Here's an introductory guide to Open D tuning for acoustic fingerstyle guitar players.
If you're into blues and electric guitar music, you have likely already heard music in Open D tuning played both on the acoustic and the electric guitar.
Open D tuning sounds awesome because you can simply strum all the open strings and get a major chord without any effort. In fact, some guitarists advocate that open D tuning should be taught before standard tuning because chords are easier to play in open tunings than in standard tunings.
But, although that's true for playing some major chords, it's false for other chord shapes, as we'll see in this guide.
And Open D does present some challenges to acoustic guitar players, notably for fingerstyle guitar, if you want to modulate away from the home key. Join me as we explore some interesting ways to help you achieve that.
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What Is Open D Tuning
Open D tuning is an alternate guitar tuning where the strings are tuned to D, A, D, F♯, A, and D, from the lowest (6th) to the highest (1st) string. This tuning is exactly one whole step above Open E tuning. When you strum the open strings without fretting any notes, the guitar produces a D major chord, hence the term "open" tuning.
Blues guitarists long ago discovered the magic of Open D tuning when using a slide, and songs in Open D are common in Delta Blues. But Open D tuning also allows you to perform unique techniques more easily in fingerstyle guitar, such as wide skips in registers.
Open D tuning also allows you to use guitar harmonics much more readily and much easier than with standard tuning. You can use percussive harmonics and produce a major chord simply by slapping the guitar at the 12th fret.
What Key Is Open D
Open D tuning is in the key of D major, as the open strings form a D major chord consisting of the root note D, the major third F sharp, and the perfect fifth A. Although Open D tuning allows you to easily form other major chords by barring all strings at different frets, you can also use partial barres or very simple fingerings to create other major and minor chords.
What Is The Difference Between Open D and Standard Tuning
Open D tuning differs significantly from standard tuning (E, A, D, G, B, E). In Open D, the strings are adjusted as follows:
- 1st string (high E): Lowered a full step to D.
- 2nd string (B): Lowered a full step to A.
- 3rd string (G): Lowered a half step to F♯.
- 4th string (D): No change.
- 5th string (A): No change.
- 6th string (low E): Lowered a full step to D.
How To Tune A Guitar To Open D
You can tune a guitar to open D quite easily and relatively quickly by using a clip-on tuner.
Follow these steps to go from standard tuning (E, A, D, G, B, E) to Open D.
- Lower the 6th string (low E) a full step to D, matching the pitch of the 4th string open.
- Keep the 5th string (A) and 4th string (D) unchanged.
- Lower the 3rd string (G) a half step to F sharp.
- Lower the 2nd string (B) a full step to A, matching the 5th string open.
- Lower the 1st string (high E) a full step to D, matching the 4th string open.
After tuning your guitar to open D, strum all six strings open to confirm a clear D major chord. If the sound is off, recheck each string, as alternate tunings affect string tension.
Chords in Open D Tuning
Beyond simply strumming all the open strings to produce a D major chord, Open D offers you several chord shapes that go from easy to those requiring a barre chord.
Major Chords in Open D
Obviously, you can play any major chord by simply using a barre or by strumming at a node to produce harmonics. But, there are some variations on this shape that will give you some inversions on the major chord.
C Major Chord over G (C/G) in Open D
Since the G Major chord is performed in Open D simply by barring at the 5th fret, you can add a variation with the C chord simply by adding extra fingers as you hold the barre shape.
Seventh chords in open D tuning
Open D tuning offers a fairly easy way to play several dominant seventh chords.
D7 Chord in Open D
You can play the D7 chord in open D simply by holding down the second string at the third fret, using the pattern 000030.
You can also play D7 a little higher up on the fretboard, taking advantage of some open strings to sound tones which are lower than the stopped notes.
Minor Chords in Open D
Pure minor chords are a little trickier to play in open tunings which produce a major chord.
D Minor Chord (Dm) in Open D
It's quite simple to play a D minor chord in Open D tuning, using a simple triangle shape at the third fret.
G Minor Chord (Gm) in Open D
Less common in blues but useful in fingerstyle, this minor chord is played by muting or avoiding the fifth string.
E Minor over B (Em/B) in Open D
This minor chord shape sound a little weak on its own, but you can also add the open 6th string to make a Em/D chord.
Fingerstyle Songs in Open D Tuning
The first song I heard using Open D tuning was Blues Before Sunrise By Elmore James, which is played with a guitar slide. Tommy Emmanuel has an epic fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the song Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis in Open D tuning.
In this arrangement, notice where he skillfully uses hybrid picking to play licks in Open D tuning.
