This unique tuning, aptly named 'Lady of the Island' and associated with the beautiful work of Crosby, Stills & Nash, creates a rich, resonant, and open soundscape. It's perfectly suited for intricate fingerstyle playing, giving a dreamy and full quality to chords with minimal effort, reminiscent of classic folk and acoustic rock.

Technical Analysis:

The open string notes, from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st), are: D♯3 • D♯3 • B2 • F♯4 • G♯4 • B3.

• A truly distinctive feature is the unison D♯3 on both the 6th and 5th strings. This creates an incredibly thick and sustained bass foundation, adding a powerful drone-like quality to the lower register.
• Following this, the 4th string is tuned to B2, which acts as the root of the chord formed by the open strings. The relationship between B2 and D♯3 (a Major 3rd above) outlines a B Major tonality.
• The upper strings (F♯4 • G♯4 • B3) further build upon this foundation. The F♯4 provides the perfect fifth, the G♯4 introduces the major 6th, and the B3 reinforces the root an octave higher.
• Combined, the open strings (B2, D♯3, D♯3, B3, F♯4, G♯4 when ordered by pitch) essentially form an open B Major 6 chord (B - D♯ - F♯ - G♯), giving the tuning an inherent sweetness and harmonic completeness.

This tuning is highly conducive to playing full, open chords with minimal left-hand effort. Simple barres across a single fret can easily transpose the open B Major 6 chord into other Major 6th chords (e.g., barring at the 1st fret yields a C Major 6). The significant octave jumps between strings (e.g., B2 on 4th string to F♯4 on 3rd string, or G♯4 on 2nd string to B3 on 1st string) also open up possibilities for wide, shimmering arpeggios and unique melodic voicings.

Due to the substantial down-tuning required for several strings, specifically the 5th string (down 6 semitones) and the 1st string (down 5 semitones), it is strongly advised to use heavier gauge strings. This will help maintain proper string tension, ensure better intonation, prevent strings from feeling too 'flabby,' and reduce the risk of breakage when tuning to these significantly lower pitches.

Open String Notes:

From the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st) string, the open notes for this tuning are:

• 6th String: D♯3
• 5th String: D♯3
• 4th String: B2
• 3rd String: F♯4
• 2nd String: G♯4
• 1st String: B3

How to Tune:

To achieve the 'Lady of the Island' tuning from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these specific string adjustments. Please note: For some strings, the final target pitch (as listed in 'Open String Notes' above) is an octave higher than what a direct semitone drop from standard EADGBe would produce. Users should confirm their desired final pitch with a chromatic tuner, aiming for the 'Open String Notes' listed above.

• 6th String (Low E): From standard E2, tune down 1 semitone to D♯2. (Note: The target final tuning for this string is D♯3, an octave higher than a direct 1-semitone drop from E2.)
• 5th String (A): From standard A2, tune down 6 semitones to D♯2. Caution: This is a significant drop; using a heavier gauge string is strongly advised. (Note: The target final tuning for this string is D♯3, an octave higher than a direct 6-semitone drop from A2.)
• 4th String (D): From standard D3, tune down 3 semitones to B2.
• 3rd String (G): From standard G3, tune down 1 semitone to F♯3. (Note: The target final tuning for this string is F♯4, an octave higher than a direct 1-semitone drop from G3.)
• 2nd String (B): From standard B3, tune down 3 semitones to G♯3. (Note: The target final tuning for this string is G♯4, an octave higher than a direct 3-semitone drop from B3.)
• 1st String (High e): From standard E4, tune down 5 semitones to B3. Caution: This is a significant drop; using a heavier gauge string is strongly advised.