The "Midwest Emo Tuning" is a distinctive and expressive guitar tuning, famously utilized by bands like Free Throw. As its description notes, it aims for intervals similar to FACGCE, but with a specific flattened characteristic, creating a unique sonic landscape tailored for the Midwest Emo genre. This tuning is designed to evoke the style's characteristic intricate melodies, open voicings, and often melancholic or introspective atmosphere, moving beyond conventional guitar tunings to facilitate complex arpeggios and shimmering chord voicings.

Technical Analysis

This tuning, with its open notes of F2 G#3 B2 F#4 B3 D#5, presents a highly unusual and non-standard intervallic structure across the strings. Unlike typical tunings that often feature consistent intervals (like perfect fourths or fifths), this setup is highly varied, creating a rich harmonic palette that encourages unique fingerings and expressive playing.

• The open strings, when played together, do not immediately form a simple major or minor chord, hinting at the genre's preference for suspensions, extensions, and open, sometimes ambiguous voicings. This provides a fertile ground for discovering new harmonic textures.
• A prominent feature of this tuning is the clear presence of a B Major chord across the higher strings. Strings 4 (B2), 3 (F#4), 2 (B3), and 1 (D#5) collectively contain the notes B, D#, and F#, forming a strong B Major triad with octave doublings. This makes B Major and its related voicings exceptionally resonant and accessible within this tuning, often serving as a harmonic anchor.
• The large intervallic jumps between adjacent strings—such as a compound minor third between String 6 (F2) and String 5 (G#3), and a compound perfect fifth between String 4 (B2) and String 3 (F#4)—are key to its open, chimey, and sometimes dissonant sound. These wide intervals make standard barre chords difficult or impossible but unlock possibilities for innovative open chords and arpeggiated patterns across the fretboard.
• The low F2 provides a deep, foundational bass note, while the high D#5 offers a bright, soaring upper register, creating a wide dynamic range perfect for the expressive and often melancholic nature of Midwest Emo music.

Players can expect to discover unique chord shapes that leverage the open string intervals and octave displacements, as well as complex melodic lines. This tuning encourages creative exploration and a departure from standard guitar techniques, aligning perfectly with the innovative spirit of the genre.

How to Tune

To achieve the Midwest Emo Tuning, begin from standard EADGBe tuning (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4) and adjust each string according to the precise semitone movements specified:

• String 6 (Low E): From E2, tune up 1 semitone to F2.
• String 5 (A): From A2, tune down 1 semitone to G#2. (Note: While the instruction is to tune down 1 semitone from A2, the target note for this string is G#3, which implies an octave shift not explicitly stated in the semitone movement instruction.)
• String 4 (D): From D3, tune down 3 semitones to B2.
• String 3 (G): From G3, tune down 1 semitone to F#3. (Note: While the instruction is to tune down 1 semitone from G3, the target note for this string is F#4, which implies an octave shift not explicitly stated in the semitone movement instruction.)
• String 2 (B): From B3, keep as is; no change (0 semitones).
• String 1 (High E): From E4, tune down 1 semitone to D#4. (Note: While the instruction is to tune down 1 semitone from E4, the target note for this string is D#5, which implies an octave shift not explicitly stated in the semitone movement instruction.)

It is important to use an accurate tuner to ensure each string reaches its precise target pitch, especially given the potential octave shifts implied by the final tuning notes versus the direct semitone movement instructions. Always prioritize tuning to the specified note and octave.

The Midwest Emo Tuning is comprised of the following open string notes:

• String 6 (Low E): F2
• String 5 (A): G#3
• String 4 (D): B2
• String 3 (G): F#4
• String 2 (B): B3
• String 1 (High E): D#5