Guitar tuning

Open D Tuning

D·A·D·F#·A·D

Tonal centre D major Also called Vestapol, D major tuning Difficulty Easy — barre chords do most of the work

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Open D lowers four strings so the open strings spell a D major chord. It is historically called Vestapol, after a 19th-century parlour piece written for it. Strum it open for a deep, resonant D; barre across any fret for another major chord.

Bob Dylan recorded the whole of Blood on the Tracks in open D. Joni Mitchell used it among her many tunings, and it is a staple of slide blues — Elmore James, Duane Allman. It sits lower and darker than open G, and the low D drone gives songs written in it a particular weight.

How to tune to Open D

From standard tuning:

6th (lowest) E → D (down a whole step)
5th A — unchanged
4th D — unchanged
3rd G → F# (down a semitone)
2nd B → A (down a whole step)
1st (highest) E → D (down a whole step)

Open—Shape’s tuner listens for one string at a time and tells you which string it is and how far off — including in alternate tunings like this one.

What Open D does well

A huge open D chord. Four of the six strings are D or A, so the tonic rings enormous with nothing fretted.
Straight-barre majors. Any fret barred is a major chord — 2nd fret E, 5th fret G, 7th fret A.
Slide blues. Alongside Open G it is the tuning most slide players build their vocabulary in.
Modal and drone writing. Leave the low D ringing and the tuning holds a pedal tone under everything — much like DADGAD, but committed to major.

Common chords in Open D

Open D major chords are mostly straight barres; the shapes below are the easiest voicing the engine finds for each. Tap any chord to open it in the app and browse the rest.

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 of 958 → G 5 5 0 5 5 0 1 of 331 → A 7 0 7 7 7 7 1 of 114 → A7 7 0 5 7 7 5 1 of 234 → Bm x 2 0 0 2 0 1 of 469 → Em 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 of 175 → D7 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 of 742 → Gadd9 5 0 0 5 0 0 1 of 530 →

Numbers read low string to high; 0 is open, × is muted.

A progression to try

A I–IV–V loop in D, ringing on the open strings between changes:

D→G→A→D

Songs in Open D

Shelter from the Storm — Bob Dylan
Simple Twist of Fate — Bob Dylan
Little Martha — The Allman Brothers Band
Much of Blood on the Tracks, and a wide slide-blues repertoire

Players who use Open D

Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Elmore James, Duane Allman, Leo Kottke, Bruce Cockburn, Richie Havens.

Open a Open D canvas — a tuning module already set, wired to a starter progression, every shape recalculated for you.

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Open D tuning FAQ

What are the notes in Open D tuning?

From lowest to highest: D, A, D, F#, A, D. Four strings change from standard: the 6th (E to D), the 3rd (G to F#), the 2nd (B to A) and the 1st (E to D).

Why is Open D called Vestapol?

After “Sebastopol,” a popular 19th-century guitar piece written in the tuning. “Vestapol” and “Spanish” (open G) were the two standard parlour-guitar open tunings of that era.

Is Open D or Open E better?

They are the same intervals — Open E is Open D with every string tuned up a whole step. Open E rings brighter but puts extra strain on the neck and strings; many players use Open D and capo at the 2nd fret to reach Open E pitch safely.

Is Open D good for slide?

Yes. It and Open G are the two standard slide tunings. Open D’s lower root makes it a common choice for darker, heavier slide blues.

What key does Open D play in?

D major most naturally, and its relative and modal neighbours. Barre chords reach every other key, and Open—Shape finds the minor and seventh shapes for whichever one you need.

Related tunings

Open G Open C Open E Open A