How to Tune to Open E
- Start from standard tuning. The low E, B, and high E strings stay where they are.
- Raise the A string a whole step, to B2.
- Raise the D string a whole step, to E3.
- Raise the G string a half step, to G♯3.
- Strum the open strings. You should hear an E major chord.
String Tension
Open E is one of the few common tunings that raises strings above standard. The A and D strings go up 200 cents each, about 26% more tension. The G string goes up 100 cents, about 12% more. Most guitars handle this with light or regular strings. Raise the strings slowly, and check the neck if you leave an older or lightly built guitar in open E for weeks.
Many players avoid the extra tension another way: tune to open D, which has the same intervals a whole step lower, and put a capo on the 2nd fret. The result sounds in E.
What Open E Is Used For
Open E is a slide guitar tuning, common in blues, rock, and lap steel playing. A slide held straight across any fret plays a major chord: the 5th fret gives A and the 7th fret B, the three chords of a blues in E.
Tune up to each note rather than down to it. If you go past, loosen the string below the note and come back up: the string holds its pitch better that way.
String Notes and Frequencies
At the standard reference pitch, A4 = 440 Hz. String 1 is the highest-pitched string.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5 | B2 | 123.47 Hz |
| 4 | E3 | 164.81 Hz |
| 3 | G♯3 | 207.65 Hz |
| 2 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1 | E4 | 329.63 Hz |