Alternative Guitar Tunings Guide
Standard tuning is a convention, not a law. From the delta blues slide of Open G to the droning Celtic mystery of DADGAD to the crushing low-end of Drop B, alternate tunings open up tonal worlds that standard tuning simply cannot reach.
Why tune differently?
New chord voicings
Open tunings let you play chords impossible in standard, with all six strings ringing harmonically together.
Different feel
Lower tension makes bending easier; higher tension adds punch. Tuning changes the physical feel of the guitar, not just the sound.
New creative territory
Familiar scale patterns break down, forcing you to find new melodic ideas and riffs you'd never stumble on in standard.
Slack / Standard-adjacent tunings
All strings tuned down by the same number of semitones. Everything you know in standard still works — fingerings, scales, chord shapes — just lower and heavier.
Eb Standard
-1 semitonesAll strings tuned one half-step down. Slightly looser feel, slightly darker tone. Favoured by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Slash.
Artists: Jimi Hendrix · Slash · Stevie Ray Vaughan
Genres: Blues · Hard Rock · Classic Rock
D Standard
-2 semitonesAll strings tuned one full step down. Heavier sound, better for lower vocals, and easier string bends. Common in grunge and metal.
Artists: The Beatles (later work) · Alice in Chains · Soundgarden
Genres: Grunge · Metal · Alternative
C# Standard
-3 semitonesThree semitones down. Very low and heavy feel, common in doom and stoner metal. Often used with heavier gauge strings.
Artists: Black Sabbath · Type O Negative · Sleep
Genres: Doom Metal · Stoner Rock · Sludge
C Standard
-4 semitonesFour semitones down. Extremely heavy, used by some of the heaviest bands in metal. Usually requires 11–13 gauge strings.
Artists: Korn · Meshuggah (partial) · Devin Townsend
Genres: Nu-Metal · Djent · Progressive Metal
Drop tunings
The lowest string is dropped down an additional step from whatever standard-adjacent tuning you're in. The result: power chords become a one-finger barre across the bottom three strings.
Drop D
RockThe most popular alternative tuning. Only the low E string is dropped one step to D. Power chords become one-finger barres on the bottom three strings. Huge in rock and metal.
Artists: Led Zeppelin · Foo Fighters · Alice in Chains · Rage Against the Machine
Genres: Rock · Metal · Grunge · Alternative
💡 Power chords: barre strings 4–5–6 at any fret with one finger.
Double Drop D
FolkBoth E strings dropped to D. Creates a resonant, open sound perfect for fingerpicking. The high D adds extra sustain and drone notes.
Artists: Neil Young · Led Zeppelin (The Rain Song) · Crosby, Stills & Nash
Genres: Folk · Classic Rock · Fingerpicking
💡 Try open strumming for a huge, resonant D chord.
Drop C
MetalAll strings one step down from standard, plus the low string dropped to C (Drop D but one step lower). Very popular in modern metal and metalcore.
Artists: System of a Down · Killswitch Engage · Bullet for My Valentine
Genres: Metal · Metalcore · Hardcore
💡 Heavier gauge strings (10–52 or 11–54) are recommended.
Drop B
Heavy MetalTwo and a half steps below Drop D. Extremely heavy. Common in extreme metal. Requires heavy strings and possibly a multiscale or baritone guitar.
Artists: Slipknot · Trivium · Parkway Drive
Genres: Heavy Metal · Metalcore · Deathcore
💡 Use 12–60 or heavier gauges for proper tension.
Drop A
DjentUsed by the heaviest bands on the planet. Essentially requires an extended range or baritone guitar. Produces a crushing, sub-bass rumble.
Artists: Animals as Leaders · Meshuggah · Periphery
Genres: Djent · Progressive Metal · Extreme Metal
💡 Best on a 26.5" or longer scale length guitar.
Open tunings
All six open strings form a complete major chord. Strumming open gives a full, resonant chord. A slide or capo across all strings at any fret plays a major chord in a new key.
Open G
BluesStrum all strings open to get a G major chord. The most popular open tuning in blues and slide guitar. Keith Richards removed the low string entirely for his signature 5-string approach.
Artists: Keith Richards · Robert Johnson · Ry Cooder · Muddy Waters
Genres: Blues · Slide Guitar · Rock
💡 Slide guitar heaven. Try a bottleneck slide across all strings at fret 12.
Open D
FolkOpen strum gives a full D major chord. Rich and resonant. Popular in folk, country and blues. Very approachable for fingerpickers.
Artists: Joni Mitchell · Bob Dylan · Leo Kottke
Genres: Folk · Country · Acoustic Blues
💡 A capo on fret 2 transposes to Open E without retuning.
Open E
BluesSame chord relationships as Open D but in E. Very bright, resonant sound. One of the most iconic blues tunings. Slightly more string tension.
Artists: Duane Allman · Elmore James · Derek Trucks
Genres: Blues · Slide Guitar · Southern Rock
💡 Higher tension than Open D — heavier strings or a lighter touch recommended.
