This unique tuning, known as St-Pierre's La Rencontre, is clearly designed for sophisticated fingerstyle playing, likely to achieve specific harmonic and resonant qualities in a piece. Referencing its origin from the Canadian fingerstyle guitar competition, it's crafted to evoke a specific mood and facilitate intricate melodic and harmonic structures. The presence of duplicated F# notes (strings 6 and 5) creates a rich, sustained low end, while the extremely low B (B2) on the second string provides a surprisingly deep bass register not commonly found in standard guitar tunings. This combination suggests a tuning optimized for intricate melodies with strong harmonic support and droning bass notes, characteristic of contemporary fingerstyle compositions.

The overall sound likely leans towards a dark, resonant, and perhaps melancholic or contemplative mood, providing a broad sonic palette for expressive playing. The open strings offer a powerful, complex open chord that can serve as a foundation for intricate arpeggios and melodic development.

Technical Analysis:

• Open Notes: The open strings produce the notes F#3#, F#3#, C4#, G4#, B2, E4 (from low E string to high E string). Reordered by pitch, this sequence is B2, F#3#, F#3#, C4#, E4, G4#.
• Open Chord Voicing: The open strings form a rich, complex sonority. When interpreted from the lowest pitch (B2), the open chord can be described as a Bmaj13sus4 (no 3rd). From F#3#, it could be seen as an F#m11sus2 (no 3rd) or F#sus2/4add7. This creates a highly resonant, modal sound rather than a simple major or minor triad, making it ideal for drones and intricate harmonic textures.
• Intervals and Drones: The duplicated F# notes on strings 6 and 5 (F#3#) create a powerful unison/octave drone, grounding the tuning with a thick, resonant low end. The B2 on the second string is exceptionally low, providing an unusual and deep bass extension that dramatically expands the guitar's sonic range, allowing for a broader dynamic range and unique basslines.
• Chordal Possibilities: This tuning is well-suited for exploring modal harmonies, particularly those related to B minor, F# minor, or C# minor scales. The open strings readily support these tonalities, allowing for easy access to open F# power chords (F#-C#) and B power chords (B-F#). The unique low B opens up possibilities for deep bass lines and unexpected voicings impossible in standard tuning, facilitating wide-interval voicings and intricate fingerstyle patterns.
• String Gauge Consideration: The extreme drop of the second string by a full octave (12 semitones down to B2 from its standard B3 pitch) necessitates a significantly heavier gauge string for this position. Using a standard gauge string would likely result in excessively loose tension, poor intonation, and potential string buzzing, making the tuning unplayable on that string. It's also important to ensure your guitar's truss rod is appropriately adjusted for the overall tension changes.

How to Tune:

• String 6 (Low E to F#3#): From its standard E2 pitch, tune up 2 semitones to F#3#.
• String 5 (A to F#3#): From its standard A3 pitch, tune down 3 semitones to F#3#.
• String 4 (D to C4#): From its standard D4 pitch, tune down 1 semitone to C4#.
• String 3 (G to G4#): From its standard G4 pitch, tune up 1 semitone to G4#.
• String 2 (B to B2): From its standard B3 pitch, tune down 12 semitones to B2. WARNING: This is a full octave drop. A much heavier gauge string is strongly advised for this string to maintain proper tension and intonation and prevent string buzzing.
• String 1 (High E to E4): From its standard E4 pitch, keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to E4.