- Published on
Open D Tuning on Guitar: Notes and Chords
- Authors
- Name
- Rizan Bhandari
- @rizan
Ever wondered what's the laziest thing you can do on guitar? What if you could strum without fretting anything and still get back a beautiful chord?
Open D (D A D F# A D) gives you a D major chord. One barre = movable major chord. There's a reason why slide and fingerstyle players use tunings like Open D - they're smart. Also lazy! (at least I am)
If you already know DADGAD, Open D has a major third instead of a suspended fourth- both are beautiful, just different.
How to tune to Open D
From standard E A D G B E, you lower four strings.
| String | Standard | Open D | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (low) | E | D | Down whole step |
| 5 | A | A | Same |
| 4 | D | D | Same |
| 3 | G | F# | Down half step |
| 2 | B | A | Down whole step |
| 1 (high) | E | D | Down whole step |
Sometimes I tune by ear. Other times, I use a chromatic tuner. If tuning by ear,
- match low E and high E to the open D string (string 4).
- match B string to the open A string (string 5).
- drop the G string a half step until it sits a major third above the open D string (string 4). Thats F#.
Either way, retune after a few minutes - your guitar will be out of tune when you try a new tuning (or when you change strings).
This also puts lower tension on strings and makes things easier to play (+ makes your playing sound more resonant).
Easy Open D chords
Open D (no fingers)
D
Dm
You just flatten the third. Change the F# to F natural and you get a D minor chord.
Dm
E (one-finger barre)
Movable, easy.
1fr above
E
G (one-finger barre)
Barre at the 5th fret.
4fr above
G
A (one-finger barre)
Barre at the 7th fret.
6fr above
A
Fretboard in Open D
One finger major chords
Because open strings make a major chord, full barre is always a major chord. And its movable.
| Barre at | Chord |
|---|---|
| Open | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F |
| 5 | G |
| 7 | A |
| 9 | B |
| 10 | C |
That's why slide works so well.
Open D vs DADGAD
| Open D | DADGAD | |
|---|---|---|
| Open strings | D A D F# A D | D A D G A D |
| Open chord | D major | Dsus4 |
| Feel | Resolved, bright, major | floating, suspended |
| Slide | great (full major barres) | technically.. sure |
| Common in | Blues, slide, major folk, fingerstyle | celtic, drone fingerstyle |
Songs and artists who've used Open D
| Artist | Song | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | Bron-Y-Aur Stomp | acoustic folk-blues drive |
| Rolling Stones | Street Fighting Man | barre-based rock in open D |
| Son House | Death Letter | classic delta slides |
| Allman Brothers | Little Martha | instrumental ,fingerstyle |
| Elmore James | Dust My Broom (style) | slides |
Where to go from here
- Tune to open D.
- Play until it feels like home.
- Barre 5 and 7 for G and A.
- Put a slide on and move across frets 0 -> 2 -> 5 -> 7.
If you prefer the suspended tuning instead, go back to DADGAD.
Maybe spend a week in Open D. See if your fingers find new voicings!
FAQs
What is Open D tuning?
Open D tunes the guitar to D-A-D-F#-A-D. This way, the guitar plays a D major chord when you strum all strings.
How do I tune to Open D from standard?
Drop low E to D, keep A and D, drop G a half step to F#, drop B to A, drop high E to D.
What is the difference between Open D and DADGAD?
Open D has F# (major third) so the open strings are D major. DADGAD has G (a fourth) so the open strings are Dsus4 - floating, not major or minor.
Why is Open D good for slide?
Because, in Open D, a full barre at any fret is a major chord! A slide across one fret plays a complete major triad.
What songs use Open D tuning?
Common examples are Bron-Y-Aur Stomp (Led Zeppelin), Street Fighting Man (Rolling Stones), Death Letter (Son House), Little Martha (Allman Brothers), and lots of Delta blues slide.
Is Open D hard to learn?
The open chord is free. Other major chords are one-finger barres. You relearn shapes, but open strings do a lot of the work if you're into fingerstyle.