Some open G tuning songs on the usual lists were never recorded in Open G. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is open D with a capo on the record, and "Big Yellow Taxi" is open E. Every song below has its tuning and capo checked against magazine features and teacher lessons.
Tune up with the Open G guitar tuner, then go to the chord table. Ten minutes from now you can play three chords with a single finger, and that's enough to start on the first song.
How to tune to Open G
The sixth and fifth strings drop from E and A to D and G, and the first string drops from E to D. The middle three stay put, which leaves D G D G B D.
Go slowly with the tuner listening, then strum and check again. In my experience the second pass always finds a string that drifted, because the neck shifts when three strings loosen together. My first strum in this tuning made me think I'd missed a string, since nothing clashed. The Open G tuning guide has the full walkthrough.
Open G chords for your first ten minutes
Lay one finger flat across every string at a fret and you get a major chord.
| Barre at | Chord | Role in the key of G | Lowest note, six strings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open strings | G | I | D |
| Fret 5 | C | IV | G |
| Fret 7 | D | V | A |
| Fret 2 | A | major II | E |
| Fret 3 | B-flat | flat III | F |
| Fret 9 | E | major VI | B |
| Fret 10 | F | flat VII | C |
The chord library has fuller shapes once barres feel easy. But keep wrist relaxed, or a long fret 5 barre will make the base of your index finger ache.
Keith Richards' five-string riffs on six strings
Richards plays many of his Stones riffs on five strings tuned G D G B D, which are strings five to one of your Open G guitar. He took the sixth off. Guitar World says he first used the setup on "Honky Tonk Women" in 1969.
On six strings the extra low D puts each chord's fifth in the bass instead of its root (see the last column above, checked by script). So the chords are right, only softer at the bottom.
- Mute it. Fundamental Changes suggests touching the low string with the tip of your fretting index finger on barres, or the tip of your thumb on open chords.
- Begin every strum on the fifth string. Easy to say, harder at speed.
I'd keep the sixth string on, since blues bass lines lean on that low D (the fifth of G).
A capo moves the pitch and leaves the shapes alone. Capo 4 turns the open strings into a B chord, and capo 2 turns them into open A (E A E A C# E). The capo chart covers the key math.
Easy open G songs and riff rock
Levels run from 1 (open strings and one barre) to 4 (fingerstyle carrying a melody over chords), my own guess at what a part asks of your hands.
| Song and artist | Setup | Level | Learn this first |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Honky Tonk Women", The Rolling Stones | 5 strings | 1 | The opening riff uses open strings only, as Richards showed on The Tonight Show. |
| "Start Me Up", The Rolling Stones | 5 strings | 2 | Barre shapes with the low string muted. Timing is the hard part, so use the metronome. |
| "Happy", The Rolling Stones | 5 strings, capo 4 | 2 | Vintage Guitar says the capo adds sparkle, so set it before judging the sound. |
| "Tumbling Dice", The Rolling Stones | 5 strings, capo 4 | 3 | The ringing capoed chord first, then the rhythm hooks. Mick Taylor played slide on the record. |
On a six-string, "5 strings" means mute the sixth. I found no capo reported for the first two, so play them uncapoed.
Open G songs for acoustic and folk
| Song and artist | Setup | Level | Learn this first |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Spanish Flang Dang", Elizabeth Cotten | 6 strings | 2 | G, C and D7 with the thumb on the bass. Acoustic Guitar's open G lesson calls it a good introduction. |
| "Thorn in My Pride", The Black Crowes | 6 strings, capo 4 | 2 | Rich Robinson told Guitar Player it's open G with the capo at fret 4, on a 1961 Gibson Dove. |
| "Ain't Much Left of Me", Blackberry Smoke | 6 strings | 3 | Charlie Starr wrote it in open G. The riff moves chord shapes and caps phrases with short descending slides. |
| "Romeo and Juliet", Dire Straits | 6 strings, capo 3 | 4 | Mark Knopfler used open G with a capo at fret 3 on a National steel guitar. |
Blues songs in Open G
| Song and artist | Setup | Level | Learn this first |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Walkin' Blues", Robert Johnson | 6 strings | 3 | Guitar World's Andy Aledort lists it among Johnson's open G songs. |
| "Magnolia Blues", Charley Patton | 6 strings, capo 2 or higher | 3 | Guitar World says Patton's version is often played with the capo at fret 2 or above. |
| "Crazy Cryin' Blues", Memphis Minnie | 6 strings, capo 6 | 4 | Acoustic Guitar says capo 6 matches the recording. Learn the bass on strings 5 and 4. |
Open G slide guitar songs
A slide across one fret is a full chord, so frets 5 and 7 become your IV and V. Three tracks below are in open G. Two are in open A, which is open G a whole step up, so capo 2 gets you there.
