G
Banjo · Standard00000
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Beginner banjo chords
A five-string banjo in open G tuning plays a G chord with no fingers at all, and three chords, G, C and D7, play a great many bluegrass and folk songs. Learn them first, then four more. The strings are numbered from the thinnest: the 1st is the high D, the 5th is the short G string, played open.
1G and C
Open G needs no fingers, so the first change is easy: put C down, lift it off.
C
Banjo · Standard02012
- G (00000): No fingers: the open strings of a banjo in open G are a G chord.
- C (02012): First finger on the 2nd string at fret 1, middle on the 4th string at fret 2, ring on the 1st string at fret 2.
G and C
I | IV | I | I
G, C and back: change on the first beat.
2D7
With D7 you have the three chords of a great many bluegrass and folk songs: G, C and D7.
D7
Banjo · Standardx0214
- D7 (x0214): First finger on the 2nd string at fret 1, middle on the 3rd string at fret 2, little finger on the 1st string at fret 4. Leave the short fifth string out.
G, C and D7
I | IV | V7 | I
The three-chord trick in G.
3Em and D
Em and D give you the four chords of pop in G: G, D, Em and C.
Em
Banjo · Standard02002
D
Banjo · Standardx0234
- Em (02002): Middle finger on the 4th string at fret 2, ring finger on the 1st string at fret 2.
- D (x0234): First finger on the 3rd string at fret 2, middle on the 2nd at fret 3, ring on the 1st at fret 4. Leave the fifth string out.
The four chords
I | V | vi | IV
G, D, Em, C: the four chord song on banjo.
4Am and F
Am and F are the same shape a fret apart. With C and G they play the songs in C.
Am
Banjo · Standardx2212
F
Banjo · Standardx3213
- Am (x2212): First finger on the 2nd string at fret 1, the others on the 4th, 3rd and 1st strings at fret 2.
- F (x3213): The Am shape with the 4th and 1st strings moved up to fret 3.
Am, F, C and G
vi | IV | I | V
Am, F, C, G: the four chords in C, started on the minor one.
5Next
Next come the sevenths that lead to the chords you know: G7 (00003) leads to C, A7 (02222) to D. For other keys a capo moves every shape up; the short fifth string needs its own, a fifth-string capo or small spikes in the neck. Then learn the banjo rolls.
G7
Banjo · Standard00003
A7
Banjo · Standard02222
How to practise
- Tune first. An out-of-tune banjo makes the right chord sound wrong: the banjo tuner listens through your microphone.
- Practise the change, not the chord. Pick two chords and switch between them for one minute, counting the changes. Do it every day and keep the number: it climbs fast. The chord change trainer times it, counts it and keeps your scores.
- Fingertips, just behind the fret. Press with the very tips, close to the fret wire, knuckles bent so each finger touches only its own string.
- Slow and in time beats fast and stopping. Strum four down strums to a bar and change on the first, even if the new chord is not ready yet; then try the strumming patterns. The metronome keeps you honest; start at 60 beats a minute.
- A little every day. Ten minutes a day does more than an hour once a week, and is kinder to sore fingertips.
Print it
The beginner banjo chord chart puts the first chords on one page to keep by your music stand, free as a PDF (A4 or US Letter). The chord chart maker makes a sheet of any chords you choose.
Where next
See the chords in every key, use a capo to play these shapes in other keys, or browse chord progressions to play along with.
Questions
What are the first banjo chords to learn?
In open G: G (all strings open), C and D7. Those three play a great many bluegrass and folk songs. Then Em, D, Am and F.
What is open G tuning on a banjo?
The usual tuning of a five-string banjo: g D G B D, the short fifth string tuned to a high G. Strummed open, the strings sound a G chord.
Do I play the fifth string in every chord?
In G and C it rings with the chord. In chords without a G in them, such as D7, D, Am and F, most players leave it out or play it only in rolls, where it passes quickly.
Should I learn chords or rolls first?
Both together: hold a chord with the left hand and play a roll with the right. Start with G and the forward roll, then change to C.