Banjos must be in tune to sound good. Music is about harmony and if your banjo is not in tune, it is not in harmony.

Your banjo has five strings and they are numbered one to five. The fifth string is the short one with the tuning key part way up the neck and is tuned to G. Just below the fifth string is the fourth string, it is the lowest pitched string and is tuned to D. The next string is of course the third string and it is tuned to G. The second string is next and is tuned to B. Last but not least, the first string, which is tuned to D.

Most people use a electronic tuner to get in tune, there are many different types to chose from and they are not very expensive. If you don’t have a tuner you can tune the banjo to itself.

The following diagram illustrates the first five frets of the banjo neck with the finger placements for tuning.

Tuning your banjo

Start with the fourth string, place you middle finger just behind the fifth fret and play the string, next play the third string open. Notice that I asked you to play the two notes separately and not at the same time, this makes it easier to tune. Raise or lower the pitch until the notes sound the same. You are playing a G on the fourth string and matching it to the third string open, which is also G.

Next fret the third string at the fourth fret and play the second string open, these notes are both B.

Now we move to the second string at the third fret and match it to the first string open which is a D.

Finally we tune the fifth string by fretting the first string at the fifth fret and playing the fifth open, which is a G.

You can have a listen to a tuned banjo and a G chord right here.

Play all five strings at once. If it doesn’t sound in tune go back to the beginning and check your tuning, and don’t worry it often takes a couple tries to get a banjo in tune. Play all five strings again, ta da, you’ve played your first banjo chord - G .

 

What you should know.

  • The strings are numbered one to five.
  • 1st string - D
  • 2nd string - B
  • 3rd string - G
  • 4th string - D
  • 5th string - G
  • How to tune the banjo with or without a tuner
  • Your first chord - G

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