| Song and artist | Setup | Level | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cross Road Blues", Robert Johnson | Spanish (open G), capo 4 for B | 3 | Wikipedia puts the recording in B, which capo 4 reaches. Cream's "Crossroads" dropped the slide and open tuning. |
| "Travelling Riverside Blues", Robert Johnson | Open G, slide | 3 | One guitar, tuned to open G, with a slide. |
| "Death Letter Blues", Son House | Open G, slide | 3 | His 1965 recording used a National resonator and a copper slide. |
| "Rollin' and Tumblin'", Muddy Waters | Open A, so capo 2 | 3 | Aledort's follow-up lesson says Muddy recorded it in open A. |
| "Dallas", Johnny Winter | Open A, so capo 2 | 3 | Aledort says Winter used open A on this 1969 track. |
These habits keep a slide in tune, and slide guitar for beginners goes deeper.
- Pick one finger. Son House wore the slide on his ring finger and Bukka White on his pinky, per Acoustic Guitar.
- Sit the slide over the fret wire and touch the strings lightly, because pressing pulls the note sharp.
- Drag a spare finger behind the slide to stop the open strings you aren't playing.
- On IV and V, cover strings five to one (Acoustic Guitar suggests five strings). That puts C and D in the bass at frets 5 and 7.
Songs people file under Open G that aren't
| Song | What the record uses |
|---|---|
| "Jumpin' Jack Flash" | Open D with a capo in the studio. Richards has played it in open G with a capo at fret 4 live since 1969 (Wikipedia). |
| "Big Yellow Taxi" | Open E, often played as open D with a capo at fret 2 (Acoustic Guitar). |
| "She Talks to Angels" | Open E, per Rich Robinson in Guitar Player. |
| "Can't Get Enough" | Open C (Wikipedia). |
A ten-minute Open G practice routine
- Minutes 0 to 2. Tune and re-check.
- Minutes 2 to 5. Play the I-IV-V, open strings then barres at frets 5 and 7, four beats each. Start near 70 BPM (my suggestion) on the metronome.
- Minutes 5 to 8. Learn one riff from a table above and loop it.
- Minutes 8 to 10. Improvise with a slide or a flat finger between the open strings and frets 5 and 7. Listen for pitch..
FAQ about open G tuning songs
Is Open G the same as Spanish tuning?
Yes. Guitar World calls open G "also known as Spanish tuning", spelled D G D G B D. Despite the name, classical guitars don't tune this way. It also differs from open D and open E (American Blues Scene says cross-Spanish is open E).
Can acoustic guitars handle Open G?
Yes. Three strings go down a whole step, so total tension falls. Open tunings that raise strings, like open E, are the ones to watch.
Do I need heavier strings for Open G?
No. The sixth, fifth and first strings lose about 21% of their tension (worked out from the pitch change), so they feel slacker, but your usual set works. If the low strings flap under a hard strum, try one gauge heavier, and check the nut slot doesn't pinch it.
Can I play Keith Richards songs on six strings?
Yes. Keep the sixth string on and mute it with a finger, or start your strum on the fifth.
Next step
Open the Open G tuner, tune, and play the open strings from "Honky Tonk Women" with the sixth string muted. Then add the fret 5 barre.
