Use the free tool below: your data never leaves your browser — all work happens on your device, and nothing is uploaded to any server.
What banjo tuning means
A five-string banjo has a short fifth string that starts halfway up the neck and rings as a high drone. Standard tuning, called open G, is G, D, G, B, D from the fifth string to the first. Strummed open, it plays a G chord, which is why it is called open tuning. Other tunings change one or two strings to suit old-time tunes, modal songs, or particular keys. This tool lists every string note and frequency for each tuning, so you can retune with confidence instead of trial and error.
How to use the calculator
Pick a tuning. The table lists the strings from the fifth, the short drone string, to the first, with the note and frequency of each. Tune with a chromatic tuner, starting with the fourth string and working across, then recheck the fifth string last: it is thin and it moves easily when other strings change tension. If a tuning raises a string, tune up to it slowly from below rather than winding straight to the note. That protects the string and keeps the tuning stable.
Open G, the home base
Open G covers bluegrass and most of the tab a beginner will meet. The fifth string drone in G rings above the melody and gives bluegrass its bright, rolling sound. Rolls, the repeating picking patterns of bluegrass, are built around open G, so learn this tuning thoroughly before exploring others. Most instructional books, videos, and tabs assume open G unless they say otherwise. If a tab sounds wrong in open G, the tune probably needs one of the alternate tunings below.
Double C, modal, and drop C
Double C is G, C, G, C, D: two C strings, used for old-time tunes in C, and with a capo on fret two it becomes Double D for tunes in D. G modal, also called sawmill or mountain minor tuning, is G, D, G, C, D: the second string rises from B to C, which removes the major third and makes the banjo sound neither major nor minor. That ambiguity suits modal tunes like Shady Grove. Drop C is G, C, G, B, D: only the fourth string drops, which lets you play in C without retuning three strings.
Open D, open C, and old-time D
Open D is F sharp, D, F sharp, A, D: strummed open it plays a D chord, and Earl Scruggs used it for Reuben. Take care with the fifth string here, because it rises from G to F sharp in the wrong direction for the thinnest string: bring it down to F sharp from above rather than winding up to it. Open C is G, C, G, C, E: an open C chord, warm and full. Old-time D is A, D, A, D, E: a bright D tuning for fiddle tunes. Each of these suits a family of tunes, so players retune between songs as a normal part of performing.
Retuning habits that help
Retune at the start of every session and check again partway through: banjo heads respond to humidity faster than wooden soundboards, so pitch drifts with the weather. Change strings regularly, because old strings hold tuning badly and their overtones go out of tune with the fundamental. Keep a written list of the tunings your repertoire needs, in the order you play them, to avoid retuning the same string up and down during a set. And always check the fifth string last: it is the string most likely to have moved while you tuned the others.
Using a capo with alternate tunings
A capo is a normal tool in old-time banjo playing, not a shortcut. Double C with a capo on fret two becomes Double D, which lets one tuning serve two keys. A capo on fret two in open G gives open A, useful for fiddle tunes in A. Capo the fifth string separately with a small spike or a sliding capo, because the short string needs its own capo at the matching fret. Always retune slightly after placing a capo, since it pulls strings a little sharp.
Related calculators
- Spanish version
- Drop Tuning Calculator – New String Notes for Drop D and Lower
- Mandolin Tuning Calculator – Standard, Cajun and Cross Tuning Notes