What is Open E tuning?
Open E tunes the guitar so the six open strings sound an E major chord. Three strings change from standard, and all three go up: the 5th from A to B, the 4th from D to E — a whole step each — and the 3rd from G to G♯, a half step. The two E strings and the B string stay where they are.
Because every open string belongs to the chord, a finger or a slide laid straight across any fret gives a major chord there. That is why it is the classic electric slide tuning. It has exactly the same intervals as Open D, a whole step higher — so anything learned in one transfers to the other.
The highlighted strings are the ones that move. Tap a string to hear its target.
String notes and frequencies
The exact pitch of each open string at concert pitch, A = 440 Hz — the numbers a strobe or a frequency counter would show. The tuner above works from the same targets.
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | E2 | 82.41 Hz | unchanged |
| 5th | B2 | 123.47 Hz | A2 → B2, 2 semitones up |
| 4th | E3 | 164.81 Hz | D3 → E3, 2 semitones up |
| 3rd | G♯3 | 207.65 Hz | G3 → G♯3, 1 semitone up |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz | unchanged |
| 1st | E4 | 329.63 Hz | unchanged |
Tuning up to Open E
- Raise the 5th string from A to B. Turn slowly and watch the dial pass A♯ on the way. This string gains the most tension.
- Raise the 4th string from D to E. It should end exactly an octave above your open 6th string — two strings sounding as one fat note.
- Raise the 3rd string from G to G♯. Only a half step, and it is the note that makes the chord major. The dial spells it with a sharp.
- Strum all six open. It should be a bright, ringing E major. Re-check all six: three tighter strings pull the neck forward and flatten the others slightly.
Where the notes are
The first five frets of every string in this tuning. Each fret is one semitone, so this is also how to check a string against its neighbour: find the fret where the lower string plays the higher string’s open note.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| 2nd | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| 3rd | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ |
| 4th | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| 5th | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| 6th | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
Frequently asked questions
Is Open E bad for my guitar?
On an electric guitar with ordinary strings it is well within what the neck is built for. On an acoustic with medium or heavy strings the extra tension on three strings is considerable, and many players avoid leaving an acoustic in Open E for long. Open D with a capo at the 2nd fret sounds the same notes and adds no tension at all.
What is the difference between Open E and Open D?
The pitch, and which way the strings move. The two have identical intervals — root, fifth, root, major third, fifth, root — but Open D reaches them by tuning four strings down, and Open E by tuning three strings up, ending a whole step higher. Everything you play in one works in the other.
How do I play chords in Open E?
Open strings are E major. A finger or a slide across the 5th fret is A major and across the 7th is B major, so the three chords of a blues in E are the open strings and two straight barres. The 12th fret is E again, an octave up.
For everything else about tuning the instrument itself — strings that slip, pegs, and what the dial is telling you — see the guitar tuner and the standard guitar tuning this one is measured from.
Common chord shapes in Open E tuning
Where the everyday chords fall on a guitar tuned this way. Each shape is found by searching this tuning’s own strings for the frets that sound the chord — nothing here is copied from a standard-tuning chart — and each plays when you press it.
- G333333
- C888888
- Dx3213x
- A555555
- E000000
- Em000303
- Amxx5455
- Dmx31131