Modal, slack-key and experimental tunings that go beyond standard, drop and open. Each one comes with its notes, its character and a free online tuner.
Alternate tunings put notes side by side in ways standard tuning can’t, so open strings ring against fretted ones. DADGAD is the classic one. Its open strings play a suspended chord, which is neither major nor minor. It is loved in Celtic and fingerstyle music.
Hawaiian slack-key tunings such as Taro Patch and Wahine loosen some strings to make open, sweet-sounding chords. FACGCE gives math rock and emo their airy major-seventh sound. New Standard tunes the guitar in fifths, which gives it a range like a cello.
Frequently asked questions
What is DADGAD tuning used for?
Celtic, folk and fingerstyle guitar. The open strings form a Dsus4 chord, so melodies ring against droning D and A strings.
What is New Standard Tuning?
It is C G D A E G, tuned in fifths like a cello or mandolin, with a high G on top. Robert Fripp developed it, and it needs a special set of strings.
What are slack-key tunings?
These are Hawaiian kī hō‘alu tunings in which some strings are loosened to form open chords. Examples are Taro Patch (D G D G B E) and Wahine (C G D G B E).