The Open B Major tuning transforms your Guitar into a resonant instrument, perfectly suited for powerful, open chord voicings. As its name suggests, when strummed open, all strings combine to form a full B Major chord (B - D# - F#) spread across several octaves, providing a rich, harmonically complete sound. This tuning is often described as Open C Major lowered by a half-step, maintaining that familiar open major chord structure but in a lower, more robust key.

Technical Analysis

In this tuning, the open strings are set to B1, F#3, B2, F#4, B3, and D#5. This arrangement provides a powerful sonic foundation, allowing guitarists to effortlessly play B Major chords by simply strumming the open strings. The inherent structure makes it incredibly versatile for styles such as blues, slide guitar, and rock, where big, ringing chords are desirable. One of the primary advantages of an open major tuning like this is the ability to play any major chord by simply barring a single finger across all strings at a given fret. For instance, barring at the 1st fret yields a C Major chord, at the 2nd fret a C# Major, and so on. This simplifies chord progressions and opens up new creative avenues for melody and rhythm.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open B Major tuning on your Guitar from standard EADGBe, follow these string adjustments:

• String 6 (Low E): Tune down 5 semitones to B1. Warning: Tuning this string down by 5 semitones is a significant change; for optimal tension and tone, a heavier gauge string may be advisable.
• String 5 (A): Tune down 3 semitones to F#3.
• String 4 (D): Tune down 3 semitones to B2.
• String 3 (G): Tune down 1 semitone to F#4.
• String 2 (B): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones) to B3.
• String 1 (High E): Tune down 1 semitone to D#5.

Here are the notes for each string in Open B Major tuning:

• String 6 (Low E string): B1
• String 5 (A string): F#3
• String 4 (D string): B2
• String 3 (G string): F#4
• String 2 (B string): B3
• String 1 (High E string): D#5