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There are many ways to play each chord on a banjo, so today I’m going to talk about the F shape chords. An F shape is a chord that uses the same finger positions as the basic F chord.

Let’s start by playing an F chord, now move this chord up the neck to the fifth fret. Strum this chord, but don’t play the fifth string - this is a G chord. Move this F shape chord it up to the seventh fret - this an A chord.

Press play to hear an E chord on the banjo.

Press play to hear an F chord on the banjo.

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One way of playing a song in the key of D on the banjo is to place your capo on the 2nd fret and play the same chords you would use for the key of C. Let’s call these chords “C” type chords.

The 1, 4 and 5 chords in the key of C are C, F and G, so the common “C” type chords are a D Shape (C) an F Shape (F) and a Barre (open G).

I’ll explain the key of D using “C” type chords - capo on the 2nd fret. If you form a C chord with the capo in place it is actually a D, the F chord is a G and open is an A chord. By the way the 1,4 and 5 chords in the key of D are D, G and A.

So play as if you are in the key of C, using the “C” type chord shapes, C,F and G and you will be playing D, G and A.

Using a capo for the key of D allows you to use licks you have learned for the key of C. I like this way of playing in D because it has a different sound and I can use banjo licks I already know.

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