# Open D tuning
**Open D tuning** is an alternate guitar tuning in which the six strings are tuned, from lowest to highest, to D-A-D-F#-A-D, so that strumming the open strings sounds a complete [D major](https://www.edgepedia.org/d-major) chord[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning) • [2](https://guitartuner.io/tuning/open-d). It is popular for slide guitar, folk, blues, and acoustic fingerstyle playing[3](https://gtdb.org/dadfsad?variation=0).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| String pitches | D2-A2-D3-F#3-A3-D4, low to high[2](https://guitartuner.io/tuning/open-d) |
| Changes from standard | Low E down a whole step to D; A and D unchanged; G down a half step to F#; B down a whole step to A; high E down a whole step to D[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning) |
| Open sound | The open strings form a D major chord[2](https://guitartuner.io/tuning/open-d) |
| Traditional name | Vestapol, from Henry Worrall's 1856 parlour-guitar piece "Sebastopol"[4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d) |
| Interval pattern | 1-5-1-3-5-1, shared by Open D, Open E, Open C, and Open B[5](https://opendtuning.org/about/) |
| Relation to Open E | Same interval pattern; a capo at the second fret turns Open D into Open E without raising string tension[4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d) |
| Main uses | Slide guitar, folk, blues, and acoustic fingerstyle[3](https://gtdb.org/dadfsad?variation=0) |
## How to tune to Open D
Open D changes the tuning of four of the six strings from standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E)[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning). Starting from standard:
- The low E string is lowered a whole step to D.
- The A string stays the same.
- The D string stays the same.
- The G string is lowered a half step to F#.
- The B string is lowered a whole step to A.
- The high E string is lowered a whole step to D.
Because every change lowers a string's pitch, tuning down is the safe direction; the same logic underlies the common advice to reach Open E pitch from Open D with a capo rather than by tuning up[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning) • [4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d). The unchanged A and D strings serve as reference points when tuning by ear: the fourth-string D is the octave check for the dropped sixth string, and the fifth-string A is the fifth of the chord[6](https://audiotestsonline.com/tools/open-d-tuner/).
## Why the tuning is called "open"
An open tuning is one in which strumming the unfretted strings produces the sound of a chord[7](https://unescoejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3-2-10-GOUZOUASIS_PAPER.pdf). In Open D the three notes of the D major triad, D, F#, and A, are distributed across the six strings, so laying a slide straight across the strings at a single fret sounds a complete, consonant major chord[8](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/how-to-play-slide-guitar-in-standard-tuning). This property is the main reason the tuning suits slide guitar, since a player can produce full chords with the slide alone[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning).
The trade-off is that familiar standard-tuning chord shapes no longer apply, since nearly every note on the fretboard has moved, so players must relearn where the chord tones lie[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning).
## Vestapol and the history of the tuning
In old blues and country playing, Open D was traditionally called Vestapol[4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d). The name comes from "Sebastopol", a parlour-guitar piece that Henry Worrall published in 1856 and played in this tuning, referring to the Siege of Sevastopol of the [Crimean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/crimean-war)[4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d) • [9](https://ragajunglism.org/tunings/menu/open-d/). At the time of the siege, Worrall was composing music and teaching guitar at the Ohio Women's College[9](https://ragajunglism.org/tunings/menu/open-d/).
The name outlived the piece: "Vestapol" now describes the whole family of tunings with the interval pattern 1-5-1-3-5-1, which includes Open D, Open E, Open C, and Open B[5](https://opendtuning.org/about/). The tuning is very commonly used in blues and folk music, but is versatile enough to perform in all genres[5](https://opendtuning.org/about/).
## Open D, Open E, and related tunings
Open D and Open E share the same interval pattern and differ only in absolute pitch[5](https://opendtuning.org/about/). Raising every string of Open D by a whole step gives Open E, but tuning up that far risks breaking strings, so a common practice is to stay in Open D and place a capo at the second fret, which produces Open E pitch without added tension[4](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d).
