Guitar tuning

Open G Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D)

In Open G the six open strings form a G major chord: D-G-D-G-B-D, from the sixth string to the first. From standard you drop three strings a whole step each (the sixth, fifth and first) and leave the other three alone. It's one of the two classic open tunings of blues and roots rock (the other is Open D), and the one most associated with Keith Richards.

馃幐 Open the tuner in this tuning

Strings and frequencies

String Note Hz
String 1 D4 293.66 Hz
String 2 B3 246.94 Hz
String 3 G3 196.00 Hz
String 4 D3 146.83 Hz
String 5 G2 98.00 Hz
String 6 D2 73.42 Hz

How to get to Open G from standard tuning

Three strings move and all three go down, a whole step each. The three in the middle stay put: the fourth, third and second are already D, G and B in standard tuning.

Is Open G tuning bad for a guitar?

No. In Open G three strings come down and none goes up, so there's no risk at all, on a nylon-string classical either.

Open G and slide

It's great for slide: if the open strings already spell a major chord, the bar laid straight across any fret gives you another major chord, with no shapes to fret.

Keith Richards' five-string

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is the name most associated with Open G, and he plays it on a five-string guitar: he takes off the sixth string, the low D.1

Without the sixth, the open chord is G-D-G-B-D: a G major with G as the lowest note instead of D. Open G works just as well on a normal six-string.

What is played in Open G

It comes out of old blues, where it was known as "Spanish" tuning, and from there it passed into rock.

Three Rolling Stones songs in Open G: Honky Tonk Women, Start Me Up and Brown Sugar.1

It's good for accompaniment too: with G and D ringing open in several octaves, you can move around the neck fretting one or two notes and the key keeps sounding underneath.

Open A with a capo, without touching the tuners

If you're in Open G and want Open A, a whole step higher, there's no need to retune: put a capo on the second fret. It raises all six strings a whole step and the open chord becomes A major.

It's the same trick that takes Open D to Open E, with the same advantage: no string has its tension raised. What you lose is the bottom whole step: the lowest note goes from D to E.

How it sounds

It sounds wide and full-bodied: the two Gs and three Ds spread across the range give a full chord, very different from the brightness of standard tuning.

If you pick with the open strings ringing, you get a drone (a low note that keeps sounding underneath), like DADGAD but in major.

Styles and genres

Blues Slide Roots rock Country blues

Recommended string gauges

With three strings down a whole step, the tuning sits a little softer than standard. An acoustic 12-53 set works well.

For slide or hard strumming, go one gauge up on the three strings that drop (sixth, fifth and first). With a slide you'll really notice it: a slack string gives under the bar, so the note goes sharp and buzzes against the frets.

A tip

Use the repeated strings to check: let the two Gs ring together, then the Ds on the sixth, fourth and first. If they ring without that wobble in volume you hear when two notes are almost the same, they're in tune.

Frequently asked questions

What is Open G tuning?

Open G is an open tuning where the six open strings form a G major chord: D-G-D-G-B-D, from the sixth string to the first. It's used mainly in blues, slide and roots rock.

How do you tune a guitar to Open G?

Three strings come down a whole step each: the sixth from E to D, the fifth from A to G and the first from E to D. The fourth, third and second stay the same.

Is Open G tuning bad for a guitar?

No. Open G only lowers strings, so there's no risk at all, on a nylon-string classical either.

What is Open G tuning used for?

Mainly for slide playing and for blues and roots rock.

Is Open G the tuning of Keith Richards?

Yes. It's the tuning most associated with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who usually plays it on a five-string guitar with the sixth string removed.

Can you get Open A from Open G with a capo?

Yes. With a capo on the second fret, Open G becomes Open A: it raises all six strings two semitones and keeps the same open chord, higher.

Is Open G the same on guitar and banjo?

Nearly. The banjo's standard open G (g-D-G-B-D) matches the top four strings of guitar Open G, plus a short fifth string tuned to a high G.

What string gauges work in Open G?

An acoustic 12-53 set works well; for slide or hard strumming, go one gauge up on the three strings that drop.

Related tunings

Sources

  1. The three Rolling Stones songs cited were checked by ear against the recordings in September 2026. Keith Richards' five-string guitar is widely known. The rest of the page (the notes, the chord, the tension and the capo) follows from the frequencies in the table above, which are the ones the tuner itself uses, and from calculation.

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