Five String Banjo Tunings

Match Tuning

I came up with this scheme in the seventies when I was learning to play myself. It was first written up in Banjo Newsletter magazine in October 1987 and February 1988. This tuning number system shows the relation of fretted notes on one string and the sound of the next string to which you match the pitch. Tuning is a little easier these days because of electronic tuners. When practicing, or playing, by yourself, it does not really matter if you are tuned to exact concert pitch. As long as the strings are properly tuned from one string to the next. Purist musicians might scoff at this way of thinking, but it simplifies things if you only read tablature. gDGBD might not mean a whole lot if you don't read music.

The first number (optional) indicates the fret number where you place your capo. If no number is shown, you do not use the capo. The second character (letter) shows the key in which the tab is played. The next four numbers represent the strings on the instrument, starting with the lowest pitch sounding string. For five string banjo this of course, is the forth string and the number of numbers is always one less than the actual number of strings on the instrument. In case one of the strings needs a double digit number I find it easiest to put a hyphen in there to avoid confusion. Example: G12-340, the forth string being lower in pitch by 12 frets compared to the third string.

Instrument	Key	Number	Notes	Capo 2	Description/Name or song
Banjo - 5 string	G	5435	gDGBD	aEAC#E	Standard bluegrass open G chord
	G	5525	gDGCD	aEADE	Modal
	G	5523	fDGCD	gEADE	Modal
	G	12-435	gGGBD	aAAC#E	"John Brown's Dream," Jarrell
	G	12-327	gGGA#C	aAACD	"Long Steel Rail," Fred Cockerham
	Gm	5343	fDGBbF	aEACG	Minor
	Gm	5255	gDGAD	aEABE	Minor
	Gm	5345	gDGBbD	aEACE	Minor
	Gm	12-340	dGGA#D	eAACE	"Off the Wall"
	C	7435	gCGBD	aDAC#E	Standard C tuning
	C	7525	gCGCD	aDADE	Double C, mountain
	C	7543	gCGCE	aDADF#	Open C (open C chord)
	C	7522	eCGCD	f#DADE	"Lost Indian"
	C	5453	gDGBE	aEAC#F#	Regular G tuning, 1st string +2 frets
	Cm	7255	gCGAD		Doc Boggs
	D	4354	f#DF#AD	gEGBE	Standard bluegrass D tuning (open D chord)
	D	4357	aDF#AD	bEG#BE	Open D chord
	D	5437	aDGBD	bEAC#E	Standard G, 5th string +2
	D	5754	f#ADAD	g#BEBE
	D	5757	aADAD	bBEBE
	D	4350	dDF#AD	eEG#BE	Blues kinda sound
	D	7527	aCGCD	bDADE
	Dm	3453	fDFAD	gEGBE	"Bunkyo"
	Dm	7254	f#CGAD		Doc Boggs
	F	5523	fDGCD	gEADE
	F	5723	fCFCD	gDGDE
	F	3723	fDFCD
	F	2523	fFGCD		Matokie Slaughter
	F	2525	gFGCD
	Bb	7723	fBbFCD	fBbFCD	Open
	E	7252	eCGAD	eCGAD	"Little Birdie"
	E	5554	f#BEAD	g#C#BE	"Shortnin' Bread"
	Eb	4158	BbEbGAbD		Tyler May
	Em	2554	f#DEAD		Doc Boggs
		4325	eDF#AB	whatever	Bart
Banjo - 4 string		777
		743
Balalaika		05	EEA		Standard/Classic tuning
		12-5	EEA		Classic tuning, 3rd string dropped one octave
		43	AF#D		Folk tuning (same as 5 string banjo G, capo 7)
		75	AEA		Dmitry
Guitar		55545	EADGBE	EADGBE	Standard guitar tuning
	D	75545	DADGBE		Drop D
	D	75435			Open D
	D	75525	DADGAD
	G	43543			Open G
Mandolin		777
Violin		777
Ukelele		545
Dobro	G	43543	GBDGBD		Open G chord
					other tunings or instruments welcome

2	A	5	4	3	5	Regular bluegrass tuning, key of A, capo at second fret
2						capo position on second fret - omit if capo not used
	A					key of A - omit if unknown (in this case don't indicate the capo number either to prevent confusion - or, use an X or a question mark or something)
		5				lowest sounding string (4th) fretted at the 5th fret matches the pitch of the next open higher (3rd) string
			4			next string (3rd) fretted at 4th fret matches sound of next open string (2nd)
				3		next string (2nd) fretted at 3rd fret matches pitch of next open string (1st)
					5	next string (1st) fretted at 5th fret matches pitch of next higher open string (5th)

Banjo tunings

Match Tuning

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