Description of Open A Tuning

Open A tuning is a revered and highly resonant guitar tuning, widely embraced in blues, folk, and slide guitar traditions. When strummed without fretting any strings, all six strings combine to form a full A Major chord, delivering a rich, harmonically complete sound. This characteristic makes it exceptionally intuitive to play major chords: simply barre across any single fret to instantly create a major chord (for example, barring the first fret yields an A# Major, the second fret a B Major, and so on). The inherent major chord quality makes this tuning ideal for drone-based playing, percussive rhythms, and powerful lead lines that utilize the open string resonance.

Technical Analysis

The Open A tuning establishes the guitar strings to the following notes: E2, A2, C#3, E3, A3, E4. This arrangement effectively spells out an A Major triad (A-C#-E) across the instrument, with several notes doubled for a full and layered sound:

• The 5th string (A2) serves as the fundamental root of the A Major chord.
• The 4th string (C#3) provides the essential major third.
• The 3rd string (E3) offers the perfect fifth.
• The 2nd string (A3) reinforces the root an octave higher.
• The 6th (E2) and 1st (E4) strings both contribute the perfect fifth, grounding the low end and adding a vibrant sparkle to the high end.

The intervals between the strings (from the thickest 6th string to the thinnest 1st string) are: Perfect 4th (E2-A2), Major 3rd (A2-C#3), Minor 3rd (C#3-E3), Perfect 4th (E3-A3), Perfect 5th (A3-E4). This specific intervallic structure creates a very harmonic and open soundscape. While inherently major, minor chords can be explored by altering the major third (C#3) by fretting down one fret to C3, and similar adjustments on other strings, or by utilizing specific fingerings that avoid or modify the open major third.

How to Tune for Open A

To achieve the Open A tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these precise steps:

• 6th String (Low E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Your low E string should remain at E2.
• 5th String (A): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Your A string should remain at A2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 1 semitone from D3 to C#3. This is a minor adjustment and safe for standard gauge strings.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 3 semitones from G3 to E3. This is a moderate drop in tension and is generally safe for standard gauge strings.
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 2 semitones from B3 to A3. This is a moderate drop in tension and is generally safe for standard gauge strings.
• 1st String (High E): Keep as is; no change (0 semitones). Your high E string should remain at E4.

Note on String Gauge: The tuning changes required for Open A, with a maximum drop of 3 semitones, are well within the safe limits for standard guitar string gauges. Specialized string sets are typically not necessary for this tuning.

The Open A tuning results in the following notes for each string, listed from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st):

• 6th String: E2 (Low E)
• 5th String: A2
• 4th String: C#3
• 3rd String: E3
• 2nd String: A3
• 1st String: E4 (High E)