Guitar
Guitar tunings
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) isn’t the only way to tune a guitar. Retuning a string or two can give you deeper riffs, easier slide playing or a droning, open sound that standard tuning can’t. Here are the most useful alternate tunings, how to tune to each, and the chords to play in them.
Drop tuning
Drop D
D A D G B E
Lower just the 6th string a whole step, from E to D.
Lowered tuning
Half step down (E♭)
E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭
Every string lowered a half step: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭.
Lowered tuning
Full step down (D standard)
D G C F A D
Every string lowered a whole step: D G C F A D.
Open tuning
Open G
D G D G B D
Strum the open strings and you hear a G major chord: D G D G B D.
Open tuning
Open D
D A D F♯ A D
The open strings make a D major chord: D A D F♯ A D.
Open tuning
Open E
E B E G♯ B E
The open strings make an E major chord: E B E G♯ B E.
Open tuning
DADGAD
D A D G A D
D A D G A D — the open strings make a Dsus4 chord, neither major nor minor.
Which tuning should I try?
- For heavier riffs: Drop D — one string changes, and power chords take one finger.
- For slide guitar and big open chords: Open G, Open D or Open E.
- For folk and fingerstyle: DADGAD or Open D.
- To play along with songs recorded lower, or to sing lower: half step down or full step down — your chord shapes don’t change.