Verbal Analysis:

The 'Emotional - American Football' tuning immediately evokes the intricate and often melancholic soundscapes characteristic of its namesake. This is not a tuning designed for simple open chord strumming; rather, it crafts a unique harmonic palette perfect for arpeggiated figures, intricate melodies, and suspended voicings. The open strings create a complex, often ambiguous sound, hinting at minor tonalities and extended chords, which provides a rich foundation for expressive playing. While a full open strum can sound dissonant, it's ideal for crafting atmospheric textures and fingerstyle parts where individual notes and small clusters can shine. Power chords are readily available on the lowest two strings, and the sequence of perfect fourths higher up allows for unique voicings by simply barring a single finger across these strings.

Technical Analysis:

This tuning sets the guitar's open strings to D#3 A#3 C3 F3 A#4 D4 (low to high). From standard EADGBe, this involves significant alterations across all strings. The intervallic relationships between adjacent strings are: a Perfect 5th (D#3-A#3), followed by an unusual Minor 3rd (A#3-C3), and then a sequence of three Perfect 4ths (C3-F3, F3-A#4, A#4-D4). The open chord contains the notes D#, A#, C, F, and D. This collection features a D# minor triad (D#, F, A#) but with the addition of C (a minor 6th above D#) and D (a major 7th above D#). This combination creates a rich, complex sonority that resists easy categorization, pushing towards extended, suspended, or ambiguous chord voicings. The prevalence of 4ths on the higher strings makes for easy access to quartal harmonies and allows for innovative lead lines and chord fragments that depart significantly from standard tuning conventions.

How to Tune

To achieve this tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 1 semitone from E3 to D#3.
• String 5 (A): Tune up 1 semitone from A3 to A#3. Take care when tuning this string up.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 2 semitones from D3 to C3.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 2 semitones from G3 to F3.
• String 2 (B): Tune down 1 semitone from B4 to A#4.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 2 semitones from E4 to D4.

Important Note: The string movements for this tuning are generally moderate. However, remember to always tune carefully, especially when tuning a string up. While none of the adjustments exceed 4 semitones, indicating that a different string gauge is likely not essential, exercising caution, particularly with the A string tuning up, is always recommended to prevent string breakage or damage to your guitar.