Open G Tuner. Tune to D G D G B D in Your Browser.
Like the Meter? The Mac app uses the same YIN engine — but reads your USB interface at full sample rate, runs sub-50 ms via Core Audio, lives in your menu bar, and adds 15 instrument presets, 8 historical temperaments, and capo.On Your iPhone Right Now? ChromTuner: Guitar Tuner runs this same YIN engine natively on iOS — with haptic in-tune feedback and the free tier covers chromatic, Standard E, and Drop D.
String Reference
Open G, String by String.
Three strings drop a whole step — the 6th, 5th and 1st — and the open strings ring a G major chord. The D, G and B strings stay where they are in standard tuning. Tap a note to hear it.
| String | Note | Frequency | From Standard | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | D2Whole step down (E → D) | 73.42 Hz | Whole step down (E → D) | |
| 5 | G2Whole step down (A → G) | 98.00 Hz | Whole step down (A → G) | |
| 4 | D3Unchanged | 146.83 Hz | Unchanged | |
| 3 | G3Unchanged | 196.00 Hz | Unchanged | |
| 2 | B3Unchanged | 246.94 Hz | Unchanged | |
| 1 | D4Whole step down (E → D) | 293.66 Hz | Whole step down (E → D) |
Equal temperament, A4 = 440 Hz. Strings are listed in the same order as the tuner's string row.
Retuning
From Standard to Open G in Three Strings.
Start from standard tuning and lower three strings. Tune down past each note and come back up to it, so the string settles at pitch.
- 01
Drop the 6th String to D
Lower the low E a whole step to D2 (73.42 Hz), one octave below the open 4th string.
- 02
Drop the 5th String to G
Lower the A a whole step to G2 (98 Hz), one octave below the open 3rd string.
- 03
Drop the 1st String to D
Lower the high E a whole step to D4 (293.66 Hz), one octave above the open 4th string.
- 04
Strum and Recheck
Strum all six open strings: you should hear a clean G major chord. If anything beats against it, go through the strings once more, low to high.
FAQ
Open G Questions.
Where the tuning comes from, why slide players love it, and what to do with the low string.
What Is Open G Tuning Used For?
It's the classic tuning for slide guitar and country blues, borrowed from the banjo. Keith Richards built some of the Rolling Stones' best-known riffs on it — "Brown Sugar", "Start Me Up", "Honky Tonk Women".Why Is It So Good for Slide?
The open strings already form a G major chord, so a slide laid straight across any fret plays a major chord too: C at the 5th fret, D at the 7th, G an octave up at the 12th.Should I Play the Low 6th String?
It's the D below the G root, so it works as a bass note but can muddy a full strum. Many players skip or thumb-mute it — Keith Richards takes it off the guitar altogether.
ChromTuner Apps
Keep Open G in Your Pocket.
ChromTuner for iPhone runs the same detection engine natively, with haptic feedback when a string locks in. Open G is one of its Pro tunings, alongside string tracking for every guitar you own and the Peterson-style strobe. The app itself is free to download.
More Tunings