Initially, the tenor banjo became popular in jazz, thanks to its punchy twang that cuts through a band’s mix without needing amplification. The standard tenor banjo tuning with intervals of fifths (exactly the same as viola or mandola). However, in reality, these instruments actually produce the highest tone of all banjos.

Tenor banjos have four strings and a short, narrow neck.Ĭonfusingly, the name ‘tenor’ gives the impression that the banjo is going to sound pretty low in pitch, as you’d expect from an instrument that follows classical four-part harmony organization. The same as open G tuning, just 3 steps lower in pitch. It’s used by Earl Scruggs on songs like ‘Reuben’. In this tuning, if you strum the banjo without fretting any strings you will be playing a D chord. Used in a lot of old-time banjo music (with two C notes):

Also known as Sawmill Tuning or “Mountain Minor Tuning, it used on old-time songs like Little Sadie and Shady Grove. G, D, G, B, D (from lowest to highest strings, see below)Ĭlose to standard G tuning but the second string is tuned up to a C note. The reason it’s called Open G is that if you strum the open strings once you’ve tuned it this way, it gives you a G chord without having to fret any notes (by the way, if you’re interested here’s a handy banjo chords chart in this tuning). Open G is the standard tuning used by the majority of banjo players.

Tefview banjo open c