Tuning Analysis: Owls Blindingly Cute

This unique guitar tuning, aptly named "Owls Blindingly Cute", is attributed to Victor Villareal for the song 'I want the blindingly cute to confide in me' by the band Owls. It represents a highly experimental departure from standard guitar tunings, designed to unlock a very specific, evocative soundscape rather than conventional harmonies.

Verbal Observations

The immediate impression of this tuning is one of openness, tension, and a somewhat melancholic or introspective quality. The wide intervallic jumps and the close dissonances between certain strings create a texture that encourages arpeggiated figures and sustained drones. It's not a tuning for strumming traditional chords; rather, it invites players to explore unusual voicings, complex melodic lines, and atmospheric soundscapes. The interplay of low, somewhat dissonant bass notes with higher, more consonant intervals suggests a tuning crafted for intricate fingerstyle pieces or ambient textures where individual note resonance is key. It moves away from the 'easy' sound of common open tunings towards something more challenging and rewarding for specific musical expressions.

Technical Analysis

The "Owls Blindingly Cute" tuning sets the strings as follows, from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st): D2 B2 C3 F#4 A3 E4. This creates a series of highly unconventional intervals between adjacent strings, which are the backbone of its unique character:

• String 6 (D2) to String 5 (B2): A Major 6th (10 semitones). This wide interval in the bass creates a spacious, resonant foundation.
• String 5 (B2) to String 4 (C3): A Minor 2nd (1 semitone). This very tight, dissonant interval is a hallmark of the tuning's tension and character.
• String 4 (C3) to String 3 (F#4): An Augmented 4th / Tritone (6 semitones). This is a highly unstable and harmonically active interval, providing significant tension and a sense of unresolved yearning.
• String 3 (F#4) to String 2 (A3): A Minor 3rd (3 semitones). This interval offers a moment of relative consonance, suggesting minor harmony.
• String 2 (A3) to String 1 (E4): A Perfect 5th (7 semitones). This strong, stable interval on the upper strings provides clarity and resolution.

When played open, the combined notes (D, B, C, F#, A, E) do not form a readily recognizable conventional chord. The presence of both C and F# creates a pronounced tritone dissonance within the open voicing. Rearranging these notes (C, D, E, F#, A, B) suggests a mode like C Lydian (C D E F# G A B) but with missing or reordered elements, indicating that the tuning is likely not built around a single modal center for open strumming, but rather for its specific intervallic qualities and resonance.

Open Chords & Reachable Voicings

Given the inherent dissonances and wide intervals, "Owls Blindingly Cute" is not designed for traditional open major or minor chords. Instead, it facilitates:

• Droning & Ambient Textures: The open strings ring out with a unique resonance, especially the low D-B-C combination, which can be used for deep, atmospheric drones.
• Complex Arpeggios: The varied intervals make it excellent for intricate fingerpicking, allowing notes to combine in novel and unexpected harmonic ways as they sustain.
• Fragmented & Altered Chords: By fretting just one or two notes, players can discover unique suspended, augmented, or altered dominant voicings that are impractical or impossible in standard tuning. For instance, fretting the D on the 4th string (2nd fret) could create a D chord with unusual extensions.
• Specific Voicings: The top three strings (F# A E) alone could be interpreted as an F# minor 7th (missing the C#) or an A major triad with an F# in the bass (A/F#). Experimentation will reveal many such partial chord possibilities.

This tuning demands an exploratory approach, moving beyond familiar chord shapes to discover new sonic territories, making it perfect for avant-garde, post-rock, or modern folk compositions.

Tuning Notes Reference

Here are the target notes for each string in the "Owls Blindingly Cute" tuning, listed from the thickest (lowest pitch) to the thinnest (highest pitch) string:

• String 6 (Low E string becomes): D2
• String 5 (A string becomes): B2
• String 4 (D string becomes): C3
• String 3 (G string becomes): F#4
• String 2 (B string becomes): A3
• String 1 (High E string becomes): E4

How to Tune Your Guitar

To achieve the "Owls Blindingly Cute" tuning from standard E Standard tuning, follow these specific adjustments for each string:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 2 semitones to D2.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 2 semitones to B2. (Exercise care when tuning up; while 2 semitones is generally safe for standard gauge strings, always proceed slowly.)
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones to C3.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 2 semitones to A3.
• String 1 (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). It remains E4.