Tuning Guides

Open Em Tuning Guide

Open Em is a useful alternate tuning if you want the low-root authority of an E-based open tuning without the brighter built-in major sound of Open E. The open strings already give you an E minor chord, so the guitar sounds darker immediately. That makes Open Em a strong fit for moody slide parts, drone-heavy accompaniment, fingerstyle textures, and songwriting that wants open-string resonance without sounding cheerful by default.

Want to try Open Em right now?

Use the dedicated tuner and move the changed strings carefully. Open Em is milder than Open E, but upward retuning still deserves more attention than careless guessing.

Use Open Em Tuner

What are the notes in Open Em tuning?

Standard tuning is:

E A D G B E

Open Em tuning changes the guitar to:

Open Em notes

E - B - E - G - B - E

Scientific pitch notation: E2 - B2 - E3 - G3 - B3 - E4

When you strum all six open strings together, you get an E minor chord.

That is the whole point of Open Em. It keeps the same strong E-centered frame that makes Open E feel powerful, but it swaps the major 3rd for a minor 3rd. That one difference changes the mood of the entire guitar before you fret anything.

From standard tuning, these are the strings that change:

6th string: E stays at E
5th string: A up to B
4th string: D up to E
3rd string: G stays at G
2nd string: B stays at B
1st string: E stays at E

That detail matters. Open Em is not as tension-heavy as Open E because the 3rd string does not need to rise to G#. You still tune upward on two strings, so it is not a totally casual retune, but it is a more forgiving route to an E-based open chord.

Why guitarists use Open Em

Built-in minor sound

The open strings already spell an E minor chord, so the guitar sounds darker and more dramatic before you add any left-hand work.

Keeps the low E root

If you like the grounded feel of E-based riffs and drones, Open Em keeps that familiar low-string anchor in place.

Useful for slide and slow textures

Open Em makes it easy to lean into sustained notes, simple barres, and open-string color without forcing everything into a bright major mood.

Less aggressive than Open E

Because fewer strings have to move upward, Open Em can be the saner experiment if you want E-based openness without pushing tension as hard.

Players usually choose Open Em because they want the guitar to sound different on purpose, not just lower or stranger. It is a strong option when you want open-string resonance and easy chord movement, but you want the instrument to lean dark instead of bright from the start.

How to tune from standard to Open Em

Quick Open Em setup

Start in standard tuning so your reference point is trustworthy.
Leave the 6th string alone at E.
Raise the 5th string from A up to B slowly.
Raise the 4th string from D up to E slowly.
Leave the 3rd string alone at G.
Leave the 2nd string alone at B.
Leave the 1st string alone at E.
Recheck all six strings because the two raised strings can still pull the guitar slightly out of balance.
Strum the open guitar slowly and make sure it sounds clearly minor, settled, and not half-way between Open E and standard tuning.

A quick sanity check is to compare the open 6th, 4th, and 1st strings. They should all be E in different octaves. Then compare the open 5th and 2nd strings. They should both be B.

Common mistake

The most common problem is treating Open Em like Open E and automatically trying to raise the 3rd string.

If that 3rd string lands on G#, you are no longer in Open Em. You have tuned to Open E. The open minor color depends on leaving that string at G natural.

What changes when you actually play in Open Em?

Open Em gives you an obvious mood shift, but it also changes what the guitar naturally wants to do.

1. Straight barres no longer sound bright and major

In Open E, a straight barre gives you major-chord movement with a bright center. In Open Em, the open tuning starts from a minor chord, so the emotional base changes immediately. That can be exactly what you want, but it means you should stop expecting the same polished major payoff.

2. Standard chord shapes stop meaning what you think

Some familiar shapes still produce useful sounds, but they are not naming the same chords they would in standard tuning. If you keep grabbing old fingerings automatically, you will confuse yourself fast.

3. The guitar rewards space, drones, and slower phrasing

Open Em often sounds best when you let strings ring, separate bass and melody, or leave more room between attacks. You can strum in it, but it is usually more convincing when the arrangement gives the tuning air.

4. Slide and fingerstyle both make sense here

Open Em is not just a novelty tuning for one dark riff. It works well for fingerpicked patterns, droning accompaniment, and slide parts that want a darker center than Open E. If your picking hand is still messy, fix that first with guitar fingerpicking patterns for beginners. The tuning does not rescue weak control.

Open Em vs Open E vs Open Dm

This is the comparison that matters most.

All three tunings can sound open and resonant, but they do not push the guitar in the same direction.

Tuning	Notes	What changes
Open E	E-B-E-G#-B-E	Open strings form an E major chord, which feels brighter and tighter but also adds more tension than Open Em.
Open Em	E-B-E-G-B-E	Open strings form an E minor chord, which keeps the E-root fullness but gives you a darker built-in mood with a milder retune than Open E.
Open Dm	D-A-D-F-A-D	Another open minor tuning with a lower, roomier response and less upward tension, but a different root feel than Open Em.

Choose Open E if you want a bright open-major sound and your guitar can tolerate the extra tension. Choose Open Em if you want the same E-root authority with a darker harmonic center. Choose Open Dm if you want open-minor color in a lower, looser, more acoustic-feeling register.

If you want another minor comparison with a different root and warmer register, Open Am is also worth exploring. If you mainly want a suspended sound instead of a clearly minor one, DADGAD is a better reference point.

Do you need different strings or a setup change for Open Em?

Usually, no.

Open Em still raises two strings, so you should not be reckless, but it is normally more manageable than Open E or Open A because fewer strings are moving upward.

What usually works fine in Open Em

Normal string sets are usually fine if you switch in and out of Open Em occasionally.
If the guitar already feels stiff in standard, still pay attention. Less tension than Open E does not mean zero tension increase.
A major setup change is rarely necessary unless the guitar already has tuning-stability, buzzing, or intonation problems.
If you are unsure how gauge affects feel, read the guitar string gauge guide.

If the guitar feels unstable in Open Em, the tuning label may not be the whole problem. Work through why your guitar goes out of tune and how to know if your guitar is in tune before blaming the tuning itself.

Is Open Em good for beginners?

It can be, but not as a replacement for standard tuning.

If you still mix up string names, tuning pegs, or the notes in standard tuning, Open Em will create confusion faster than value. If your basics are already steady, though, Open Em is a reasonable alternate tuning because the payoff is obvious the moment you strum the open strings.

These basics should be clear first:

Once those are under control, Open Em becomes much easier to use intentionally instead of just landing there by accident.

Common Open Em problems

The guitar does not sound clearly minor

Check the 3rd string first. If it drifted up to G#, you are in Open E instead of Open Em.

The open strings sound good, but fretted chords feel harder to name

That is normal. Open tunings change chord logic. If you keep judging the guitar by standard-tuning shapes, you will think the tuning is broken when it is really just different.

The guitar feels tighter than expected

That can happen because two strings were raised. Open Em is milder than Open E, not identical to a downward retune.

The arrangement sounds muddy instead of spacious

That is usually a playing problem, not a tuning problem. Too many ringing low strings, weak muting, or crowded strumming can turn a good minor tuning into blur.

Final takeaway

Open Em is worth learning if you want an open tuning that keeps the strong E-root character of Open E but swaps the built-in major brightness for a darker minor sound. It works well for droning accompaniment, slide, fingerstyle, and moodier songwriting. If Open E feels too bright or too tense, Open Em is one of the cleanest alternatives.

Tune to Open Em now

Use the Open Em tuner to raise the changed strings accurately, then strum the full guitar and make sure the open chord sounds clearly minor and settled.

Tune to Open Em