Mirror Tuning®

“What You Already Know

— Reflected.”

get tuned up!!

5th guitar tuning, reversed tuning or inverted tuning for a new generation!

Mirror Tuning® Playlist

Guitar Tuning DataBase

All fretboard maps, chords and scales now available on

GTDB.org

"Hey world – check in with Bernie he knows sh!t that most musicians have no clue about! Worth a look!"

–Alex Watson, Watson Guitars

"They seem happier this way"

–Thomas Scribner Esq

“Simply Obvious”

–Dr Jim Avidham

“It’s like spending your life learning on a 61 key piano and all of a sudden someone shows you an 88 key piano…”

–Malcolm Johnson Esq

“So… you (musicians) study the ‘circle of 5ths,’ the overtone series and classic instruments are tuned in 5ths. …Then you take a guitar and tune it in 4ths!!?”

–Luke Ericsson

“Remember when we all had VGA TVs!? AND NOW WE ALL OWN FLAT SCREENS!!!”

–Marc Cimeno

If you’ve ever seen a lefthanded guitar player play without reversing the strings, then you’ve already seen these reversed guitar shapes… only now the intervals have been flipped!!

Why Mirror Tuning® Outperforms Traditional Systems.

Mirror Tuning® is a tuning for six string guitar invented by Bernard Birgenheier, aka “Senchant™”

Redesigning the Guitar for the Modern Era

After more than 30 years of teaching and curriculum development, one truth has become obvious:

Most guitarists struggle not because of lack of talent, but because the instrument’s traditional tuning system is fundamentally inefficient.

Standard and drop tunings are built on asymmetry, historical compromises, and interval inconsistencies that slow learning, create ergonomic issues, and make the fretboard harder to decode than it needs to be.

Mirror Tuning® was developed to solve these problems.

It’s a fully symmetrical, modern tuning framework that offers:

Logical interval structure

One pattern works everywhere, reducing cognitive load and accelerating skill acquisition.

Improved ergonomics

More neutral hand positions and reduced strain, especially valuable for adult learners and extended-range players.

High compatibility with modern harmony

Jazz, cinematic, R&B, and contemporary chordal vocabularies become easier to execute and understand.

Seamless scalability

Works cleanly on 6, 7, 8, and 9+ string guitars without introducing new complexities.

Significant instructional efficiency

Students reach musical competency faster because the system eliminates the inconsistencies that traditionally slow progress.

Mirror Tuning® isn’t a novelty—it’s a redesign of the guitar’s operating system based on logic, symmetry, and modern musical demands.

For educators, composers, and serious players, it represents a meaningful advancement in how we approach the instrument.

Here is how it works:

Chord Inversions and Fretboard Maps

SENCHANT’S MIRROR TUNING®

Interval 5th +5th(b6) 5th 5th 5th

8 Tuning Variations

All 8 steel string variations are achieved with one custom set of strings!!! .008-.080

nylon string guitars & mini electrics

F#2

nylon string guitars & mini electrics

Bb1

Db3

Ab3

Eb4

Bb4

nylon string guitars

steel string 24.75"

G#1

D#2

F#3

C#4

G#4

steel string 25.5″

Bb2

Baritone 26.5″

F#1

C#2

F#4

Baritone 27″

Ab2

Eb3

Bb3

Baritone 28″

Traditional Guitar Tuning

Interval 4th 4th 4th 3rd 4th

Further observation:

Mirror Tuning® is far more resonant than traditional tuning. The open strings and open harmonics create a far better sounding chord than the muddy traditional open string chord and its’ harmonics.

Mirror Tuning® is more closely related to the overtone series. Traditional tuning is not.

Chord voicings in Mirror Tuning® sound “bigger” with less notes because of the larger intervals that can easily be played… described as “more piano-like” or the notes “jumping off the fret board!”

Little to nothing is lost when converting from a traditional 6 string tuning, but far more musical possibilities are gained by using Mirror Tuning®. Minor adjustments to the nut/saddles and proper string gauge is all that is needed!

Students and players adapt to this new Mirror Tuning® system quickly because they are not learning a new tuning system, only reversing already learned shapes and patterns. Any guitar player who doubles on mandolin or violin already do this “reversed thinking” by playing on a 5th tuned instrument. It’s like a giant mandolin with two bass strings added!

Chord shapes are more comfortable as they fall more ergonomically in players hands. Major or minor chords can also be played with one finger!!

Download Mirror Tuning® Booklet

Not ready to do a full conversion!? Try this neat hybrid idea combining MT A1 with standard tuning!! It’s called, “Half n Half™.” Instead of a drop A 7 string A1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4… I took out the filler and created this condensed version: A1 E2 C3 G3 B3 E4!! Fretboard maps, chords and scales available here: https://gtdb.org/aecgbe