What is Open G tuning?
Open G tuning is D–G–D–G–B–D, low to high — a guitar tuned so that the six open strings sound a G major chord on their own. From standard, three strings drop a whole step each: the 6th and 1st from E to D, and the 5th from A to G. The middle three (D, G, B) don’t move at all. Strum everything open and you get G major; barre a single finger across any fret and you get another major chord. That’s the whole trick, and it’s enough to have carried a century of blues.
- E26th string82.41 Hz
- A25th string110.00 Hz
- D34th string146.83 Hz
- G33rd string196.00 Hz
- B32nd string246.94 Hz
- E41st string329.63 Hz
Only the highlighted strings move — each one exactly a whole step down.
Tuning order that avoids surprises
- Start with the 5th string, A → G. It’s the biggest sonic change and the anchor of the tuning — the open chord is named after it. Lower the peg until the dial walks from A through G♯ to G, then center the needle.
- Drop the 6th string, E → D. Check it against your (unchanged) 4th string — D3 is exactly one octave up, and octaves are easy to hear as “one fat note.”
- Drop the 1st string, E → D. Same move on the thin end. It’s the easiest string to overshoot because it needs so little peg — go gently.
- Strum all six, open. A clean G major should bloom out. If it shimmers, find the sour string with the tuner rather than your ear — beats mislead when three strings share two pitch classes.
Where you’ve heard it
Open G is the sound of Delta blues slide — Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters both leaned on it — and of Keith Richards, who built the Rolling Stones’ later riff-book on a five-string Open G (he removes the low 6th entirely; “Start Me Up” and “Brown Sugar” live on strings 5 through 1). It’s also, almost exactly, banjo territory: a 5-string banjo’s standard G tuning shares Open G’s top four notes, which is why banjo rolls translate so naturally. More on that family in our mandolin and banjo tuning guide.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tune the 6th string down, or take it off like Keith Richards?
Keep it — and drop it to D — unless you’re specifically chasing the Stones thing. The low D works beautifully as a bass note for the IV chord (C major, barred at the 5th fret, gains a proper root). Richards removes the string because in five-string form the lowest note is the chord root G, which makes his one-finger barres bulletproof. Both are legitimate; one requires a screwdriver.
Why does my 5th string buzz after dropping to G?
A whole step of slack noticeably lowers the string’s tension, and on guitars set up with low action the looser string can rattle against the frets. Pick closer to the bridge, lighten your attack, or — if you plan to live in Open G — ask a tech for a setup with a slightly heavier 5th string. The physics is the same story as in why guitars won’t stay in tune.
What’s the difference between Open G and Open A?
Open A is Open G’s shape moved up a whole step (E–A–E–A–C♯–E) — same intervals, higher and tighter. Slide players pick between them mostly by string tension and key. If you want the deeper dive, including Open D on the same principle, read our Open G and Open D guide or jump to the Open D tuner.