The "Dakota Swinson" tuning is an unconventional and deeply resonant guitar setup, designed to evoke the intricate, arpeggiated soundscapes often heard in emo and math rock, explicitly referencing the style of "American Football" with a "half step down" feel. This tuning deviates significantly from standard EADGBe, creating a unique sonic palette perfect for open-string ringing, complex voicings, and atmospheric textures. It's not a tuning for strumming traditional chords, but rather for exploring new harmonic possibilities and melodic patterns.

Technical Analysis:

The open strings are tuned to E2 F#3 B2 F#4 B3 D#5. This arrangement is highly individual, featuring a blend of unison and octave relationships alongside unexpected intervals. Key observations include:

• The open strings present the notes E, F#, B, and D#.
• A prominent B Major triad (B, D#, F#) is distributed across multiple octaves (B2, F#3, B3, F#4, D#5), making open B major voicings incredibly rich and resonant.
• The lowest string (E2) acts as a deep root, providing a strong foundation that can interact interestingly with the B Major harmony above it, hinting at extended chords like Emaj7#11 (without the G#) or Badd11 with an E bass.
• The intervals between adjacent strings (from low to high) are:
  • String 6 (E2) to String 5 (F#3): Major 2nd (plus an octave)
  • String 5 (F#3) to String 4 (B2): Perfect 4th (plus an octave down)
  • String 4 (B2) to String 3 (F#4): Perfect 5th (plus two octaves up)
  • String 3 (F#4) to String 2 (B3): Perfect 4th (plus an octave down)
  • String 2 (B3) to String 1 (D#5): Major 3rd (plus an octave up)
• The tuning strongly emphasizes the notes B and F#, creating a powerful drone or sympathetic resonance, characteristic of many math rock and post-rock compositions.

Chordal Exploration:

While not designed for standard chord shapes, this tuning offers a wealth of unique harmonic possibilities:

• Open B Major: The notes B, D#, and F# are abundant, making an open B Major chord (e.g., x-x-B2-F#4-B3-D#5) highly resonant and full-bodied.
• Drones and Arpeggios: The open strings are excellent for arpeggiated patterns, allowing individual notes to ring out and combine in shimmering, evolving harmonies. The lowest E2 can serve as a pedal tone for intricate melodic lines above it.
• Unconventional Voicings: Experiment with two or three-finger chord shapes. For instance, a simple bar across certain frets will yield unique inversions or clusters due to the non-linear interval structure.
• Power Chords: Given the emphasis on B and F#, power chords built around these notes will sound particularly robust.

How to Tune:

To achieve the "Dakota Swinson" tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these steps carefully:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is E2.
• 5th String (A): Tune down 3 semitones. The target note is F#3.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 3 semitones. The target note is B2.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 1 semitone. The target note is F#4.
• 2nd String (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). The target note is B3.
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 1 semitone. The target note is D#5.

Important Note: Tuning down 3 semitones on the 5th and 4th strings is a significant change. While generally within the safe range for standard gauge strings, always proceed with caution. For even larger tuning deviations (exceeding 4 semitones up or down), a different string gauge is usually advised to maintain proper string tension and intonation, and to prevent string breakage or neck damage. However, for this specific tuning, the changes are generally manageable with a standard set.

6th String (Low E): E2
5th String (A): F#3
4th String (D): B2
3rd String (G): F#4
2nd String (B): B3
1st String (High E): D#5