Friday, March 24, 2006
Tuning to and from Open D and Standard Guitar Tuning
I frequently get asked about tuning a guitar, to and from open-D from standard guitar tuning, or tuning the guitar within itself, in open-D. Teachers and students both have expressed concern over “how to tune this way”, as if there was some complicated technique involved. Or, that it is somehow more difficult to tune in open-D than in standard tuned guitar.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Tuning in open-D is at least as simple, if not simpler, than tuning in standard guitar tuning. Let’s look at some scenarios.
Re-tuning from standard guitar tuning.
One of the neat things about open-D, especially versus some other alternate tunings, is that it is relatively friendly to make the switch from standard guitar tuning. It's important to remember: your A and D strings as they are in standard tuning stay the same. From there, it’s a matter of adjusting the other four strings:
low E becomes low D
A stays the same A
D stays the same D
G becomes F#
B becomes A
high E becomes high D
I do it by taking the D in standard and getting the low and high Ds tuned to it. Then I use the low A string to adjust the B to A. Finally I bring the G down a half-step to F#. Once you get used to it, it’s a breeze. So, step by step:
using your existing D in standard tuning,
1) re-tune your low E string to D (lower it a whole tone)
2) then re-tune your high E string to D (lower it a whole tone)
3) use your existing A in standard tuning to re-tune your B string to A (down a whole tone)
4) tune your G string down to F# (down a semi-tone)
Four simple steps to re-tune your guitar from standard tuning to open-D tuning. I always remind students that once you are done, a strum of your guitar should produce an in-tune major chord. This is one of the main differences from standard tuning. Even with no tuner at hand, you should be able to hear if your guitar is in tune, at least with itself (which I touch on later in this piece). The simplicity of re-tuning to open D is the repetition of strings. You have three Ds and two As to work with. The trickiest part becomes the G to F# step. Keep in mind, though, that this move is what completes the D major chord of open-D tuning. This last move will play a big part as to whether your guitar is in tune.
To make the switch back to standard guitar tuning, I generally use the age-old "tune one string to the other approach". Your A and D strings (5th and 4th) are already there. Use your D string with finger on fret 5 for find G. When you have G back, use that string with finger on fret 4 to find B. When you get B back, use that string with finger on fret 5 to find E. Finally use the high E string to bring your low string back up to E.
Here are some other potential scenarios.
Tuning the guitar to itself. This is the easiest of all in open-D tuning. Say you have no reference pitch to tune to, but you think one of the Ds you have in relatively in tune (keeping in mind that in open D, you have three Ds to choose from – D A D F# A D). First thing I do is get the three Ds in tune with one another. This is not unlike tuning your two E strings in standard guitar tuning, only it’s easier. The gap between each D is an octave. Once you here no “wowing” or vibrations between your in-tune D and the other, they are in tune. Then tune the third D. Next I would take one of my two As and get it in tune with the closest D string. Again you listen for the vibrations between the notes, much like a violinist does. Finally, I would bring the F# in with the other now in-tune strings. The simplest way to do this, I find is to strum an open-D chord and adjust the F# string until it sounds like a nice, clean in-tune chord.
Another way to tune the guitar to itself. Supposing you still have that one in-tune D string. You can tune the guitar to itself similar to how standard tuned guitars can be tuned, string to string. The fret pattern is just a little different in open-D (outlined in the end-notes of my book Guitar-eze A Simpler Approach to Playing Guitar:
Starting with your lowest D,
hit a note holding down fret seven (A) to tune your open A string
When that’s in tune, hold down fret five of your A (D) string to tune the open D string
Then hold down fret four of your middle D string (F#) to tune the open F# string
Next, hold down the fret three of your F# string (A) to tune the open A string
Finally, hold down the fret five of your A string (D) to tune the open high D string
Tuning with a tuner. Unfortunately many of the least expensive tuners are made to only tune to standard tuned guitar E A D G B E. this obviously neglects all of the other tuning possibilities for guitar. There are many, and getting more popular all the time. If you’re stuck with one of these, at least you know that the A and D on this tuner correspond exactly to your own A and D strings, which are exactly the same as the A and D in standard guitar tuning. Then tune the rest of the guitar to itself from there.
