Open G Guitar Tuning DGDGBD

Lessons ❭ Alternate Tunings ❭ Open G

Open G tunes the guitar strings to the basic notes from the G Major Chord. The notes used are G (root) - B (3rd) - D (5th).

Guitar Neck Displaying Open G Tuning

To tune your guitar from Standard Tuning to Open G:

  • drop the low E (6th) string one step down to D
  • drop the A (5th) string one step down to G
  • drop the high E (1st) string one step down to D
  • the order of strings from low to high should be DGDGBD

Open G is a popular tuning for blues, folk, and rock genres, and works well with acoustic and electric guitars.

Most open tunings like open G are great tunings to play slide guitar on. Another version of the open G tuning uses G overtones, doubling the G note on the 6th and 5th strings: GGDGBD.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones uses open G tuning, without the 6th string: GDGBD. Other guitarists that have used open G tunings are Robert Johnson, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, George Thorogood and many others. Dobro and Russian 7 string guitars use this tuning also.