Open E tuning

E2 · B2 · E3 · G#3 · B3 · E4

Open E has the same interval pattern as Open D but sits a whole tone higher, which means it is reached by tuning three strings upward rather than four down — the only tuning here that adds tension instead of releasing it. It is a slide and blues tuning of long standing, chosen over Open D when the extra brightness and volume of higher string tension is wanted, or simply when the song is in E.

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Strings

3 strings move from standard

  • 6E2
  • 5B2▲2
  • 4E3▲2
  • 3G#3▲1
  • 2B3
  • 1E4

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

3 of 6 strings move.

  • String 5 A2 → B2 a whole tone up
  • String 4 D3 → E3 a whole tone up
  • String 3 G3 → G#3 a semitone up

Songs in Open E tuning

  • She Talks to Angels The Black Crowes
  • Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones

What it does to your playing

Everything true of Open D is true here, transposed: a barre anywhere is a major chord, the open strings ring as an E chord, and slide playing becomes positional rather than fingered. The practical difference is tone. The higher tension makes the guitar louder and more immediate, with more attack and less of the slack, woody character Open D has, which is why players who want cut rather than warmth choose it.

Strings and setup

Read this before tuning up. Three strings go up — the fifth and fourth by a tone, the third by a semitone — and that adds meaningful tension to a neck that was set up for standard. On a vintage or lightly-built acoustic this is a real risk to the instrument, and the traditional answer is to fit lighter strings first, or to use Open D with a capo at the second fret instead, which gives the identical pitches at standard tension. If you do tune up, go there slowly and check the neck relief afterwards.

Other tunings

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