GuitarTuner.online

6-String Guitar tuner – Open E

E-B-E-G#-B-E · Open

Also known as Vestapol, Slide E

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Microphone off
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Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.

This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your 6-String Guitar is to Open E tuning (E-B-E-G#-B-E). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.

About Open E tuning

Compared with Standard E, Open E moves 3 strings. Every change is upward, the largest by 2 semitones, so the strings pull tighter than in Standard E.3 strings stay exactly where they were.

How Open E differs from Standard E, string by string.
StringStandard EOpen EChange
2A2B2up 2 semitones
3D3E3up 2 semitones
4G3G#3up 1 semitone

Played open, the strings sound E-B-E-G#-B-E – from E2 at the bottom to E4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fourth, a major third, a minor third, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.

Strummed open, with nothing fretted, the strings spell E. That is what makes a tuning like this useful for slide playing and drones – a full chord is one straight barre away at any fret. See E shapes in this tuning →

Open E is Open D moved up a whole step, and it is the tuning behind some of the most recognisable slide playing on record – Duane Allman on "Statesboro Blues", the Rolling Stones on "Gimme Shelter".

The catch is direction. Where Open D loosens strings, Open E tightens three of them above standard pitch, which strains the neck and breaks strings on instruments that are not set up for it. Many players get the same sound safely by tuning to Open D and putting a capo at the second fret.

The strings are pulled above their normal pitch, so a lighter set reduces the risk of breaking a string or over-loading the neck.

History

Where the Open E tuning comes from

Open E has the same intervals as open D (Vestapol) a whole step higher. It was used by blues slide players who wanted a brighter sound, and became a rock slide tuning thanks to Duane Allman in the late 1960s and 70s. Derek Trucks, whose slide playing continues the Allman Brothers tradition, still uses open E. The higher tension is hard on guitar necks, which is why many players prefer open D with a capo.

History of the instrument: 6-String Guitar →

Other 6-String Guitar tunings

Standard

Standard E E-A-D-G-B-EHalf Step Down (Eb) D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#Whole Step Down (D) D-G-C-F-A-DB Standard B-E-A-D-F#-BPlus 1 (F) F-A#-D#-G#-C-FPlus 2 (F#) F#-B-E-A-C#-F#

Drop

Drop D D-A-D-G-B-EDouble Drop D D-A-D-G-B-DDrop C# C#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#Drop C C-G-C-F-A-DDrop B B-F#-B-E-G#-C#Drop A A-E-A-D-F#-BDrop G# G#-D#-G#-C#-F-A#Drop G G-D-G-C-E-ADrop F# F#-C#-F#-B-D#-G#Drop E E-B-E-A-C#-F#

Open

Open C C-G-C-G-C-EOpen D D-A-D-F#-A-DOpen Dm D-A-D-F-A-DOpen E E-B-E-G#-B-EOpen Em E-B-E-G-B-EOpen F C-F-C-F-A-FOpen G D-G-D-G-B-DOpen Gm D-G-D-G-A#-DOpen A E-A-C#-E-A-EOpen A 2 E-A-E-A-C#-EOpen Am E-A-E-A-C-EOpen B B-F#-B-F#-B-D#CGDGBD (Open G Low C) C-G-D-G-B-DFACGCE (Fmaj7) F-A-C-G-C-EWahine (G) D-G-D-F#-B-D

Modal

DADGAD (D Modal) D-A-D-G-A-DG Modal D-G-D-G-C-DOrkney C-G-D-G-C-D

Alternative

Double Daddy D-A-D-D-A-DAll Fourths E-A-D-G-C-FNew Standard (NST) C-G-D-A-E-GNashville (High Strung) E-A-D-G-B-EEADF#BE E-A-D-F#-B-EOstrich D-D-D-D-D-D

Chords for this tuning

CGDAEFAll 6-String Guitar chords →
How do I tune my 6-String Guitar to Open E?

Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (E-B-E-G#-B-E).

Which notes are used in Open E tuning?

Open E tuning for 6-String Guitar uses the notes E-B-E-G#-B-E, listed from the lowest string to the highest.

Can I tune without a microphone?

Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.