Press Play for the low D, then each string below: D G D G B D, a G major chord.
Open G Tuning: 73.42 Hz sawtooth tone
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Sawtooth wave · both channels
73.42Hz
Period 13.6 ms
Wavelength 4.67 m (15.3 ft)
The note D2
Ready. It starts quiet and fades in over half a second.
A steady tone can harm ears and speakers before it sounds loud. Hear nothing? Do not turn it up to find the tone: small speakers cannot play very low tones, and many adults cannot hear very high ones.
Percent of this tool's loudest. Your device volume does the rest.
6th string D2, down a whole step73.42 Hz, two semitones under the low E of standard tuning (82.41 Hz). The fifth of the G chord, one octave under the 4th string. Held at fret 5 it sounds the 5th string's G.
5th string G2, the chord's low root98 Hz, two semitones under standard's A (110 Hz) and one octave under the 3rd string. Held at fret 7 it sounds the 4th string's D.
4th string D3, as in standard146.83 Hz. Not retuned, so it is the note to trust: the 6th string goes an octave under it and the 1st an octave over it. Fret 5 sounds the 3rd string's G.
3rd string G3, as in standard196 Hz. Not retuned. The 5th string is set one octave under this G. Held at fret 4 it sounds the 2nd string's B.
2nd string B3, as in standard246.94 Hz. Not retuned, and the only B of the six: the third that makes the open chord major. Held at fret 3 it sounds the 1st string's D.
1st string D4, down a whole step293.66 Hz, two semitones under standard's high E (329.63 Hz), and two octaves over the 6th string.
How it works
Open G tuning is D G D G B D, low to high (DGDGBD). Only three strings move from standard: the sixth, fifth and first each come down a whole step.
Read the full guide
How to tune a guitar to open G
1. Start in standard tuning and leave the fourth, third and second strings alone.
2. Press Play: the sixth string's D sounds. Lower your low E to it.
3. Press 5th string G2, the chord's low root and lower the A string to that G.
4. Press 1st string D4, down a whole step and lower the high E to it.
5. Strum all six open. If the chord sounds sour, play the three D strings together, then the two G strings: each set is octaves apart, so the string that is off stands out.
A phone speaker may not reach 73.42 Hz. Each tone is a sawtooth wave, so the pitch still comes through in its overtones.
Questions and answers
What is open G tuning on a guitar?
A tuning whose open strings are all notes of the G major chord: G, B and D. The popular form is D G D G B D. One finger laid across all six strings at any fret then gives another major chord.
What is open G tuning used for?
It is common in blues and folk music, and in slide and steel guitar, where one bar across the strings plays a whole chord. In Hawaiian slack-key music it is called taro patch tuning.
Are there other open G tunings?
Yes. Any tuning built only from G, B and D is an open G. G G D G B D follows the first six harmonics of the note G, and G B D G B D repeats the three notes of the chord.