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131 Views 2 Replies Latest reply: Aug 1, 2012 1:58 PM by player99 RSS
player99 Just Startin'
player99
111 posts since
Dec 13, 2007
Currently Being Moderated

Jul 31, 2012 3:09 AM

Thoughts On Banjo Tuning

One of the things that makes a fake banjo sound real is retuning to the correct 5 string banjo tuning. But the problem is the 5th string has the tuner up the neck at the 5th fret I think. It would work with the fake tuning as a drone open string until it is fretted at the fifth fret or above. I was thinking a work around would be to tune the 6th string to the virtual banjo 5fth string, and tune the 5th string to the correct open note that when it is barred at the 5th fret it is the correct note. So when you want the open drone 5th string you pluck the 6th string, and when you want to play up the neck bar and pluck the 5th string. It will require a little more work and finess picking, but it is doable.

 

The string tunings may work better with the 5th and 6th tunings reversed, so the 5th string represents the banjo 5th string open, and the 6th string represents the banjo barred at the 5th and above.

  • Sonny1096 Just Startin'
    Sonny1096
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 31, 2012 4:37 PM (in response to player99)
    Re: Thoughts On Banjo Tuning

    Just a thought, and I haven't actually tried this yet... but shouldn't it also be possible to just drop the 6th string volume to 0 so it doesn't sound out at all? Now you have me wondering. I'll have to check this out in Workbench later.

    • player99 Just Startin'
      player99
      111 posts since
      Dec 13, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Aug 1, 2012 1:58 PM (in response to Sonny1096)
      Re: Thoughts On Banjo Tuning

      You missed what I am accomplishing here...

       

      OK first I don't think you can drop the volume on just one string for one model. It would have to be a global thing, which would mean all models would have the dropped volume.

       

      But that aside, you did not understand the issue. The banjo's 5th string is not at the 0 fret, but up the neck at the 5th fret. So if you have the 5th string at the right tuning open, the place when playing banjo that you would use it is at the 6th fret, not the 2nd fret. This is hard to describe, but what that means is where you would only fret the 5th string is at the 6th fret and up. So if the 5th string is open, which is what you need for the open drone, fretting at the 6th fret would be 5-6 half steps too high. That is why you need to incorporate the 2 strings. One for the open drone, and the other tuned so when you fret the 6th fret it actually gives the correct note, not a note 5 frets too high.

       

      Is that any clearer? :-)

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