---
url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/how-is-an-indian-slide-guitar-tuned'
title: 'How is an Indian slide guitar tuned?'
author:
  name: rajeevk
  url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/user/fdfe7927a034173f'
date: '2026-10-19T15:19:46+00:00'
type: website
summary: 'Indian slide guitar tunings vary by player: Kabra used D-A-D-A, one lesson uses open C, and the tarab strings follow the raga.'
tags:
  - 'Instruments & artforms'
image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
published: true
og:
  site_name: KalaSudha
  'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
  'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
  'image:type': image/svg+xml
  'image:alt': KalaSudha
---
  [  Help ](/en-in/help)     How is an Indian slide guitar tuned?  

1. [  Home ](/en-in)
2. 
3. [ Help ](/en-in/help)
4. 
5. Instruments &amp; artforms
6. 
7. How is an Indian slide guitar tuned?
 
 

 

  FAQ · Instruments &amp; artforms

# How is an Indian slide guitar tuned?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 No single standard tuning appears in the sources for the **[Indian slide guitar](/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)**; tunings vary by player. Brij Bhushan Kabra tuned his main strings D-A-D-A, while a 2020 Premier Guitar lesson uses open C, C-G-C-E-G-C. The sympathetic tarab strings are tuned to the notes of the raga, and players retune them for each raga.



 

 Was this answer helpful? [  ](/en-in/user/login?flag_anon=faq_helpful-986&destination=/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/how-is-an-indian-slide-guitar-tuned)

 [  ](/en-in/user/login?flag_anon=faq_not_helpful-986&destination=/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/how-is-an-indian-slide-guitar-tuned)

 

 Thanks for your feedback!

 

 ## Related pages

 1 page mentions this question

 

 ###  Instruments (1) 

- [   Indian Slide Guitar The Indian slide guitar is a lap-held guitar played with a slide and tuned for raga. Brij Bhushan Kabra brought it into raga music, and sympathetic strings…     ](/en-in/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)
 
  

 

 

   [     Previous question How is a surbahar different from a sitar?  ](/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/how-is-a-surbahar-different-from-a-sitar) [  Next question How is the esraj different from the dilruba?     ](/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/how-is-the-esraj-different-from-the-dilruba)