Banjo Tablatures and Bluegrass Information This site has banjo tablatures, bluegrass information, cartoons, jokes, jazz, banjo lessons, and other banjo stuff.
It is best to buy an electronic tuner to be sure you are in standard tuning.
These two midi files are useful if you don't have an electronic tuner.
Click Tune to G or Tune to A (capo on 2nd fret) Thanks to Margy Montague for these midis.
G tuning
1st String D
2nd B
3rd G
4th D
5th G
To tune the banjo to itself:
Fret the 4th string at the 5th fret. Turn the 3rd string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 3rd string at the 4th fret. Turn the 2nd string
open till you match the sound.
Fret the 2nd string at the 3rd fret. Turn the 1st string
open till you match the sound.
Fret the 1st string at the 5th fret. Turn the 5th string
open till you match the sound.
G minor tuning
1st String D
2nd Bb
3rd G
4th D
5th G
This is the same as G tuning except the 2nd string is tuned to
Bb.
To tune the banjo to itself:
From G tuning, fret the 3rd string at the 3rd fret. Turn
the 2nd string down to match the sound.
C tuning
1st String D
2nd B
3rd G
4th C
5th G
This the same as G tuning except the 4th string is turned down to
a C.
To tune the banjo to itself:
From G tuning, fret the 2nd string at the 1st fret. Turn
the 4th string down to match the sound.
D tuning (Rubin)
1st String D
2nd A
3rd F#
4th D
5th F# ("A" for standard D tuning)
This tuning is also called Rubin Tuning because Earl Scruggs used
this tuning to play the song Rubin. It gives a deep sounding D
chord. Some people like to turn the 5th string up to an A for a
crisper sound. For standard D tuning, make the 5th string an A.
To tune the banjo to itself:
Fret the 4th string at the 4th fret. Turn the 3rd string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 3rd string at the 3rd fret. Turn the 2nd string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 2nd string at the 5th fret. Turn the 1st string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 1st string at the 4th fret. Turn the 5th string
open to match the sound.
(Fret the 1st string at the 5th fret and turn the 5th string
open to match the sound for standard D tuning.)
D minor tuning
1st String D
2nd A
3rd F
4th D
5th A
This tuning is the same as D except the 2nd string is turned down
to F and the 5th string is turned up to an A.
To tune the banjo to itself:
Fret the 4th string at the 3rd fret. Turn the 3rd string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 3rd string at the 4th fret. Turn the 2nd string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 2nd string at the 5th fret. Turn the 1st string
open to match the sound.
Fret the 1st string at the 7th fret. Turn the 5th string
open to match the sound.