Guitar Harmonics & Open Tunings
Harmonics produce bell-like tones that seem to float above the instrument. Open tunings transform familiar chord shapes into rich, resonant new sounds. Both techniques expand what is musically possible on the guitar.
Harmonics produce bell-like tones that seem to float above the instrument. Open tunings transform familiar chord shapes into rich, resonant new sounds. Both techniques expand what is musically possible on the guitar.
Natural harmonics are bell-like tones produced by lightly touching a string directly above a fret wire (not pressing down) and then plucking. Instead of fretting the string, you are dividing it at a nodal point where the string's vibration naturally divides into equal segments. Each division produces a harmonic that is mathematically related to the open string pitch but sounds at a higher, purer pitch.
The strongest natural harmonics on guitar occur at the 12th fret (one octave above the open string), the 7th fret (one octave plus a fifth), and the 5th fret (two octaves above the open string). At each of these positions, touching the string lightly and plucking produces a clear, crystal bell tone that rings beautifully without any left-hand pressure.
To play a harmonic at the 12th fret: lightly touch the string with your left-hand index finger directly above the 12th fret wire (not between the frets as normal, but right above the metal wire itself). Keep the touch very light, no pressure that would fret the string. Then pluck the string with your right hand and immediately lift the left-hand finger. The harmonic bell tone will ring clearly. If you leave the finger touching, it will dampen the sound; the lift after plucking is important.
The 12th fret harmonic is usually the easiest because it produces the strongest, clearest tone. Once you can reliably produce 12th fret harmonics on all six strings, try the 7th fret (slightly more delicate) and then the 5th fret (the hardest to produce clearly because the nodal point is more precise).
One octave above the open string. The clearest, loudest harmonic. All 6 strings have a strong harmonic here. Used for tuning and for musical effect.
One octave plus a fifth above open. Also strong. Used in tuning (the 7th fret harmonic of one string matches the 12th fret harmonic of the string below it).
Two octaves above open. Very clear. The 5th fret harmonics on adjacent strings give useful tuning references.
Two octaves plus a major third. Higher and softer. Less used musically but produces beautiful bell-like clusters when multiple strings are played together.
Harmonics are the most precise way to tune a guitar by ear because the pure tones are much easier to compare than ordinary fretted notes. Use these pairs:
When two harmonics of the same pitch are played together in sequence, any tuning discrepancy creates a wavering 'beat' effect. When perfectly in tune, the beat disappears and the two tones ring together as one.
Artificial harmonics are produced by using a pick-and-touch technique with the right hand to create harmonics at any position on the string, not just the fixed natural harmonic positions. The technique involves gripping the pick between the thumb and the side of the index finger as normal, but leaving the tip of the index finger (or sometimes the thumb) to lightly touch the string at the same moment the pick strikes it.
This creates a harmonic anywhere you fret with the left hand, because the right hand is touching the string at a nodal point relative to the fretted length. Squeal harmonics in rock guitar, famous in the playing of Zakk Wylde and Billy Gibbons, are artificial harmonics combined with heavy distortion and vibrato for dramatic effect.
Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) is optimised for playing chords using finger shapes. Open tunings retune the guitar so that the open strings form a complete chord when strummed together. Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) means strumming all strings open produces a G major chord. Open D tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D) produces a D major chord.
Open tunings are the foundation of slide guitar playing. By fretting all strings with a glass or metal slide at any fret, you transpose the entire open chord up or down in pitch, allowing rapid chord changes by simply moving the slide. The blues tradition extensively uses open G and open D tunings. Many Keith Richards riffs on Rolling Stones records are played in open G tuning using only five strings (the low E is often removed or ignored).
Open G tuning re-tunes three strings so the open guitar sounds a full G major chord. Starting from standard EADGBE tuning:
In Open G, laying a straight finger barre across all strings at any fret produces a major chord. Fret 2 = A major. Fret 3 = Bb major. Fret 5 = C major. Fret 7 = D major. Slide guitar and bottleneck playing work beautifully in this tuning.
Always re-tune your guitar when switching between standard and open tunings. Never forget to retune back to standard EADGBE when returning to standard playing. Leaving a guitar in open tuning long-term is fine as long as the neck relief is checked periodically.
Open D produces a D major chord across all open strings. From standard tuning:
Open D is slightly lower in overall tension than Open G, making it particularly suitable for acoustic slide guitar and solo fingerpicking. Joni Mitchell used Open D and related tunings for much of her most distinctive work.
Dropped D tuning lowers only the lowest (6th) string from E down to D. This single change gives you a powerful low D bass note that perfectly complements D major, D minor, and D power chord shapes. Many rock, metal, and grunge songs use dropped D because it allows you to play power chords on the lowest three strings with just one finger (a barre across all three at any fret), which facilitates fast, heavy riffing. Songs like "Everlong" by Foo Fighters and "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden use dropped D tuning.
Natural harmonics are useful for tuning your guitar accurately. The 7th fret harmonic of the low E string produces the same note as the 5th fret harmonic of the A string (both produce B). If you play both simultaneously and hear a wavering "beating" sound, the strings are slightly out of tune. When they are perfectly in tune, the beating disappears and the two harmonics ring as one clear, pure tone. This harmonic tuning method is more precise than comparing fretted notes because harmonics have less finger pressure interference.
If you want to instantly sound like a Celtic folk master, you need to try DADGAD tuning. To get there from standard tuning, you tune your low E string down to D, your B string down to A, and your high E string down to D.
Because the tuning creates a suspended chord (D-A-D-G-A-D), strumming the guitar entirely open sounds beautiful and unresolved. It allows you to play simple melodies on the higher strings while letting the low D and A strings ring out constantly as a 'drone', mimicking the haunting, resonant sound of bagpipes.
The sonic possibilities of alternate tunings are massively expanded when you throw a capo into the mix. If you drop your guitar into Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) but find that the key of G doesn't suit your vocal range, simply clamp a capo onto the second fret. You are now instantly playing in Open A tuning without having to learn any new finger shapes.
Many famous acoustic singer-songwriters write their entire catalog using just two or three alternate tunings, relying heavily on a capo to move those complex, ringing, open-string voicings into different keys. It allows you to maintain the rich, droning bass notes and the shimmering sympathetic resonance of an open tuning, while matching the pitch perfectly to the emotional register of the song.
Everything you need to know about this lesson
A natural harmonic is a bell-like chime produced by lightly touching a string directly over specific fret wires (usually the 5th, 7th, and 12th) and plucking it without pressing it down.
You are likely leaving your finger on the string too long after plucking. You must instantly lift your fretting finger off the string the exact moment you pluck it to let it ring.
Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) is when you tune your guitar so that strumming all the strings open produces a G Major chord. It is heavily used in blues and by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
Usually no, standard light or medium strings can handle dropping down to D or C. However, if you tune very low (like Drop B), you will need thicker strings to prevent floppiness.
A pinch harmonic (or 'squealie') is a rock technique where your picking thumb lightly grazes the string immediately after the pick strikes it, producing a high-pitched squeal.
Constant radical tension changes can wear out your strings faster, but modern guitar necks have truss rods that can handle standard alternate tunings easily.
Yes! Putting a capo on the 2nd fret while in Open G instantly puts you in Open A, allowing you to use all the same fingerings in a new key.
Drop D is standard tuning, except the lowest E string is tuned down one whole step to a D. It allows you to play power chords with a single flat finger.
Alternate tunings allow fingerstyle players to access low, ringing bass notes and tight chord clusters that would be physically impossible to stretch to in standard tuning.
You can, but the finger shapes will be completely different! You have to re-learn your chord shapes for every unique tuning.