Guitar tuning
Open A Tuning
Open A tunes the guitar to an A major chord and is closely related to open G raised a whole step.
- Notes low to high
- E, A, E, A, C#, E
- Strings
- 6
- Default frets
- 24
- Open pitch range
- E2 to E4
- 24-fret pitch range
- E2 to E6
- Also called
- EAEAC#E, Slide Open A
How this tuning changes the guitar
The open strings spell E-A-E-A-C sharp-E, forming an A major chord with the fifth in the bass. It is the open-G interval layout raised one whole step.
Fretboard and chord implications
A straight barre moves the major voicing chromatically. Strings 5 through 1 provide a root-position A-E-A-C sharp-E layout, while the low sixth-string E can serve as a fifth or drone.
Open A Tuning fretboard notes
Open A Tuning string notes
| String | Note | Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | E | E2 |
| 5 | A | A2 |
| 4 | E | E3 |
| 3 | A | A3 |
| 2 | C# | C#4 |
| 1 | E | E4 |
Common uses
- slide guitar
- blues
- garage rock
- roots rock
Practice this tuning
- Tune from low to high as E A E A C# E, then play each open string while saying its note name and string number aloud.
- Map A roots, C sharp thirds, and E fifths through fret 12, beginning each pattern on a different string.
- Create an A-D-E slide progression, first with full barres and then with partial voicings that keep the low E drone available.
Open this tuning in the fretboard tool
Start with open a tuning loaded, then adjust root, scale, fret count, labels, colors, and orientation.
Open in interactive fretboard