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Guitar tuning · 6 string
Open D Tuning
The open strings sound a D major chord — darker and deeper than Open G.
The strings
Low to high, the way you would say it out loud.
D6th
A5th
D4th
F♯3rd
A2nd
D1st
Getting there from standard
4 strings move; the rest stay where they are.
- 1st string — E down a whole step to D
- 2nd string — B down a whole step to A
- 3rd string — G down a half step to F♯
- 4th string — leave it at D
- 5th string — leave it at A
- 6th string — E down a whole step to D
Why players use it
Same idea as Open G, built on D instead. Because the lowest string is the root, Open D has more bottom and a fuller sound. Drop the F♯ to F and you have Open D minor, which is how a lot of the eeriest acoustic music gets made.
What it buys you
A big, root-heavy major chord across any single fret, and an easy route to open minor.
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