5-String Banjo Tuning Tips & Techniques

Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 04:42:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Standard G tuning question

Dear Mickey Cochran
I saw your webpage with the banjo lessons. I have
looked on many websites and I see that most claim the
use of an electronic tuner is helpful when learning.
However, They never seem to state what octive the
strings are tuned to. For example, there are two D's
and G's in standard G tuning. What octive are the D's
and G's.
Thanks for your time,
Colin

Greetings Colin,

Yes, an electronic tuner is almost indispensable (especially as a beginner who hasn't developed or attuned the ear for different pitches)...and, yes you're right, the electronic tuner will pick up other octaves of the same note...therefore, it's important to know the octave interval before attempting to tune...

Denoting Octaves is quite difficult to do in an e-mail...the only way I can describe the octaves is to reference them to Middle C on the Piano...
Standard G Tuning on 5-String Banjo utilizes the following octaves:
1st String: D One Whole Step of Middle C
2nd String: B One Half Step Below Middle C
3rd String: G One Fifth Below Middle C
4th String: D Next D in line Below Middle C
5th String: G Next G in line Above Middle C

Another way we can reference the correct octaves is to use the guitar, tuned to standard pitch, as a reference:
1st String: D equals the B string fretted on the 3rd fret of the guitar...
2nd String: B equals the B string open...
3rd String: G equals the G string open...
4th String: D equal the D string open...
5th String: G equals the high E string on the 3rd fret...

Once it's tuned to the guitar, you can then reference your electronic tuner to fine tune your banjo...

Let me know if I can assist further in some way...We'll try to include a tuning section on our website in the future with an audio reference...Mickey

Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 07:49:49 EDT
Subject: Question for Mickey re:Tuning the Banjo

Hi Mickey, I talked to a musician regarding the manner in which he was tuning his banjo before his band started playing. He gave me a pretty complete explanation regarding how he did his tuning using harmonics. I tried to absorb all the information he gave and when at home tried to do as told but I forgot some of the instructions. Could you explain which harmonics to compare for G tuning. I would feel more advanced in my learning using this method than using my electronic tuner.
Thanks for any info you can provide. Chris B.

Greetings Chris,

Glad to assist if I can:

To tune your banjo using nothing but harmonics, you'll first need to have the middle G string at the correct pitch. You may use a tuning fork, another instrument, an electronic tuner or a piano to ensure that the middel G string is at concert pitch.

Once your middle G string is tuned to the proper reference, you can then follow the following procedure for tuning to Open G Tuning:

g D G B D Tuning

1. Play a harmonic at the 12th fret of the middle G string. Now, match the High g string to this pitch.

2. Now play an harmonic above the 12th fret on the 5th string...this will ring out as a D tone one octave higher than the high open D string played at the 12th fret. Now try to match this octave with the already tuned high G, keeping in mind that there's an octave difference in tone.

3. After tuning the high D, you can now use this string as a reference for the low D string. Simply play the harmonic at the 12th fret of the High D and the Low D...you should now be able to match up the Low D with the High D at both of the 12th fret harmonics...again, keep in mind there's an octave difference in pitch.

4. We now have all of the strings tuned using an octave reference except for the B string. If you'll fret your High D string at the 9th fret, you'll have the exact same pitch as the B string played at the 12th harmonic. You can now reference the B at the 12th harmonic to match up with the High D at the 9th fret.

Even if you do tune with an electronic tuner, you'll be able to use the above reference points to double-check your tuning...many times, you can also determine if your intonation will need adjustment by playing the 12th fret harmonic and matching it with the very same string fretted at the 12th fret.

Hope this helps, Mickey

Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 16:06:38 -0500

Just wondering your opinion on tuning for a new banjo player. I have a five string banjo and all the different tuning has me confused. I can play the guitar somewhat and know a lot of the basic chords. Would I be better off to tune it to the guitar tuning?

If it was a plectrum banjo, sure, guitar tuning would work well...and, as a matter of fact, has been used quite often...

As a 5-String banjo, I would strongly encourage learning the open G tuning:

High Drone String 5th: G
Low Bass String: D
Middle String: G
Second String: B
First String: D

This is still somewhat similar to to guitar tuning...only the high string is tuned down one whole step to D instead of E...hopefully, you can find the relationship and somehow apply some of your guitar knowledge...keep in mind, by learning this open-G tuning, you'll find it far easier to capture the character of many styles such as bluegrass...after learning the G tuning, you'll find it very easy to change keys simply by using a capo...

Hope this helps...Mickey

Subject: Mandolin
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 15:59:41 -0400

I heard a piece on NPR about mandolins and a mandolin concert. Seems that I remember the director of this project was from Wyoming. All those mandolins playing waltzes, etc. was beautiful! Can you help me locate? Thanks.

Assuming fiddle is tuned to standard pitch, how does the fiddler help the banjo player get tuned? Billy Bowman Brown

Greetings Billy,

Sorry, I wouldn't have any info on getting in contact with the Wyoming mando orchestra. You might try Paula with Sound to Earth. They are in contact with their local mandolin orchestra out of Montana; the director, of whom I'm sure, will be able to provide further info on the Wyoming orchestra. Who knows, maybe they're one and the same. contact: www.soundtoearth.com

To tune a banjo to a fiddle, at least as a starting point reference, you only need to match the middle "G" string of the banjo to the low "G" string of the fiddle. These two notes are the exact octave. This will give the banjo a reference point to tune the other 4 strings to...additionally, the banjo player can also reference the fiddle's "D" string to the banjo's high "D" string which are also the exact same octave. Therefore, there are two exact references for the fiddle and banjo to match up to. It would still be up to the banjo player to match the other non-relative strings to both the "G" and "D" strings.

Hope this helps...Mickey