GuitarTuner.online

6-String Guitar tuner – Open Em

E-B-E-G-B-E · Open

Also known as Open E minor, Cross-note 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 Em 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 Em tuning

Compared with Standard E, Open Em moves 2 strings. Every change is upward, the largest by 2 semitones, so the strings pull tighter than in Standard E.4 strings stay exactly where they were.

How Open Em differs from Standard E, string by string.
StringStandard EOpen EmChange
2A2B2up 2 semitones
3D3E3up 2 semitones

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 minor third, a major third, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.

Strummed open, with nothing fretted, the strings spell Em. 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 Em shapes in this tuning →

Open E minor, sometimes called cross-note E, gives a minor chord on the open strings while keeping the low E where it belongs. Blues players use it to get a minor tonality without giving up the deep open bass.

Compared with Open E it is far kinder to the instrument – the third is lowered rather than the other strings being raised – which makes it the safer of the two E tunings on a guitar that is not specially set up.

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 Em tuning comes from

Open E minor belongs to the family of “cross-note” tunings of early Delta blues – open tunings in which the third string gives a minor chord. Bukka White and others used cross-note tunings in the 1920s and 30s; the E minor version has since been used by folk and fingerstyle players for modal pieces.

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 Em?

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 Em tuning?

Open Em 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.