About Open A tuning
Open A tunes the open strings to an A major chord — Open G's shape moved up a string group, with three strings tuned up a whole step. It's a classic bottleneck slide tuning heard across early Delta blues and rock's heavier acoustic moments.
From standard: raise the fourth D→E, third G→A, and second B→C#. That's meaningful extra tension, so tune up carefully — or use Open G with a capo at the 2nd fret for the same pitches.
Open A tuning notes & frequencies (A4 = 440 Hz)
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4 | E3 | 164.81 Hz |
| 3 | A3 | 220.00 Hz |
| 2 | C#4 | 277.18 Hz |
| 1 | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
How to tune to Open A from standard
- String 4 (D3): tune up a whole step to E3.
- String 3 (G3): tune up a whole step to A3.
- String 2 (B3): tune up a whole step to C#4.
After changing string tension this much, make a second tuning pass — the neck settles slightly and the first strings you tuned will have drifted.
Songs & artists in Open A
- In My Time of Dying — Led Zeppelin
String gauge advice
Light strings (.009–.010 sets) are wise given the raised tension.
FAQ
What are the notes of Open A tuning on guitar?
Open A tuning is E2, A2, E3, A3, C#4, E4 from the lowest string to the highest.
How do I tune my guitar to Open A?
Starting from standard tuning: String 4 (D3): tune up a whole step to E3. String 3 (G3): tune up a whole step to A3. String 2 (B3): tune up a whole step to C#4. Use the tuner above — it highlights the string it hears and shows exactly how many cents you are from the target.
Is this tuner free and private?
Yes — no ads, no signup, and all audio is processed locally in your browser. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Embed this tuner
Add the Open A tuner to your own site or blog post with an iframe:
<iframe src="https://tunewell.net/embed/guitar/open-a" width="420" height="560" style="border:0" title="Open A Guitar Tuner"></iframe>