Five String Banjo for Guitar Players
By David Bandrowski
Te second, third, and fourth strings of a banjo are tuned the same as a guitar. Te first string on a banjo is a D as opposed to an E on a guitar. You can use your guitar shapes on the banjo, but just be sure to move the note on the 1st string up a whole step (2 frets). Look at the chord shapes below and notice that the only difference is the 1st string is moved up a whole step (2 frets).
O
. . . D
Banjo 1I4 4
T A B
I T
A B
4 4 j Banjo j Guitar
V 7
V 7
3
V 7
3
V 9
V 7
V 7
X X O D . . . Guitar Banjo g
V 6
g
V 6
e 3
V 6
e 3
V 8
V 6
V 6
f Guitar
V 5
f
V 5
3
V 5
3
V 7
V 5
V 5
V 3
V 4
V 5
V 4
A .. . . X X
A . .
O . . .
V 5
V 5
V 7
V 5
G .
. Banjo ge ge
V 6
V 6
V 6
V 8
f
V 7
V 7
f
V 7
V 9
WW
Now look at the example to the leſt. Tis is a cliche blues turnaround on guitar. By moving the note on the first string up 2 frets, you can easily play this on the banjo as well.
WW
Te top line is the guitar and the botom is the banjo.
X X
G .. .
. Guitar . . .F Banjo XX . O
O O O O G
One of the easiest things about playing the banjo is it’s open tuning. By strumming the banjo with all of the strings open, you play a G chord. Hence, a C chord would be a bar across all of the strings at the 5th fret, a D chord would bar at the 7th, and so on.
F .
. . . Guitar Banjo
.
C. . O
X X
C. .
O Guitar
O
In the example to the right, we start to incorporate the 5th string of the banjo into our playing. Here we have two G notes to start our phrase. Instead of playing both of those notes on the same string as we would on guitar, we are going to alternate between the 1st string at the 5th fret and the open 5th string. Tis makes it much easier and faster to play than on a guitar.
On the banjo, we finger the next 3 notes differently (F, E, D). A. We finger the F note up 2 frets. B. We play the E note on the 2nd string at the 5th fret C. We play the D note on the open 1st string.
Tis alternating between strings, so that we try our best to not play the same string twice in a row, allows us to play much smoother and faster when fingerpicking (as we do on the 5-string banjo).
74 Te top line is the guitar and the botom is the banjo.
1I4 4
T A B
I T
A B
4 4
Guitar
Gtr I
V 3
Banjo
V 5
V 3
V 0
A. B. C.
V 1
V 3
V 0
V 5
V 3
V 0
e
V 3
e
V 3
f
V 0
f
V 0
V 2
V 2
V 0
V 0
V 2
V 2
V 0
V 0
V 0
V 0
W
W
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