Tunings/Guitar/Open E Minor (E B E G B E)
Guitar TuningIntermediate

Open E Minor (E B E G B E)

open6 strings440 Hz

Detected

--
Ready to tune

Target

E2

82.4 Hz

Select String

6E282 Hz
Play
5B2123 Hz
Play
4E3165 Hz
Play
3G3196 Hz
Play
2B3247 Hz
Play
1E4330 Hz
Play

Ready to tune?

Click "Start Listening" and select a string to tune. Auto-detect is assist-only and works best when the string is already close to pitch.

Open tunings retune the strings so that playing all open strings produces a full chord, typically a major triad. Open G (D-G-D-G-B-D) and Open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) are the most common. These tunings are essential for slide guitar; since any barre produces a chord, you can play the entire instrument with a slide. Open tunings also create sympathetic resonance, as multiple strings ring together in harmony.

Note Layout

6String 6
E2
5String 5
B2
4String 4
E3
3String 3
G3
2String 2
B3
1String 1
E4

Notation

E2 B2 E3 G3 B3 E4

How to Tune

1

Click "Start Listening"

Allow microphone access when prompted.

2

Play Each String

Auto-detect will find the string, or click to select manually.

3

Adjust Until Green

Center the needle and watch for the green "In Tune" indicator.

Tips for Open tunings

Strum all open strings to hear the base chord

Barre across any fret for an instant chord

Popular in blues, folk, and fingerstyle guitar

Slide players use open tunings almost exclusively

About open tunings

History & context

Open tunings have roots in African-American blues of the early 20th century. Delta blues pioneers used open tunings for bottleneck slide playing. The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, and countless folk artists expanded their use.

Common genres

BluesFolkSlide GuitarFingerstyleCelticCountry

Famous artists

Robert JohnsonKeith RichardsJoni MitchellDerek TrucksRy Cooder

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