Top Takeaways...
1. Open tunings instantly create full chords – When strummed without fretting, open tunings produce rich-sounding major (or modal) chords that make guitar playing easier and more expressive.
2. They’re perfect for creativity and sliding techniques – Open G, D, A, and DADGAD are especially fun for blues, folk, and slide guitar, letting you explore new sounds and songwriting possibilities.
3. Beginner-friendly and iconic-sounding – With simple barre shapes and droning open strings, open tunings make it easy for beginner to intermediate players to sound pro, while unlocking classics from artists like The Rolling Stones.
While standard tuning is certainly the go-to, and the tuning we likely all learned how to play guitar with, let's face it: it can get a little boring.
It's not the guitar's fault, it just sometimes takes a change of scenery (or in this case, tuning) to spark a little creativity in your mind.
There are countless alternate tunings for the 6-string guitar, but a style of alternate tuning that can be fun to play with (especially for beginner-intermediate guitarists) is an "open tuning."
By tuning a guitar in an "open tuning" you're essentially ensuring that when the guitar is strummed open, with no strings fretted, a major or minor chord rings out.
Many-an-iconic-song was written this way, likely because it just makes playing guitar effortlessly fun.
Open tunings allow you to move up and down the fretboard with single note runs, all-the-while droning the open strings in a pleasant-sounding chord.
This concept is a bit advanced if you're still trying to learn how to play guitar, but can be a fun thing to try during a slow practice session.
While there are plenty of open tunings to choose from, these are a few that we think you should try out first.
Open our online guitar tuner and let's go deep into open tunings!
Things to know...
Tuning Recommendation
The easiest open tuning? - Drop D is probably the simplest alternate tuning out there. You just take the low E string and tune it down to D—everything else stays the same. It’s super quick to switch into and gives your playing a thicker, more aggressive tone.
Tuning Method
How to tune an open G? - For Open G tuning, drop the low E down to D, the A string to G, and the high E down to D. Leave the D, G, and B strings alone. You’ll end up with D G D G B D—which rings out as a G major chord when strummed.
Usage Reasons
Why use open tunings? - Guitarists use open tunings to make chords easier to play and to find fresh sounds, especially with slides or fingerstyle. You can often form full chords by barring one fret, which makes things way simpler and opens up some really cool sonic options.
Tuning Instructions
How to tune open D? - To get into Open D tuning, bring the low E down to D, the G string down to F#, and the B string down to A. Leave the A and D strings as they are. When you strum it all together, it plays a D major chord with no fretting needed.
Tuning Definition
What is open tuning on a guitar? - In open tuning, the guitar strings are adjusted so that strumming them without pressing any frets creates a full chord. It’s great for slide players and common in blues and folk, making it easier to hit big, full sounds right out of the gate.
Open G Tuning (DGDGBD)
Open G tuning on guitar is perfect for blues and folk music because it allows you to create multiple major chords by barring with just one finger.
To get your guitar into Open G tuning, drop the low E down to D, tune the A string down to G, and lower the high E to D as well.
Leave the D, G, and B strings as they are.
Once that’s done, you’ll have D G D G B D across the strings, which gives you a G major chord when strummed open.
If you're a Rolling Stones fan, open G tuning will unlock the door to easily nailing hits like "Brown Sugar" and "Honky Tonk Women" as it is Keith Richards' go-to guitar tuning.
Open E Tuning
To switch from standard to Open E tuning, raise the A string to B, the D string to E, and the G string to G#.
Leave the low E, B, and high E strings unchanged.
This gives you the tuning E B E G# B E, which forms an E major chord when strummed open.
Open E tuning works great for blues and slide guitar because it produces full, ringing tones and makes sliding between chords smooth and simple.
It also pushes you to explore different chord shapes and can spark fresh songwriting ideas by breaking away from familiar patterns.
Open D Tuning (DADF#AD)
A favorite among guitarists, open D tuning on guitar sounds especially beautiful and uplifting on an acoustic guitar.
For Open D tuning, drop the low E string down to D, the G string to F#, and the B string to A.
Keep the A and both D strings unchanged.
Once tuned, strumming the open strings gives you a full D major chord.
Like any open tuning, you can create major chords just by barring with one finger.
For example, fretting all the strings at these frets will give you related chords:
-Second fret - E Major chord
-Third fret - F Major
This makes it a fun tuning for singer-songwriters and even slide-guitarists who are mostly fretting strings with a single bottleneck slide.
Open A Tuning (EAEAC#E)
By now you've probably guessed it: open A tuning creates an A Major chord when you strum the guitar open.
To set your guitar to Open A tuning, start with standard tuning and change the D string up to E, the G string up to A, and the B string up to C#.
Leave the low E, A, and high e strings as they are.
The final tuning ends up as E A E A C# E.
