Workshop tool · Free
Alternate guitar tunings: chords and scales in any tuning
Retune one string and every chord shape you know stops working. This tool recalculates them for you: pick Drop D, Open G, DADGAD or another tuning, and it draws the scale you choose on the whole neck and finds playable shapes for any chord. It is for guitarists who want to explore open and dropped tunings without relearning the fretboard from scratch.
Included in the free account.
What you can do in each tuning
The tool starts from eight preset tunings, written from the low string to the high one:
| Tuning | Strings (low to high) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | E A D G B E | the reference |
| Drop D | D A D G B E | heavy riffs, D in the bass |
| Drop C | C G C F A D | low, heavy rock |
| DADGAD | D A D G A D | Celtic folk, fingerstyle |
| Open G | D G D G B D | slide, blues, rock |
| Open D | D A D F# A D | slide, acoustic blues |
| Open E | E B E G# B E | slide blues |
| Half-step down | Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb | standard shapes, a semitone lower |
You can also build a custom tuning: raise or lower each string by up to three semitones from any preset. For the tuning you choose, the tool shows:
- a scale on the whole neck (any root, notes or intervals) with its formula and, for seven-note scales, its diatonic chords;
- chord shapes: pick a chord type (major, minor, diminished, augmented, sus2, sus4, 7, maj7, m7, m7♭5, 6, m6, 9, add9) and get up to six playable positions in the first 12 frets, with the root highlighted on each diagram.
Why tunings change everything, and how to use them
In standard tuning, the strings are a perfect fourth apart except G to B, a major third. Change one string and every interval on the neck that uses it moves too. That is why the same finger shape gives a different chord in another tuning.
Dropped tunings lower only the bass. In Drop D, the low E goes down a whole step to D. The three lowest strings (D A D) now form a fifth plus an octave, so one finger across them plays a power chord: open is D5, the 5th fret is G5, the 7th fret is A5. Everything on the top five strings stays exactly as in standard.
Open tunings turn the open strings into a chord. In Open G (D G D G B D), strumming all six open strings gives a G major chord. Lay one finger flat across the 5th fret and you get C, at the 7th fret D: a full I-IV-V in G with a single finger or a slide. Open D (D A D F# A D) works the same way, with G at the 5th fret and A at the 7th. Read more about the principle in the open tuning entry.
Modal tunings such as DADGAD leave the third out. The open strings give D, A and G, a Dsus4 sound, which you can push towards D major or D minor by fretting the F# or the F. That ambiguity is why it suits Celtic and fingerstyle music.
What is free and what needs Premium
A free GuitarHarmony account opens the workshop, and the tool runs in your browser on computer, tablet or phone, with nothing to install.
Free: the eight preset tunings above, custom tunings, chord shapes for every chord type and root, and the scale view with the major scale, natural minor, minor and major pentatonics, blues scale and the Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Phrygian and Locrian modes.
With Premium (Pro library): the exotic scales in the scale view, namely harmonic minor, melodic minor, Phrygian dominant and the altered scale. Premium costs 4.90 € a month or 39 € a year and also opens the rest of the Pro library in the other tools.
Tips for exploring alternate tunings
- Start with Drop D. Only one string changes, so you keep all your chords on the top five strings and gain a deep D bass.
- Use a capo with open tunings. In Open G, a capo at the 2nd fret gives you an open A chord, at the 5th fret an open C, without learning new shapes.
- Switch the scale view to intervals. In a new tuning, note names are confusing at first. Intervals show you where the roots, thirds and fifths sit, which is what you need to improvise.
- Compare with standard. Use the same root and chord type in Standard and then in your tuning to see which shapes become easier. To learn scales in standard tuning first, use the guitar scales tool.
How to use it
- Pick a tuning. Click one of the eight tuning buttons. A short description appears with the string names from low to high.
- Adjust it if you want. Under Custom tuning, use the minus and plus buttons to lower or raise each string by a semitone, up to three semitones. Reset brings back the preset.
- Choose a root and a scale. Pick a root and a scale, then choose Notes or Intervals. The neck redraws the scale for your tuning.
- Find the chord shapes. In Chords in this tuning, choose a chord type. The tool shows its notes and up to six positions, sorted for comfort: less stretch, root in the bass, all degrees present.
What you can do with it
Writing a riff in Drop D
Select Drop D, a D root and the minor pentatonic. The neck shows where the notes of D minor pentatonic sit around your new low D, ready for a riff.
Learning slide in Open G
Choose Open G and look at the major chord shapes for G, C and D: with a slide, each one is a straight line across the 0, 5th and 7th frets.
Playing a song in a tuning you just heard
A song uses DADGAD. Select it and check the chord shapes for D, G and A before you sit down to learn the tune by ear.
Frequently asked questions
Which alternate tunings are available?
Standard, Drop D, Drop C, DADGAD, Open G, Open D, Open E and half-step down. You can also build a custom tuning by raising or lowering each string by up to three semitones.
What is the easiest alternate tuning to start with?
Drop D. You lower only the low E string a whole step to D, all your usual chords on the five other strings still work, and one finger across the three lowest strings plays a power chord.
Does the tool show chord shapes for each tuning?
Yes. Choose a root and one of 14 chord types, and it calculates up to six playable positions in the first 12 frets of your tuning, with the root marked on each diagram.
Is the alternate tunings tool free?
Yes: all tunings, custom tunings and chord shapes are free with a free account. Premium only adds the exotic scales of the Pro library to the scale view.