Open G Tuning: Chords, Songs & Slide Guitar

Open G is the tuning that made the Rolling Stones sound like the Rolling Stones. When Keith Richards discovered that tuning his guitar to an open G chord and removing the 6th string gave him a raw, ringing sound that standard tuning couldn’t touch, he changed rock music forever.

Open G is also the tuning of choice for delta blues slide guitar, Hawaiian slack-key, and a good chunk of country fingerpicking. Strum all the strings open and you get a full G major chord - no fretting required. From there, any single-finger barre across the fretboard gives you a new major chord.

How to Tune to Open G

Standard tuning: E – A – D – G – B – E Open G tuning: D – G – D – G – B – D

You’re changing three strings:

6th string: E → D (down one whole step)
5th string: A → G (down one whole step)
1st string: E → D (down one whole step)

Strings 2, 3, and 4 stay exactly the same.

Step by step:

Drop the 6th string from E to D - match it to your open 4th string (one octave lower)
Drop the 5th string from A to G - match it to your open 3rd string (one octave lower)
Drop the 1st string from E to D - match it to your open 4th string (one octave higher)
Strum all six strings open. You should hear a full, ringing G major chord

Essential Open G Chord Shapes

The magic of open tuning is that barre chords become trivially easy - lay one finger across all strings at any fret and you have a major chord.

G Major (Open)

0-0-0-0-0-0
Just strum. That’s it.

A Major (2nd fret barre)

2-2-2-2-2-2
One finger across all strings at the 2nd fret.

C Major (5th fret barre)

5-5-5-5-5-5

D Major (7th fret barre)

7-7-7-7-7-7

More complex shapes:

C/G: 0-0-5-5-5-0 - lets the D strings ring open
Am7: 0-0-2-0-1-0 - beautiful, melancholic voicing
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0 - works similarly to standard tuning

Slide Guitar in Open G

Open G is THE premier slide guitar tuning. Here’s why it works so well:

When you slide a glass or metal tube across all strings at any fret, you get a perfectly in-tune major chord. In standard tuning, sliding across all strings produces a muddy, dissonant mess. In Open G, everything harmonizes beautifully.

Slide basics:

Wear the slide on your ring finger or pinky - this leaves your other fingers free for fretting and muting
Place the slide directly over the fret wire, not behind it like normal fretting
Use light pressure - the slide should just touch the strings, not press them to the fretboard
Mute behind the slide with your index and middle fingers to prevent unwanted ringing

Your first slide riff:

Play these positions, sliding between them:

Open strings (G chord)
Slide to 5th fret (C chord)
Slide to 7th fret (D chord)
Slide back to open

That’s a I-IV-V blues progression played entirely with one finger and a slide.

The Keith Richards Approach

Keith Richards uses a 5-string variant of Open G - he removes the 6th string entirely (or just doesn’t play it). This gives him:

G – D – G – B – D (5 strings)

With this setup, the lowest note is always the root (G) or fifth (D), which prevents the bass from getting muddy. Songs like “Start Me Up,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Honky Tonk Women” all use this 5-string Open G approach.

The “Keith chord” shapes:

G major: 0-0-0-0-0 (open, 5 strings)
C/G: 0-0-5-5-5 or 0-2-0-1-0
F/G: 0-0-3-2-1

These simple shapes, combined with rhythmic strumming, create that driving Stones sound.

Songs in Open G

“Start Me Up” - Rolling Stones - The definitive Open G riff
“Brown Sugar” - Rolling Stones - Keith Richards at his finest
“Honky Tonk Women” - Rolling Stones - Classic open-chord rhythms
“She Talks to Angels” - Black Crowes - Beautiful acoustic Open G
“The Ballad of Curtis Loew” - Lynyrd Skynyrd - Southern rock storytelling
“Dust My Broom” - Elmore James - Delta blues slide masterpiece

Common Mistakes

1. Not retuning the 5th string. Forgetting to drop the A to G is the most common error. If your open strum doesn’t sound like a clean G major chord, check each string against the tuning pattern.

2. Pressing the slide too hard. The slide should float on the strings. Too much pressure pushes the strings to the fretboard and produces a fretted note instead of a smooth slide sound.

3. Not muting behind the slide. Without muting, the strings behind the slide create a cloud of unwanted sympathetic resonance. Use your free fingers to lightly touch the strings behind the slide.

4. Ignoring right-hand technique. Open tuning amplifies both good and bad right-hand habits. Practice clean picking and muting to control which strings ring.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Open Chord Slide

Slide a barre from open position up to the 5th fret (C), then to the 7th fret (D), then back to open. Do this slowly, focusing on clean slide placement directly over each fret.

Exercise 2: Keith Richards Rhythm

Remove your 6th string (or mute it). Play the “Start Me Up” rhythm: open G → hammer on 4th fret of 4th string → strum. Loop it with a driving eighth-note rhythm.

Exercise 3: Fingerpicking Pattern

Play open strings with a Travis picking pattern (alternating bass on strings 5 and 4, melody on strings 3, 2, and 1). Open G makes fingerpicking patterns sound incredibly full.

Try This in Guitar Wiz

Switch the Tuner in Guitar Wiz to Open G mode and tune up in seconds. Then explore chord shapes in the Chord Library - the voicings will look different from standard tuning, and the visual diagrams help you navigate the new landscape quickly. Pair with the Metronome for steady rhythm practice in your new tuning.

Download Guitar Wiz on the App Store · Explore the Guitar Tuner →

FAQ

Will Open G damage my guitar?

No. You’re lowering string tension on three strings, which is gentler on the guitar than standard tuning.

Can I play Open G on electric guitar?

Absolutely. It sounds fantastic with overdrive for rock riffs and with clean settings for slide work.

What’s the difference between Open G and Open D?

Open G tunes to a G major chord (D-G-D-G-B-D). Open D tunes to a D major chord (D-A-D-F#-A-D). Different root chord, different string changes, slightly different playing feel.