Music Theory Tools

Guitar tuning

Open A Tuning

Open A tunes the guitar to an A major chord and is closely related to open G raised a whole step.

Notes low to high
EAEAC#E
Strings
6
Default frets
24
Open pitch range
E2 to E4
24-fret pitch range
E2 to E6
Also called
EAEAC#E, Slide Open A

Common uses

Open this tuning in the fretboard tool

Start with open a tuning loaded, then adjust root, scale, fret count, labels, colors, and orientation.

Open in interactive fretboard
A Major (Ionian) Guitar Scale matches the open major chord center A Major Pentatonic Guitar Scale simple major vocabulary over the open chord A Mixolydian Guitar Scale dominant slide and blues color A Major Blues Guitar Scale major blues phrasing around the open chord

Scale diagrams in this tuning

A Major (Ionian) Guitar Scale Open A Tuning A Major Pentatonic Guitar Scale Open A Tuning A Mixolydian Guitar Scale Open A Tuning A Major Blues Guitar Scale Open A Tuning
A Major Guitar Arpeggio matches the open major-chord center A Dominant 7 Guitar Arpeggio dominant slide and blues color A Major 7 Guitar Arpeggio major seventh color over the open chord A Minor Guitar Arpeggio minor-triad contrast against the open tuning

Arpeggio diagrams in this tuning

A Major Guitar Arpeggio Open A Tuning A Dominant 7 Guitar Arpeggio Open A Tuning A Major 7 Guitar Arpeggio Open A Tuning A Minor Guitar Arpeggio Open A Tuning