Open D tuning

Open D tuning is an alternate tuning for the acoustic or electric guitar. It is called an alternate tuning as it differs from what is now know as standard guitar tuning. Standard tuning is, low to high-EADGBE. Open D tuning is, low to high-DADF#AD. This tuning uses the three notes that form the triad of a D major chord- the root note of D, the perfect fifth of A, and the major third of F#.

Related Topics:
Tuning - Acoustic - Electric guitar - Guitar tuning - Notes - Triad - Major chord - Note

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When the guitar is strummed without fretting any of the strings a D chord is sounded. This means that the major chord of any key can be easily created using one finger, fretting all the strings at once (also known as barring) eg-fretting all the strings at the second fret will produce an E major, at the third an F major, and so on up the neck.

Related Topics:
Guitar - Fretting - Strings - Chord - Key - Finger - Fret - E major - F major

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This kind of tuning became very popular with bottleneck guitarists as they could play complete chords using the one finger with the slide on. There is much more to this tuning than slide work though. The full and vibrant sound this tuning produces, particularly on an acoustic guitar, also make it ideal for fingerstyle playing.

Related Topics:
Tuning - Bottleneck - Chords - Slide - Acoustic guitar - Fingerstyle

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Many new chord shapes and sounds are available and give it a strong compositional element that produce markedly different tonal qualities to standard tuning. The full range of major and minor chords, with all their extentions, are available to the player. The vast majority of well known acoustic guitarists have used this tuning at some point in their career.

Related Topics:
Tonal - Minor chord

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Open E is another extremley popular tuning (sometimes called "vestapol" tuning after an early composition of the same name) that employs exactly the same intervals as this tuning, but with all strings raised by one whole tone eg-EBEG#BE.

Related Topics:
Tuning - Composition - Intervals - Strings - Whole tone

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