Guitar tuning
Open G Tuning
Open G tunes the open strings to a G major chord and is common in blues, slide, folk, and rock guitar.
- Notes low to high
- D, G, D, G, B, D
- Strings
- 6
- Default frets
- 24
- Open pitch range
- D2 to D4
- 24-fret pitch range
- D2 to D6
- Also called
- Spanish Tuning, DGDGBD
How this tuning changes the guitar
The open strings spell D-G-D-G-B-D, forming a G major chord with the fifth in the bass. Relative to standard tuning, the first, fifth, and sixth strings are lowered to D, G, and D.
Fretboard and chord implications
A straight barre moves the major harmony, while strings 5 through 1 contain the compact G-D-G-B-D layout often used for rhythm and slide. The low sixth-string D can function as a fifth or be omitted when a root-position bass is needed.
Open G Tuning fretboard notes
Open G Tuning string notes
| String | Note | Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | D | D2 |
| 5 | G | G2 |
| 4 | D | D3 |
| 3 | G | G3 |
| 2 | B | B3 |
| 1 | D | D4 |
Common uses
- slide guitar
- blues
- folk
- Keith Richards-style rhythm guitar
Practice this tuning
- Tune from low to high as D G D G B D, then play each open string while saying its note name and string number aloud.
- Map G roots on strings 5 and 3, then connect them with B thirds and D fifths in three neighboring positions.
- Play a G-C-D progression with full barres, then create a second version using only strings 5 through 1 and open-string drones.
Open this tuning in the fretboard tool
Start with open g tuning loaded, then adjust root, scale, fret count, labels, colors, and orientation.
Open in interactive fretboard