Banjo tuner

5-string open G, from the 5th string to the 1st: g D G B D. Frequencies are for A4 = 440 Hz.

Other tunings on this tuner

A 5-string banjo has four full-length strings and a shorter fifth string that starts at the fifth fret, with its tuning peg on the side of the neck. In open G it is tuned to a high G (G4), the highest of all five open strings, even though it lies next to the lowest one. That is why the tuning is written with a small g: g D G B D. Players call it the drone string, because it is mostly played open, ringing against the melody.

Open G is the standard tuning for bluegrass and Scruggs-style three-finger picking. Strum the open strings and you hear a G major chord. The four long strings, D3 G3 B3 D4, are the same notes as the top four strings of a guitar in open G tuning.

The tuning select holds six banjo tunings, and your choice is saved for the next visit.

• Double C (g C G C D): from open G, the 4th string goes down a whole step to C and the 2nd string up a half step to C. A favorite of old-time clawhammer players for tunes in C.
• Open D (f♯ D F♯ A D): the open strings form a D major chord. The 3rd string drops a half step to F♯, the 2nd a whole step to A, and the 5th string a half step to F♯.
• G modal, also called sawmill or mountain minor (g D G C D): only the 2nd string moves, up a half step to C, for a suspended sound that suits modal and minor tunes.
• Tenor (C G D A): four full-length strings tuned in fifths, the same notes as a viola. The tenor banjo was the banjo of early jazz and dixieland bands.
• Irish tenor (G D A E): a tenor banjo tuned one octave below the fiddle, the usual choice for Irish traditional music.

The banjo's bridge is not glued: it stands on the head, held by string pressure. Big tuning changes, such as going from open G to double C, can nudge it; if it tilts or slides, set it back in place before fine-tuning, or fretted notes will be out even when the open strings read in tune.

The 5th string is thin and short, so it reaches pitch with very little movement of its peg. Turn it in tiny steps, and don't forget it: many out-of-tune banjos are only out on this one string.

Banjo notes are bright but die away quickly. Pick firmly near the phone and read the needle while the note is still loud, then pick again rather than waiting for a fading note to settle.

When a song needs a capo, tune without it first. With a capo at the 2nd fret, players raise the 5th string from G to A, with its peg or by hooking it under a small railroad spike at the 7th fret. A capo often pulls the long strings slightly sharp, and the raised 5th string is no longer the note this page expects, so check both on the chromatic tuner, which names any note.