: How to choose a custom tuning for a fingerstyle arrangement? Eddie van der Meer uses custom tuning in all of his arrangement...how to determine what tuning I should use? what's the grammar behind this?

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I'm not sure if you're asking how to determine what tuning(s) he is using, or how do you go about using your own.

As for the former - The best way is to try to hear the different resonance that a note on an open string would make as opposed to the normal fretted sound. I know, easier said then done, but usually, part of the reason for using an open tuning would be to be able to use the open string notes. Think of The Beatles' Black Bird (**yes, it is in 'normal' tuning) about how that open G-String is repeated through much of it. The only other technical reason would to be able to finger/reach certain combinations of notes that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible to execute. Since this will usually involve notes ringing in-tandem and sounding at the same time (otherwise you'd just use your 'normal' tuning) - You can just pick one single clustered sounding chord and try to figure out just that one little bit. My last piece of advice is to try to listen for the lowest note played in the entire song because that will at the very least give you a hint about where to start on the low-E string.

As for how to do it on your own? There are exactly zero rules, especially once you have capos involved, or even more modern is the use of partial capos that only alter the lowest sound on some, but not all strings.

Tunings that have been used in blues/folk/agricultural traditions, often result so that it only takes one finger to play a chord. (These also, correspondingly, lend themselves to "slide" playing).
One can put the Root of the open string chord on the lowest sounding String:

Open E: (E-B-E-G#-B-E) – tuned to E major chord
Open D: (D-A-D-F#-A-D) – tuned to D major chord
Open Em: (E-B-E-G-B-E) – tuned to E minor chord

Or the root can be moved to the 2nd-lowest sounding string, which moves the '5' to the lowest string and allows for a 1-5-1-5... pattern alternating on the two lowest strings:

Open G: (D-G-D-G-B-D) – tuned to G major chord
Open A: (E-A-E-A-C#-E) – tuned to A major chord

But there are limitless options. A few others off the top of my head...

D-A-D-G-A-D
D-A-E-G-C-E

For some not so-light reading, you can see this paper: sethares.engr.wisc.edu/alternatetunings/alltunings.pdf