Open G Dominant Tuning: A Slide Guitar Classic

The Open G Dominant tuning is a vibrant and versatile setup for your guitar, perfectly suited for styles like blues, country, and especially slide guitar. Its inherent dominant seventh quality gives it a rich, 'bluesy' character straight out of the open strings, making it incredibly expressive. When you strum the open strings, you're greeted with a full G7 chord, providing a powerful harmonic foundation that's both familiar and inspiring. This tuning encourages creative exploration, from intricate slide melodies to robust rhythmic accompaniment, making it ideal for playing slide and chords with a dominant feel.

Technical Analysis

Technically, the open strings are tuned to G2 (lowest), D3, F3, and B3 (highest). This configuration forms a G dominant 7th chord (G-B-D-F), which is immediately accessible without fretting any notes. This makes it an ideal tuning for players looking to explore dominant harmony and add a distinct 'funk' or 'blues' edge to their sound. Due to the consistent dominant 7th interval relationship across the open strings, barring any single fret across all four strings will yield another dominant 7th chord. For instance, barring the 1st fret gives you a G#7 chord, the 2nd fret an A7, and so on, making chord progressions simple and intuitive, particularly for slide techniques where linear movement across the fretboard is common.

How to Tune Your Guitar to Open G Dominant

This tuning involves significant upward tension changes on some strings. Please tune carefully and slowly, checking pitch frequently. For strings with movements of 4 or 5 semitones, a lighter gauge string might be advisable to prevent excessive tension and potential string breakage.

• String 4 (Lowest String): Tune this string to G2. This involves tuning up 3 semitones.
• String 3: Tune this string to D3. This involves tuning up 5 semitones. *Caution: Tuning up 5 semitones is a significant increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.*
• String 2: Tune this string to F3. This involves tuning up 3 semitones.
• String 1 (Highest String): Tune this string to B3. This involves tuning up 4 semitones. *Caution: Tuning up 4 semitones is a notable increase in tension. Consider a lighter gauge string.*

String 4: Tuned to G2

String 3: Tuned to D3

String 2: Tuned to F3

String 1: Tuned to B3