The "VERSIONS tuning" is described in the JSON as being used in the song "versions" by Joshua Pascua. It transforms a standard 6-string guitar into a bright, resonant, and harmonically rich soundscape, centered around an E Major tonality.

Verbal Analysis

This tuning immediately strikes the ear with a very open and "shimmering" quality. With its predominant major intervals and upward string movements, it creates a bright, almost ethereal sound. It would be particularly well-suited for ambient, folk, or contemporary acoustic styles where a full, ringing texture is desired. The open strings themselves form a rich chord, making it easy to achieve lush harmonies with minimal effort. It evokes a feeling of spaciousness and uplift, suggesting a clear and positive emotional landscape for musical expression.

Technical Analysis

Based on the provided string movements from standard EADGBe tuning, the resulting open strings are E2, B2, E3, G#3, C#4, F#4.

Analysing these notes relative to the low E string:

• E2 (Root)
• B2 (Perfect 5th)
• E3 (Octave)
• G#3 (Major 3rd)
• C#4 (Major 6th/13th)
• F#4 (Major 2nd/9th)

Chordal Opportunities:

• Open Chords: The open tuning itself rings out as a beautiful, rich Emaj9(add13). This provides an instant lush chord that can serve as a home base for compositions, perfect for atmospheric introductions or sustained harmonies.
• Movable Shapes: A single barre across all strings at any fret will yield a major chord with similar extensions, allowing for easy transposition of the open chord's character. For example, barring at the 1st fret would give an Fmaj9(add13), 2nd fret F#maj9(add13), and so on. This makes playing in various major keys very intuitive and harmonically consistent.
• Specific Voicings: The relatively high G#3, C#4, and F#4 strings will lend themselves to creating bright, harmonically dense melodic lines and arpeggios over the E major foundation. Suspending or altering just one or two notes can yield interesting variations without much finger movement, ideal for fingerstyle playing or ambient textures.

How to Tune

To achieve the "VERSIONS tuning" from standard EADGBe tuning, follow these steps for each string. Please exercise caution when tuning up, especially for movements exceeding 4 semitones, where a lighter gauge string might be advisable. For this specific tuning, most movements are within a safe range (max +2 semitones), but always listen to your guitar and proceed slowly.

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Stays at E2.
• 5th String (A): Tune up 2 semitones. From A2 to B2.
• 4th String (D): Tune up 2 semitones. From D3 to E3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune up 1 semitone. From G3 to G#3.
• 2nd String (B): Tune up 2 semitones. From B3 to C#4.
• 1st String (High E): Tune up 2 semitones. From E4 to F#4.

All string movements in this tuning are upwards, which increases string tension. Monitor your guitar's neck relief and intonation after tuning to ensure optimal playability and to prevent any potential damage.

6th String (Low E): E2

5th String (A): B2

4th String (D): E3

3rd String (G): G#3

2nd String (B): C#4

1st String (High E): F#4