One Time Experience

I’ve been listening to and playing bluegrass music since I was just a little tike. My parents both played the 5 string banjo, so of course, I learned how to play as well. The Gibson 5 string banjo was the instrument of choice for our household. We had several RB250 mastertones kicking around our family music room and my parents still do; only now they are brand new .

For 5 string banjos, these models were the absolute best in my opinion and there were always new tones to be squeezed out of them. What really gave our banjos their fantastic tone was the hand picked mahogany that was used on the body and the resonator. The ring on these 5 string banjo was a bright sounding maple, which is a favorite combo with the mahogany on many acoustic and electric guitar instruments. The ebony fretboard is my favorite matched against the white of the membrane.

5 string banjo tuning is typically in “G”, which is D, B, G, B and G from the 1^st string to 5^th string respectively. One thing to remember, the 3^rd string “G” is one octave lower than the 5^th string “G”, which is completely backwards to how a regular guitar is tuned. Another popular tuning for the 5 string banjo while playing bluegrass is “D” tuning. This tuning is D, A, F#, D and either A or F# (a preference of each individual musician). I typically play in “D” tuning with “A” on the 5^th string as this suits my style of playing.

There are many resources on the Internet that have great diagrams for 5 string banjo chords. A couple of the easiest chords to play and fit perfectly with the above mentioned tunings are the “G” major shape and the “F” major shape. The “F” major is played with your index finger at the 1^st fret on the 2^nd string, your middle finger at the 2^nd fret on the 3^rd string, your ring finger at the 3^rd fret on the 4^th string and your pinkie finger at the 3^rd fret on the 1^st string. Transfer this shape up the neck by two frets and you now have a “G” major chord…simple right?

I continue to practice on the 5 string banjo daily and I play bluegrass in a local band that does some summer touring in park venues in our region. The banjo doesn’t always get the most respect from the masses in the guitar world but it is a specialized skill to learn and the music of bluegrass especially is well worth the time it takes to learn the 5 string banjo. Stick with it and you will be a master before you know it.