Open D tuning

D2 · A2 · D3 · F#3 · A3 · D4

Open D tunes the guitar to a D major chord, so the open strings played together are already music. It is the backbone of bottleneck slide playing and a favourite of fingerstyle and folk guitarists, who use the ringing open strings as a drone under a melody. Four of the six strings move, so it is a commitment rather than a quick switch.

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Strings

4 strings move from standard

  • 6D2▼2
  • 5A2
  • 4D3
  • 3F#3▼1
  • 2A3▼2
  • 1D4▼2

Last few seconds

Harmonics

How far each overtone sits above its ideal position. A stiff, wound string rises to the right.

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What to aim at

Matches what it hears to the nearest string of the tuning.

Getting there from standard

4 of 6 strings move.

  • String 6 E2 → D2 a whole tone down
  • String 3 G3 → F#3 a semitone down
  • String 2 B3 → A3 a whole tone down
  • String 1 E4 → D4 a whole tone down

What it does to your playing

A single finger barred straight across any fret gives you the major chord at that position, which is precisely why slide players live here: the slide is that barre, and it can move anywhere without ever being fretted accurately. For fingerstyle the attraction is different — the two D strings and the open A give you a drone that keeps sounding while the melody moves above it, so a solo guitar can hold down bass, chord and tune at once. Minor chords need a little more thought, since the F♯ is what makes it major; flattening that string a semitone gives you Open D minor.

Strings and setup

Four strings drop and none rise, so overall tension falls noticeably and the action can feel slack. Slide players often go the other way and fit heavier strings with a higher action, which is the opposite of what a fretting player wants — if you switch between the two regularly, keeping a second guitar in this tuning is less trouble than it sounds.

Other tunings

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