Open D should not be confused with DADGAD, a Dsus4 tuning whose open strings do not form a major triad[10](https://www.musicradar.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/30-essential-acoustic-guitar-chords-with-charts). Drop D, in which only the low E string is tuned down a whole step to D (leaving D-A-D-G-B-E), is a different, more limited alteration of standard tuning[11](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/joe-bonamassa-drop-d-blues-lesson).
## Use in blues and slide guitar
Open D is a staple of blues slide playing. A prime example is blues great [Elmore James](https://www.edgepedia.org/elmore-james)'s rendition of "Dust My Broom", originally recorded by [Robert Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-johnson)[12](https://www.fender.com//articles/techniques/slide-guitar). The slide blues tradition of Mississippi Fred McDowell is also taught and played in Open D[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70uF3uLfFrc).
The tuning also appears outside the blues. [Joni Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joni-mitchell) plays "Big Yellow Taxi" in Open D with a capo at the second fret, reaching the key of E without tuning up to Open E and risking broken strings[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning). [Mumford & Sons](https://www.edgepedia.org/mumford-and-sons) used Open D for "The Cave", where the tuning creates what Fender's lesson describes as a stoic yet uplifting listening experience[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning). Modern players associated with Open D and its sibling tunings include [Derek Trucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-trucks), Sonny Landreth, Joey Landreth, and Ariel Posen[14](https://opendtuning.org/).
## Learning the tuning
Because a slide laid across any fret yields a major chord, the first skills in Open D are learning where the chord tones sit on each string and adapting songs written in standard tuning[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning). Practicing songs in the alternate tuning is a good way to teach yourself the new fretboard[1](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning). Structured material covers chords, scales, improvisation, and the theory of the 1-5-1-3-5-1 interval system shared by the whole Vestapol family[14](https://opendtuning.org/) • [5](https://opendtuning.org/about/). The tuning extends beyond six-string guitar as well: instructional books cover Open D for Dobro, Weissenborn, and electric lap steel guitars, along with related tunings such as Dmaj7, D minor, Dsus (DADGAD), and D6th[15](https://www.volkmediabooks.com/products-books/exploring-open-d-and-related-tunings).
## References
1. [Open D Tuning on Guitar | How to Tune to Open D, Fender Play](https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/open-d-tuning)
2. [Open D Tuning Online - D A D F# A D Guitar Tuner, GuitarTuner.io](https://guitartuner.io/tuning/open-d)
3. [DADF#AD Open D guitar tuning, chords & scales, GTDB](https://gtdb.org/dadfsad?variation=0)
4. [Open D Tuning: How to Tune, Chords and Slide, freeonlinetuner.com](https://freeonlinetuner.com/tunings/guitar/open-d)
5. [About - Open D Tuning (Vestapol), opendtuning.org](https://opendtuning.org/about/)
6. [Open D Tuner - DADF#AD Slide and Folk Tuning, Audio Tests Online](https://audiotestsonline.com/tools/open-d-tuner/)
7. [DADGAD, DGDGBD (open G), DADF#AD (open D), and other alternate tunings, UNESCO Journal (Gouzouasis)](https://unescoejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3-2-10-GOUZOUASIS_PAPER.pdf)
8. [How to play slide guitar in standard tuning, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/how-to-play-slide-guitar-in-standard-tuning)
9. [Open D ('Vestapol') | World of Guitar Tuning, Rāga Junglism](https://ragajunglism.org/tunings/menu/open-d/)
10. [30 essential acoustic guitar chords, with charts, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/30-essential-acoustic-guitar-chords-with-charts)
11. [Drop D blues lesson, Joe Bonamassa, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/joe-bonamassa-drop-d-blues-lesson)
12. [How to Play Slide Guitar: Tuning and Techniques, Fender](https://www.fender.com//articles/techniques/slide-guitar)
13. [How to play slide guitar blues in Open D Tuning: The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70uF3uLfFrc)
14. [The Ultimate Guide To Open D Tuning, opendtuning.org](https://opendtuning.org/)
15. [Exploring Open D (and Related Tunings), Volk Media Books](https://www.volkmediabooks.com/products-books/exploring-open-d-and-related-tunings)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical practice and theory › Instruments, theory, and world traditions › Guitar*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license