Open A
Delta BluesAll strings open produce an A major chord. Big, bright and resonant. Popular for slide and open-chord finger style. Related to Open G but brighter.
Artists: Muddy Waters · Bonnie Raitt · Mississippi John Hurt
Genres: Delta Blues · Slide · Folk
💡 Same string relationships as Open G but transposed up a fourth.
Open C
AcousticOne of the lowest-tension open tunings. Creates a very open, spacious sound. The low C string gives a huge bass foundation. Popular for ambient and experimental music.
Artists: John Butler · Nick Drake · Jimmy Page (Bron-Y-Aur Stomp)
Genres: Acoustic · Ambient · Folk
💡 Low tension makes fingerpicking very easy and comfortable.
Modal tunings & DADGAD
These tunings are neither major nor minor — they are suspended or modal, creating an ambiguous, droning quality that neither open nor standard tuning can replicate.
DADGAD
CelticA suspended or modal tuning — neither major nor minor. Discovered by Davey Graham on a trip to Morocco. The defining tuning of Celtic and acoustic fingerpicking. Mysterious, droning, perfectly suited to open voicings.
Artists: Davey Graham · Jimmy Page (Kashmir) · Pierre Bensusan · John Renbourn
Genres: Celtic · Folk · World · Fingerpicking
💡 Barre all six strings at fret 5 for open G, fret 7 for open A.
Open Dsus2
CelticIdentical to DADGAD — the name reflects its suspended character. The G string in the middle creates tension against the drone Ds and As around it.
Artists: Jimmy Page · Pierre Bensusan
Genres: Celtic · Folk · Rock
💡 Same as DADGAD — the two names refer to the same tuning.
CGDGAD
CelticCeltic tuning popularised by Pierre Bensusan. The low C creates a deep bass foundation while preserving the open droning qualities of DADGAD.
Artists: Pierre Bensusan
Genres: Celtic · World Music · Fingerpicking
💡 Requires heavier gauges for the low C to retain tension.
All Fourths
JazzEvery string a perfect fourth apart — like a bass guitar. Eliminates the irregular G–B interval in standard. Patterns, scales and chords are the same across all string pairs. Loved by jazz and theory-focused players.
Artists: Stanley Jordan · Robert Fripp (partial influence)
Genres: Jazz · Experimental · Instrumental
💡 Great for players who already know bass or want consistent patterns.
New Standard Tuning (NST)
Progressive RockInvented by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. All fifths except the top string. Gives a wider range and makes chords and scales very different from standard tuning. Steep learning curve but very powerful.
Artists: Robert Fripp · King Crimson
Genres: Progressive Rock · Experimental · Ambient
💡 The top G string is the key difference from a cello-like all-fifths layout.
Tunings by playing style
Not sure where to start? Find your genre and start there.
Open G or Open E
Slide barres give instant major chords. Droning strings create authentic delta blues feel.
Artists: Robert Johnson, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks
Drop D or Drop C
One-finger power chords, heavier low-end, fast palm muting patterns.
Artists: Foo Fighters, Killswitch Engage, System of a Down
DADGAD
Droning open strings create the modal, hypnotic quality essential in Celtic music.
Artists: Davey Graham, Pierre Bensusan, John Renbourn
Open D or Open G
Rich open chords sound full even with simple fretting. Great for fingerpicking and capo use.
Artists: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan
Eb Standard
Slightly lower pitch for vocal comfort, looser feel for string bends. Iconic in 70s rock.
Artists: Hendrix, Slash, SRV, Van Halen
NST or All Fourths
Break conventional patterns and discover completely new chord voicings and melodic ideas.
Artists: Robert Fripp, Stanley Jordan
Practical tips before you retune
- Use a chromatic tuner: A clip-on chromatic tuner works for any tuning. Apps like GuitarTuna are free and reliable.
- Let the guitar settle: After retuning, strings need a few minutes to stabilise. Stretch them gently and retune before playing.
- Match string gauge to tension: Lower tunings need heavier strings. Drop C and below: 10–52 or 11–54 minimum. Standard: 9–46 is fine.
- Capo as a transposing tool: Open D with a capo at fret 2 = Open E. Open G with a capo at fret 2 = Open A. One tuning, multiple keys.
- Multiple guitars help: Many gigging guitarists keep a second guitar in Drop D or Open G so they don't retune mid-set.
Our top tuning recommendations
If you've never explored beyond standard, here's where to begin.
The perfect first alternate tuning. One string changed, massive impact. Instantly unlocks metal and rock riffs with one-finger power chords.
The quintessential blues and slide tuning. Keith Richards built a career on it. Exploring slide guitar here is one of guitar's great pleasures.
Once it clicks, it never lets you go. The droning open quality of this tuning is unlike anything in standard. Essential for folk and acoustic.
The easiest transition from standard. Everything you know still works, but you get a slightly darker tone and slightly easier bending.
Lower tension than Open E, resonant D bass notes, and a capo on fret 2 gives you Open E. Highly accessible for fingerpickers and beginners.
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