How to play in Open D Tuning: A step-by-step guide for blues players

Learning slide guitar in Open D can be confusing. Your go-to licks and riffs in standard tuning won’t work and the chords are completely different. Yet, this tuning has a unique sound that’s perfect for blues players. With the right approach, anyone can master the basics. Here’s a simple plan to help you get started with less confusion and more bluesy goodness. Let’s dive in. ## Step 1: Tune to Open D Open tunings produce a big, full chord just by strumming across all six strings. This means that you can barre across the strings at any fret and get a nice sounding chord. This makes open tunings perfect for slide playing because the slide is a barre! To play in Open D, we need to tune the strings to the notes of a D Major Chord: D F# A. From low to high, we’ll tune to: D A D F# A D Of course you can use a [tuner](https://tuner-online.com/), but here’s how to tune to Open D if you’re coming from Standard Tuning: - Lower the 6th string from E to D - Leave the 5th string tuned to A - Leave the 4th string tuned to D - Lower the 3rd string from G to F# - Lower the 2nd string from B to A - Lower the 1st string from E to D You can also tune strings relative to each other using the open 4th string as a reference pitch strings 6 and 1. Use the open 5th string as a reference for the 2nd string. Finally tune the 3rd string to the F# at the 4th string, 4th fret. Then strum across all six open strings. You get a big D Major chord and now you’re ready to start sliding! ## Step 2: Find the Hotspots In Open D tuning, there are a few spots on the neck to focus on when you’re getting started. These spots – I call them hotspots – are perfect for playing chords and creating bluesy riffs and licks. Here are the hotspots: - The Open Strings _(easy, but so useful!)_ - 12th fret - 5th fret - 7th fret Remember that the open strings produce a D Major Chord. That means that you can barre across the strings at any fret and get a different major chord. The chord name is the name of the note at the 6, 4th or 1st strings. If you play at the 5th fret _hotspot_ you’ll be playing a G Major chord. The 7th fret _hotspot_ is an A major and the 12th fret _hotspot_ is a D Major. This gives us everything we need to play along with a [basic 12 Bar Blues Progression](https://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/twelve-bar-blues-quick-guide/). The 12th fret and open strings are interchangeable because both are D Major chords. Use this! Mix up the measures over D by switching between these two _hotspots._ Keep this in mind too: **You don’t have to play all six strings.** Some slides aren’t even long enough to do this, but that’s OK!. Playing three or four strings from a _hotspot_ sounds great and can help you sound more musical when you’re jamming. **Bottom line:** Focus on these _hotspots_ for a no-fail way to get started with the blues in Open D Tuning. ## Step 3: Add the Bluesy Notes The _hotspots_ are great, but they don’t sound bluesy on their own. We can change this by adding two notes to the _hotspots –_ the _minor 3rd_ and _minor 7th_ intervals.
[💡](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/svg/1f4a1.svg) Need a crash course in intervals? Try this guide: [Intervals – The #1 Reason You’re Lost on the Fretboard](https://my.bluesguitarinstitute.com/tblessons/tb418) Good news is, you don’t have to stray far from the _hotspots_ to find these intervals and get that bluesy sound. To find the minor 3rd from a _hotspot_, move your slide down one fret on the 3rd string. Or you can move up three frets on strings 6, 4 and 1. To find the minor 7th, move down two frets on strings 6, 4, and 1 or up three frets on strings 5 and 2. The notes at each _hotspot_ sound good together. But get a bluesier sound by mixing in the minor 3rd like this: and the minor 7th like this: These embellishments are a perfect stepping stone to the next step in your Open D slide journey. The fun part! ## Step 4: Create Your Own Licks Noodling on the guitar gets a bad wrap sometimes. But it isn’t bad at all – it’s fun and can lead to some creative discoveries. We can encourage creative moments with what I call **focused noodling**. Noodle but with a clear goal. Here’s an example. Pick a _hotspot_ and play freely while mixing in the two embellishment notes. Get familiar with the sounds. See what you can create. Noodle! But stick to just one _hotspot_ at a time to get to know the moves and sounds that you like. Then… rinse and repeat. Move your focused noodling to other _hotspots_. Next, expand to using two _hotspots_. The key is to start small and then expand your focus as you get familiar with each spot. GOAL: To create licks that you can use surrounding each hotspot. ## Listen to Great Slide Players for Inspiration If you’re stuck or feel like you don’t quite have the sound you’re looking for, look to the greats for inspiration. Try these: - [Charlie Parr](https://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/aint-dead-yet-by-charlie-parr/) - Ariel Posen - Kelly Jo Phelps - [Mississippi Fred McDowell](https://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/you-gotta-move-by-mississippi-fred-mcdowell/) Find what you like and try to incorporate it into your **Focused Noodling** sessions. And remember, it’s important to learn other’s licks but keep creating your own. I hope this lesson jumpstarts your journey in Open D. But there’s something underneath all of this: Good slide technique. If you need a little help, then you should check out BGI’s free guide: [5 Simple Steps to Better Slide Guitar](https://mybgi.co/slide).