Guitar tuning

Every chord in Open A tuning

E·A·C#·E·A·E

Open A tuning is E A C# E A E, low to high. Compared with standard tuning, the 4th string goes from D to C# (down a semitone); the 3rd string goes from G to E (down a minor third); the 2nd string goes from B to A (down a whole step). This chart gives you an easy shape for 105 chords: major, minor, power, dominant 7, minor 7, major 7, sus2, sus4 and add9, on all 12 roots.

Strings run low to high (E A C# E A E). A number is the fret, 0 is an open string and x is a string you don't play. A label such as 5fr beside a diagram marks where a shape starts higher up the neck. Tap any chord to open that exact shape in the app, along with every other way to play it.

C C# D Eb E F F# G Ab A Bb B

C chords in Open A tuning

C x 3 3 3 3 0 239 voicings → Cm x 3 2 3 3 x 52 voicings → C5 x x x 3 3 3 56 voicings → C7 x 3 3 3 3 6 232 voicings → Cm7 8 6 6 6 6 6 76 voicings → Cmaj7 x 3 3 3 2 0 226 voicings → Csus2 x 3 1 3 3 x 76 voicings → Csus4 x 3 4 3 3 3 98 voicings → Cadd9 x 3 3 3 5 0 186 voicings →

C# chords in Open A tuning

C# x 4 4 4 4 4 132 voicings → C#m x x 0 0 4 4 398 voicings → C#5 x x 0 4 4 4 66 voicings → C#7 x 4 4 4 4 7 140 voicings → C#m7 9 7 7 7 7 7 370 voicings → C#maj7 4 3 0 1 3 1 116 voicings → C#sus2 x x 0 4 6 4 81 voicings → C#sus4 x 4 5 4 4 4 132 voicings → C#add9 x 4 4 4 6 4 40 voicings →

D chords in Open A tuning

D x 5 5 5 5 5 211 voicings → Dm x 0 1 1 0 x 103 voicings → D5 x x x 5 5 5 108 voicings → D7 x 5 5 5 5 8 168 voicings → Dm7 10 8 8 8 8 8 120 voicings → Dmaj7 x 0 0 2 5 2 224 voicings → Dsus2 x x 1 0 0 0 534 voicings → Dsus4 x 5 6 5 5 5 211 voicings → Dadd9 x 5 5 0 0 0 398 voicings →

Eb chords in Open A tuning

Eb x 6 6 6 6 6 90 voicings → Ebm x x 2 2 1 2 52 voicings → Eb5 x x x 6 6 6 38 voicings → Eb7 x 6 6 6 6 9 124 voicings → Ebm7 x 6 9 9 9 6 92 voicings → Ebmaj7 No easy shape 44 voicings → Ebsus2 x x 2 1 1 1 52 voicings → Ebsus4 x 6 7 6 6 6 90 voicings → Ebadd9 x 6 6 6 8 6 56 voicings →

E chords in Open A tuning

E 0 7 7 7 7 7 234 voicings → Em 0 2 3 3 2 0 291 voicings → E5 x x x 0 2 0 189 voicings → E7 0 2 1 4 2 0 250 voicings → Em7 0 2 1 3 2 0 264 voicings → Emaj7 0 2 2 4 2 0 164 voicings → Esus2 0 2 3 2 2 0 342 voicings → Esus4 0 0 3 5 2 0 659 voicings → Eadd9 0 2 3 2 2 4 188 voicings →

F chords in Open A tuning

F x 8 8 8 8 8 196 voicings → Fm x x 4 4 3 1 90 voicings → F5 x x x 1 3 1 52 voicings → F7 No easy shape 60 voicings → Fm7 No easy shape 40 voicings → Fmaj7 x 8 8 8 0 0 324 voicings → Fsus2 x x 4 3 3 3 98 voicings → Fsus4 x 8 9 8 8 8 112 voicings → Fadd9 x 8 8 8 10 8 156 voicings →

