Music Theory Tools

Guitar tuning

Open G Tuning

Open G tunes the open strings to a G major chord and is common in blues, slide, folk, and rock guitar.

Notes low to high
DGDGBD
Strings
6
Default frets
24
Open pitch range
D2 to D4
24-fret pitch range
D2 to D6
Also called
Spanish Tuning, DGDGBD

Common uses

Open this tuning in the fretboard tool

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

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

Scale diagrams in this tuning

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

Arpeggio diagrams in this tuning

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