Guitar tuning
Open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D)
Open D tunes the open strings to a D major chord: D-A-D-F#-A-D. Strummed open it already sounds a D, and a straight one-finger barre or a slide gives you any other major chord.
馃幐 Open the tuner in this tuningThe tuner opens already preconfigured; you only need to allow microphone access.
Strings and frequencies
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| String 1 | D4 | 293.66 Hz |
| String 2 | A3 | 220.00 Hz |
| String 3 | F#3 | 185.00 Hz |
| String 4 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| String 5 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| String 6 | D2 | 73.42 Hz |
How it sounds
It is one of the classic open tunings of blues and slide guitar. The open chord and the one-finger barre make it very expressive for sliding and for playing over ringing drones.
Styles and genres
Recommended string gauges
The tuning drops the tension slightly versus standard; a 0.012-0.053 set works well on acoustic. Many slide players go up a gauge for more firmness under the bar.
Tuning tip
It is a great tuning to start slide on: place the bar directly above the fret (not on it) and rest your free fingers behind it to mute the strings and clean up the sound.