F# chords in Open A tuning

F# x 9 9 9 9 9 178 voicings → F#m x x 5 5 4 2 341 voicings → F#5 x x x 2 4 2 99 voicings → F#7 x 9 9 9 9 0 398 voicings → F#m7 2 0 0 0 0 0 502 voicings → F#maj7 x 4 4 2 1 1 168 voicings → F#sus2 x x 5 4 4 4 132 voicings → F#sus4 x x 0 2 2 2 192 voicings → F#add9 2 1 0 4 4 x 108 voicings →

G chords in Open A tuning

G 3 2 1 3 x x 113 voicings → Gm 3 1 1 3 1 x 105 voicings → G5 x x x 3 5 3 56 voicings → G7 3 2 1 1 2 1 84 voicings → Gm7 3 1 1 1 1 1 64 voicings → Gmaj7 x 5 5 3 2 2 112 voicings → Gsus2 x x 6 5 5 5 211 voicings → Gsus4 3 3 1 3 x x 76 voicings → Gadd9 3 2 1 3 0 x 168 voicings →

Ab chords in Open A tuning

Ab 4 3 2 4 x x 38 voicings → Abm 4 2 2 4 2 x 90 voicings → Ab5 x x x 4 6 4 41 voicings → Ab7 4 3 2 2 3 2 40 voicings → Abm7 4 2 2 2 2 2 56 voicings → Abmaj7 x 6 6 4 3 3 68 voicings → Absus2 4 1 2 4 1 x 90 voicings → Absus4 4 4 2 4 x x 81 voicings → Abadd9 x 6 7 6 6 8 44 voicings →

A chords in Open A tuning

A x 0 0 0 0 0 724 voicings → Am x 0 3 5 3 0 556 voicings → A5 x x x 0 0 0 461 voicings → A7 x 0 0 0 0 3 558 voicings → Am7 x 0 3 3 3 0 494 voicings → Amaj7 x 0 0 0 0 4 640 voicings → Asus2 x 0 3 5 2 0 659 voicings → Asus4 x 0 1 0 0 0 534 voicings → Aadd9 x 0 0 0 2 0 710 voicings →

Bb chords in Open A tuning

Bb x 1 1 1 1 1 53 voicings → Bbm 6 4 4 6 4 x 192 voicings → Bb5 x x x 1 1 1 78 voicings → Bb7 x 1 1 1 1 4 56 voicings → Bbm7 6 4 4 4 4 4 140 voicings → Bbmaj7 1 1 1 1 0 x 116 voicings → Bbsus2 6 3 4 6 3 x 112 voicings → Bbsus4 x 1 2 1 1 1 52 voicings → Bbadd9 x 1 1 1 3 1 52 voicings →

B chords in Open A tuning

B x 2 2 2 2 2 38 voicings → Bm x 2 1 2 2 x 127 voicings → B5 x x x 2 2 2 78 voicings → B7 x 2 2 2 2 5 120 voicings → Bm7 7 5 5 5 5 5 200 voicings → Bmaj7 x 9 9 7 6 6 76 voicings → Bsus2 x x 10 9 9 9 192 voicings → Bsus4 x 2 3 2 2 0 342 voicings → Badd9 x 2 2 2 4 2 60 voicings →

No easy shape: Ebmaj7, F7, Fm7. The engine finds voicings for these, but none that avoid a thumb, a wide stretch or a muted string in the middle; each card links to all of them in the app.

Try any of these in the app

Open—Shape shows every voicing of every chord in Open A tuning, and lets you hear them and chain them into a progression.

Open Open A in the app Open A tuning guide

Questions

Do my standard-tuning chord shapes still work in Open A tuning?

Partly. 3 of the 6 strings change, so a standard shape that avoids them (it can only use the 6th, 5th, 1st strings) keeps its fingering and its sound. Any shape that uses a changed string sounds different and needs adjusting, which is what the chart above does for you.

How were these shapes chosen?

The chord engine searches every way to voice each chord in Open A tuning, then these are the easiest of them: no thumb, at most four fingers, within four frets, a root or fifth in the bass, and no muted string between played ones, preferring low positions and fewer muted strings. Each card says how many other voicings exist, and tapping it opens that exact shape in the app.

Open A tuning guide Open G Open D Open C Open E All tunings