In standard tuning, strumming all six open strings produces a vaguely unhappy pile of notes. In an open tuning, the same strum produces a complete major chord — the guitar is tuned to a chord. Lay one finger flat across any fret and you have another major chord; slide a glass or metal tube along the strings and you have the sound that built delta blues, slide guitar and a good share of rock and roll. Open G and Open D are the two great entry points — this guide compares them so you can pick one.
Open G vs Open D at a glance
| Open G | Open D | |
|---|---|---|
| Notes, low to high | D–G–D–G–B–D | D–A–D–F♯–A–D |
| Strings changed | 3 (6th, 5th, 1st) | 4 (6th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st) |
| Smallest move | Whole step | Half step (3rd, G→F♯) |
| Open chord | G major | D major |
| Best at | Riffs, rhythm, banjo-flavored roots | Slide, fingerstyle, drones |
| Raised cousin | Open A (up a whole step) | Open E (up a whole step) |
| Faster to switch into | Yes — one fewer string | No |
Open G: the riff machine
D–G–D–G–B–D, low to high. Three strings change from standard, and all three go down a whole step: the 6th (E→D), the 5th (A→G) and the 1st (E→D). The middle three strings — already D, G and B — don’t move at all. Strummed open, the guitar sounds a G major chord. Open G is the classic tuning for banjo-flavored roots music and for a certain legendary school of riff-based rock rhythm playing built on two- and three-finger chord grips. Our Open G tuner page walks each string down with a live dial if you want to switch now.
Open D: the slide voice
D–A–D–F♯–A–D, low to high. Four strings change, again all downward: 6th (E→D), 3rd (G→F♯), 2nd (B→A) and 1st (E→D). The open strum gives D major. With its deep root on the bottom string and symmetrical D–A–D / D–A–D layout, Open D (and its cousin Open E, the same shape a whole step up) is the quintessential slide and fingerstyle tuning — huge, ringing, and self-harmonizing. The Open D tuner page has the string presets and a dial for the fiddly G→F♯ move.
- D26th string · down a whole step73.42 Hz
- G25th string · down a whole step98.00 Hz
- D34th string · unchanged146.83 Hz
- G33rd string · unchanged196.00 Hz
- B32nd string · unchanged246.94 Hz
- D41st string · down a whole step293.66 Hz
Highlighted rows are the strings that change from standard. Notice every change is downward — that's what makes these tunings safe to switch into.
Switching safely, string by string
- Open the chromatic tuner. For Open G: take the 6th string from E down to D (the display walks E → D♯ → D), the 5th from A down to G, and the 1st from E down to D. Leave strings 4, 3, 2 alone.
- For Open D: 6th E→D, 3rd G→F♯ (only a half step — go gently), 2nd B→A, 1st E→D. Leave the 5th and 4th alone.
- As always, overshoot slightly flat and tune up into each target so the string holds.
- The reward check: strum all six open strings. You should hear a pure, smiling major chord. Any string that sours it is your re-check target — with this many re-tuned strings, a second pass is not optional. The neck has relaxed under the lower total tension and the unchanged strings will have drifted slightly sharp.
Your first ten minutes in an open tuning
- One-finger chords: barre all six strings at the 5th fret (a C chord in Open G; G in Open D) and the 7th fret (D in Open G; A in Open D). With open strings as the “home” chord, you now own the classic three-chord repertoire with one finger.
- Drones: play melodies on the top two strings while letting the open middle strings ring. Open tunings harmonize you automatically — this is their magic.
- Slide, if you have one: rest it lightly on the strings directly above the fret wire (not behind it, and don’t press to the fretboard), and target the 5th, 7th and 12th frets. Because a straight slide covers a chord in open tunings, everything you play sounds instantly “right.”
Getting back to standard
Reverse the trip, tightening the lowered strings back up: for Open G, 6th D→E, 5th G→A, 1st D→E; for Open D, also 3rd F♯→G and 2nd A→B. Tightening is the direction where mistakes cost strings, so watch the tuner’s note letters and stop at the target — if the display already shows the right letter slightly flat, you’re one careful nudge away, not a full turn. Finish with the usual second pass, and expect the guitar to need one more touch-up after ten minutes of playing as the neck re-settles. If this drift bothers you, our tuning stability guide explains what’s moving and why.
Frequently asked questions
Will switching between standard and open tunings all the time hurt my strings?
It shortens string life a little — metal fatigues with tension cycling — but strings are consumables, and the effect is modest. What kills strings faster is the sharp bend at the tuning post; wind neatly and the switch-hitters among us still get weeks from a set. The guitar itself doesn’t care at all.
Which should I learn first, Open G or Open D?
For riffs and rhythm playing, Open G; for slide and solo fingerstyle, Open D. If truly torn, Open D edges it as a first tuning — its symmetrical layout (D–A–D on the bottom, D–A–D pattern on top with the F♯ third between) makes the fretboard unusually easy to reason about, and everything you learn transfers up two frets to Open E.
Why do my open-tuning chords sound out of tune even when the tuner says I'm right?
Two usual causes. First, incomplete second passes — with three or four strings re-tuned, neck relaxation moves the others; re-check everything twice. Second, equal temperament itself: a tuner tunes the major third (the B string in Open G, the F♯ in Open D) to the equal-tempered third, which is 14 cents sharper than the pure third your ear wants in a ringing open chord. Slide and blues players often flatten that third string a few cents by ear until the open chord “locks.” Our cents guide explains the math behind that trade-off.
Can I use these tunings on an acoustic guitar?
Absolutely — open tunings arguably sound best on acoustic, where the ringing sympathetic strings bloom beautifully. Both tunings lower total tension, so they’re gentle on acoustic tops. The deep 6th-string D in particular gives a small-bodied acoustic a surprising amount of thunder.