Much more practical are chromatic tuners which have every note available to tune your guitar. A little more expensive, they are well worth it. Happy tuning… and by the way, give it a try – open-D: D A D F# A D .
http://www.easierguitar.com
Nothing could be further from the truth! Tuning in open-D is at least as simple, if not simpler, than tuning in standard guitar tuning. Let’s look at some scenarios.
Re-tuning from standard guitar tuning.
One of the neat things about open-D, especially versus some other alternate tunings, is that it is relatively friendly to make the switch from standard guitar tuning. It's important to remember: your A and D strings as they are in standard tuning stay the same. From there, it’s a matter of adjusting the other four strings:
low E becomes low D
A stays the same A
D stays the same D
G becomes F#
B becomes A
high E becomes high D
I do it by taking the D in standard and getting the low and high Ds tuned to it. Then I use the low A string to adjust the B to A. Finally I bring the G down a half-step to F#. Once you get used to it, it’s a breeze. So, step by step:
using your existing D in standard tuning,
1) re-tune your low E string to D (lower it a whole tone)
2) then re-tune your high E string to D (lower it a whole tone)
3) use your existing A in standard tuning to re-tune your B string to A (down a whole tone)
4) tune your G string down to F# (down a semi-tone)
Four simple steps to re-tune your guitar from standard tuning to open-D tuning. I always remind students that once you are done, a strum of your guitar should produce an in-tune major chord. This is one of the main differences from standard tuning. Even with no tuner at hand, you should be able to hear if your guitar is in tune, at least with itself (which I touch on later in this piece). The simplicity of re-tuning to open D is the repetition of strings. You have three Ds and two As to work with. The trickiest part becomes the G to F# step. Keep in mind, though, that this move is what completes the D major chord of open-D tuning. This last move will play a big part as to whether your guitar is in tune.
To make the switch back to standard guitar tuning, I generally use the age-old "tune one string to the other approach". Your A and D strings (5th and 4th) are already there. Use your D string with finger on fret 5 for find G. When you have G back, use that string with finger on fret 4 to find B. When you get B back, use that string with finger on fret 5 to find E. Finally use the high E string to bring your low string back up to E.
Here are some other potential scenarios.
Tuning the guitar to itself. This is the easiest of all in open-D tuning. Say you have no reference pitch to tune to, but you think one of the Ds you have in relatively in tune (keeping in mind that in open D, you have three Ds to choose from – D A D F# A D). First thing I do is get the three Ds in tune with one another. This is not unlike tuning your two E strings in standard guitar tuning, only it’s easier. The gap between each D is an octave. Once you here no “wowing” or vibrations between your in-tune D and the other, they are in tune. Then tune the third D. Next I would take one of my two As and get it in tune with the closest D string. Again you listen for the vibrations between the notes, much like a violinist does. Finally, I would bring the F# in with the other now in-tune strings. The simplest way to do this, I find is to strum an open-D chord and adjust the F# string until it sounds like a nice, clean in-tune chord.
Another way to tune the guitar to itself. Supposing you still have that one in-tune D string. You can tune the guitar to itself similar to how standard tuned guitars can be tuned, string to string. The fret pattern is just a little different in open-D (outlined in the end-notes of my book Guitar-eze A Simpler Approach to Playing Guitar:
Starting with your lowest D,
hit a note holding down fret seven (A) to tune your open A string
When that’s in tune, hold down fret five of your A (D) string to tune the open D string
Then hold down fret four of your middle D string (F#) to tune the open F# string
Next, hold down the fret three of your F# string (A) to tune the open A string
Finally, hold down the fret five of your A string (D) to tune the open high D string
Tuning with a tuner. Unfortunately many of the least expensive tuners are made to only tune to standard tuned guitar E A D G B E. this obviously neglects all of the other tuning possibilities for guitar. There are many, and getting more popular all the time. If you’re stuck with one of these, at least you know that the A and D on this tuner correspond exactly to your own A and D strings, which are exactly the same as the A and D in standard guitar tuning. Then tune the rest of the guitar to itself from there.
Much more practical are chromatic tuners which have every note available to tune your guitar. A little more expensive, they are well worth it. Happy tuning… and by the way, give it a try – open-D: D A D F# A D .
http://www.easierguitar.com