Open A is a go-to tuning among Delta Blues guitarists, and again, you'll hear it a lot on slide guitar recordings.
Something to keep in mind with this one is that tuning three of your strings a whole step up could put a little too much tension on your guitar's neck, so the best way to go about achieving open A tuning may be to tune to open G, then put a capo on the second fret.
Other Open Tunings
DADGAD Tuning (D Modal)
While some might argue that D modal (or affectionately referred to as DADGAD tuning among guitarists) isn't necessarily an open tuning because of it resulting in a D sus 4th chord, which is neither major nor minor.
But I feel like it belongs on this list.
To tune your guitar to DADGAD, drop the high E, B, and low E strings each down a whole step.
Leave the G, D, and A strings as they are.
You’ll end up with the tuning D A D G A D.
It's great for beginner to intermediate guitarists because half of the strings stay the same as standard tuning, so you'll already have a feel for it.
It also still has the droning qualities of an open tuning, allowing for more liberal single-note movement up and down the neck.
Drop D Tuning / Double Drop D Tuning
Drop D tuning isn't technically an open tuning, but it deserves an honorable mention here.
Drop D (D A D G B E) lowers the bass string only slightly but opens up a new world of tonalities and textures.
To get into dropped-D tuning, lower your sixth string from E down to D.
Use your fourth string as a reference point; your sixth string should be exactly an octave lower than your fourth string.
Double Drop D tuning means lowering both the low and high E strings down to D.
This gives you DADGBD.
It’s a simple tweak from standard tuning and is popular on acoustic guitars, though it sounds great on electric setups as well.
DGCGCD Tuning/CGDGAD Tuning
DGCGCD is a well-known alternate tuning, famously used by Led Zeppelin in “The Rain Song.”
From low to high, the strings are tuned D, G, C, G, C, D.
It creates a distinctive, open tone that many guitarists use to explore fresh chord textures and songwriting ideas.
To get into DGCGCD tuning:
-Drop the low E down to D
-The A down to G
The D string down to C
The high E down to D
Keep the G and B strings as they are.
This gives you D–G–C–G–C–D across the strings.
CGDGAD is another alternate tuning with the strings set to C–G–D–G–A–D from low to high.
Sometimes called “low C tuning” or “Cad” tuning, it’s a twist on open G and works especially well for Irish and sacred music.
The low C adds depth, while the layout makes unique chord shapes and harp-like fingerpicking easier.
Start in standard tuning (E–A–D–G–B–E), then:
-Drop the low E to C
-Lower the A to G
-Lower the B to A
-Drop the high E to D
FAQ
What is open tuning?
Open tuning is a way of tuning your guitar so that when you strum all the open strings (without pressing any frets), it forms a full chord—usually a major or minor. This makes it easier to play chord shapes, slide guitar, and explore new musical textures.
What are the benefits of open E tuning?
Open E tuning (E–B–E–G#–B–E) allows you to play an E major chord just by strumming open strings, which is great for slide guitar and blues. It also lets you use simple barre shapes to create major chords across the neck with one finger.
What is the benefit of open D tuning?
Open D tuning (D–A–D–F#–A–D) creates a bright, resonant D major chord when strummed open. It’s especially great for fingerpicking, slide playing, and singer-songwriter styles because it provides rich harmonics and easy chord transitions.
What is the tuning for Open D?
The tuning for Open D is: D–A–D–F#–A–D, from the 6th (lowest) string to the 1st (highest). This tuning forms a D major chord when played without fretting any strings.
How to tune open C?
To tune to Open C, adjust your strings to: C–G–C–G–C–E. This tuning results in a full C major chord when strummed open and is popular for creating rich, droning sounds and alternate chord voicings.
What is the F in open D tuning?
The "F" in Open D tuning is actually F#, which is the major third of the D major chord. It’s played on the 3rd string and helps define the major tonality of the tuning.
What is the difference between open D and drop D tuning?
Drop D tuning only lowers the 6th string from E to D, resulting in D–A–D–G–B–E, allowing for easier power chords. Open D tuning, on the other hand, retunes multiple strings (D–A–D–F#–A–D) to form a full D major chord when strummed open.
What does open G tuning look like?
Open G tuning is D–G–D–G–B–D, from the 6th to the 1st string. When played open, it forms a G major chord and is often used in blues, folk, and rock, notably by Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
Why is DADGAD so popular?
DADGAD (pronounced “Dad-Gad”) is popular because it maintains some familiarity with standard tuning while offering a modal, droning quality that’s perfect for Celtic music, fingerstyle, and ambient playing. It also encourages creative single-note runs and open string voicings.
How to tune a guitar to open tuning?
To tune to an open tuning, start with standard tuning and adjust specific strings either up or down in pitch to match the desired chord. Use a tuner to make sure each string reaches its new note accurately—for example, for Open G: tune to D–G–D–G–B–D.
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