This "Drop C alt." tuning, famously utilized by Totally Unicorn on their album High Spirits // Low Life, delivers a profoundly heavy and aggressive sonic landscape. It's a tuning that immediately signals a departure from conventional rock, leaning heavily into the realms of metal, hardcore, and sludge. The overall downtuned nature provides a thick, resonant foundation, while its unique string intervals offer both familiar power and intriguing dissonances.

Technical Analysis:

• Root and Power: The lowest string (6th) is tuned to a powerful C2, establishing a deep, growling root. The adjacent 5th string at G2 forms an immediate C5 power chord (C-G), perfect for chunky riffs and driving rhythms.
• Familiar Intervals: Strings 5, 4, 3, and 2 are G2, C3, F3, and A3 respectively. The G2-C3 and C3-F3 intervals are perfect fourths, maintaining a familiar guitar-like structure that makes chord shapes and scale patterns somewhat transferable from standard tuning, albeit shifted.
• Harmonic Nuances: The F3-A3 interval (a major third) on the 3rd and 2nd strings introduces a brighter, more open quality than a typical fourth, potentially facilitating easier access to major triad fragments or unique voicings when barred. When played with the C3 on the 4th string (C3-F3-A3), it can create an F Major triad inversion, offering a distinct harmonic flavor amidst the low-end heft.
• High-End Edge: The most striking aspect of this tuning is the 1st string, tuned to a high A#4. This creates a very close, almost dissonant interval with the 2nd string's A3 (an octave and a minor second/major seventh below). This high, sharp note can be used for cutting leads, squealing harmonics, or to introduce a tense, shimmering quality over the heavy chords, providing an interesting contrast and melodic potential.
• Open Chord Accessibility: While not a traditional open chord tuning, the lowest three strings (C2-G2-C3) inherently form a formidable C5 power chord. Barring across the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings (C3-F3-A3) allows for an F Major triad. The overall structure makes power chords extremely accessible across multiple string sets.
• String Tension & Gauge: All strings are tuned down from standard EADGBe, with significant drops for the 6th string (-4 semitones) and especially the 1st string (-6 semitones). This substantial detuning means that a heavier gauge string set is highly recommended to maintain adequate string tension, prevent intonation issues, and avoid excessive string flop or buzzing, ensuring a tight and articulate sound.

Here are the specific notes for each string in this tuning, from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st):

• String 6: C2 (Lowest bass string)
• String 5: G2
• String 4: C3
• String 3: F3
• String 2: A3
• String 1: A#4 (Highest treble string)

How to Tune:

To achieve this "Totally Unicorn - High Spirits // Low Life" tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps. Please be aware that significant drops in tuning, particularly for String 1 (-6 semitones) and String 6 (-4 semitones), typically require a heavier gauge string set to maintain optimal tension, intonation, and playability, preventing excessive string flop or buzzing.

• String 6 (Low E): Begin with your 6th string (Low E). Tune down 4 semitones to reach C2.
• String 5 (A): For your 5th string (A), tune down 2 semitones to G2.
• String 4 (D): Move to your 4th string (D). Tune down 2 semitones to C3.
• String 3 (G): Your 3rd string (G) should be tuned down 2 semitones to F3.
• String 2 (B): The 2nd string (B) needs to be tuned down 2 semitones to A3.
• String 1 (High E): Finally, for your 1st string (High E), tune down 6 semitones to achieve the distinct A#4.