the 2str ringing out slightly louder due to its raised tension (2str tends to be the loosest in Standard, hence many guitars having a B-string ‘saddle offset‘ – but here it becomes the tightest). This is exactly how to demo a new tuning in under a minute!
- Ethereal demo – Ichika Nito (2019):
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• NUMBERS •
| 6str | 5str | 4str | 3str | 2str | 1str | |
| Note | D | A | Db | Gb | Db | D |
| Alteration | -2 | 0 | -1 | -1 | +2 | -2 |
| Tension (%) | -21 | 0 | -11 | -11 | +26 | -21 |
| Freq. (Hz) | 73 | 110 | 139 | 185 | 277 | 294 |
| Pattern (>) | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 1 | – |
| Semitones | 0 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 23 | 24 |
| Intervals | 1 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
- See my Tunings Megatable for further such nerdery: more numbers, intervallic relations, comparative methods, etc. And to any genuine vibratory scientists reading: please critique my DIY analysis!
• RELATED •
—Associated tunings: proximities of shape, concept, context, etc…
- Gothic: another from Nito with a minor 2nd jump
- Oud (Arabic): same middle two, shuffled outer four
- Double Drop D: almost half the way back to Standard
• MORE INFO •
—Further learnings: sources, readings, lessons, other onward links…
- Ichika Nito: the Japanese virtuoso rarely seems to talk about himself (…at least in English-indexed format), preferring to speak through his sounds – although a translation of this Natalie.mu interview contains fascinating insights about his early training as a virologist (“even when I was busy with research, I cut down on sleeping time to make music”), and imaginative approach to the fretboard (“the idea is to divide the guitar into the upper half [6-5-4str] and the lower half [3-2-1str] and think of it like the bass and treble of a piano…I press alternately with both hands so that the sound is not interrupted…”)
- Ethereal etymologies: the word ‘ethereal’ itself (defined by Merriam-Webster as “celesteal, heavenly, unworldly, spiritual…lacking material substance, marked by unusual delicacy or refinement”) derives from Ancient Greek (“…the Earth was composed of earth, air, fire, and water, [but] the heavens…of a purer, less tangible substance known as either ‘ether’ or ‘quintessence’: an invisible light or fire…from the Greek aithein, a verb meaning ‘to ignite’ or ‘to blaze’. When ‘ethereal’…debuted in English [~1522], it referred [to] ‘regions beyond the Earth’…)
Header image: Ichika Nito, lit somewhat ethereally
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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Home & Writings, and hit me up for Online Lessons!
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