Open A tuning

Open A: the strings and their notes

Open A from standard

What open A is

Open A tunes the open strings to an A major chord: E A E A C♯ E. From standard, the two E strings and the A stay; three strings go up: the 4th a whole step (D to E), the 3rd a whole step (G to A) and the 2nd a semitone (B to C♯). Strum open for A major; one finger or a slide across the 5th fret gives D, across the 7th E.

The intervals are those of open G, two frets higher, so everything learnt in open G works in open A at a brighter pitch. That makes it a slide and blues tuning for songs in A, and a way to play open G riffs in a key a singer prefers.

How to tune to Open A from standard

With the tuner above: tap Start, play each string the table changes and turn until the needle sits in the middle. By ear, without the tuner:

1. 4th string: D3 to E3. The 5th string at its 7th fret (E3) should sound like this string open.
2. 3rd string: G3 to A3. Its 7th fret should sound like the open 1st string (E4).
3. 2nd string: B3 to C♯4. Its 3rd fret should sound like the open 1st string (E4).

Then check the whole tuning once more with the tuner: retuning one string moves the neck, and the others drift a few cents.

On the same strings, tension follows the square of the pitch: the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings go up to 126 % of their pull, so tune them up slowly.

What one finger plays

Strummed open, the strings ring A. A finger or a slide straight across the 5th fret gives D, across the 7th E, and the 12th is A an octave up: the three chords of a blues in one straight line.

Open A or open G with a capo

The three raised strings carry more tension (the 4th and 3rd up to 126 % of their pull). Open G with a capo at the 2nd fret sounds the same and lowers strings instead; players who switch between the two often keep the guitar in open G and move the capo.

• The C♯ on the 2nd string is the third of the chord; a few cents off and the whole open chord sounds out of tune.
• The other open major tunings: open E, open D, open C.

All six strings in standard and the other tunings: the guitar tuner. Any note at all: the chromatic tuner.

Then play something

The notes you tuned can go into Brumm as a short melody over a beat. Hum a line on top and it becomes an instrument.

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