A Major Guitar Chord — Open G
Guitar chord voicings in Open G tuning (D-B-G-D-G-D)
A Major Voicings in Open G
A Major in Open G Tuning — Guide
Notes: A, C#, E
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 5P
The A Major chord in Open G tuning (D-B-G-D-G-D) requires different fingerings than standard tuning. We found 6 playable voicings, each filtered for comfortable fret span (max 4 frets) and realistic finger placement.
About Open G Tuning
Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) produces a G major chord when strummed open, making it the definitive tuning for slide guitar and delta blues. The tuning's natural consonance means that barring across any fret gives you a major chord, which is why it's been the backbone of blues and roots music for over a century.
From Robert Johnson to Keith Richards, Open G has shaped some of the most iconic music ever recorded. Keith Richards famously removes the low 6th string entirely in this tuning, creating his signature five-string sound on songs like 'Start Me Up' and 'Brown Sugar'. For slide players, Open G is essential — it allows clean, singing slide lines across all strings with minimal effort.
Genres & Artists Using Open G
Genres: Blues, Slide Guitar, Rock, Country, Folk, Roots
Notable artists: Keith Richards, Robert Johnson, Ry Cooder, Joni Mitchell, The Black Crowes
Scales for Improvising Over A Major in Open G
When playing A Major in Open G tuning, these scales work well for improvisation and melody writing:
- A Major scale
- A Lydian scale — dreamy, ethereal quality over major chords
- A Major Pentatonic scale — bright and consonant, always sounds good