In both tunings all six open strings already sound as a major chord: Open D (D A D F# A D) gives D major, Open E (E B E G# B E) gives E major. Open E is the same tuning as Open D, just two frets higher.
Major chords with one finger
- Open D: D = all strings open, G = index finger across fret 5, A = across fret 7
- Open E: E = all strings open, A = index finger across fret 5, B = across fret 7
Slide guitar: playing with a slide
A slide (also called bottleneck) is a smooth tube made of glass or metal. Put it on your little finger or ring finger. The other fingers rest lightly on the strings behind it so nothing buzzes.
- Rest the slide gently on the strings – don’t press them down to the fretboard.
- Hold it right above the fret wire, not between frets. Otherwise the note sounds flat.
- Glide from one fret to the next: above fret 5 the chord sounds a fourth higher, above fret 12 an octave higher.
Setting it up in the app
In the tuner, tap “Other tuning …” at the bottom and choose “Open D” or “Open E”. The tuner, chord charts, songs and the blues neck then follow that tuning. A note at the top of every page reminds you; “Back to standard tuning” sets everything back.
To the tuner