Banjo Tuner
← All toolsOpen G on a five string banjo is D3 146.83 Hz, G3 196.00 Hz, B3 246.94 Hz and D4 293.66 Hz across the four long strings, with the short fifth string at g4 392.00 Hz — the highest note on the instrument. Tap any string in the chart to hear its exact pitch and tune by ear, or allow the microphone for live detection that follows the note continuously as you turn the peg.
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Banjo — Open G (gDGBD)
| String | Note | Frequency | Reference tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th (drone) | G4 | 392.00 Hz | |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz | |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz | |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz | |
| 1st | D4 | 293.66 Hz |
Tap Tone to hear a string and tune to it by ear — no microphone needed. Auto is on, so the needle below follows whichever string you are nearest.
Live pitch — microphone
Microphone audio is processed on-device and never leaves your browser — and the chart and reference tones above never need it at all.
How to use the Banjo Tuner
- Tune the fourth string to D3 146.83 Hz first, then work across to the first string at D4 293.66 Hz.
- Finish with the short fifth string at g4 392.00 Hz, using the small peg mounted in the side of the neck.
- Strum all five open strings together and listen — they should sound one settled G major chord with nothing fighting.
- Check the second string, B3 246.94 Hz, last of all, because the major third is where a badly placed bridge shows up first.
The fifth string, and the spikes that go with it
The short string is what makes a five string banjo a five string banjo. It is anchored at the fifth fret and tuned to g4 392.00 Hz, an octave above the third string at G3 196.00 Hz, and its job is to ring open as a drone rather than to be fretted.
Practical consequences follow. A capo clamped across the neck cannot reach it, so raising the other four leaves the drone behind and out of key; sliding spikes at the seventh and ninth frets are the standard answer, giving the drone two extra pitches without touching its peg. And because it is short and thin, it goes sharp faster than any other string under pressure from the fretting hand, so a heavy grip up at the fifth fret will sound out of tune even when the display insists it is not.
Bridge, head and why intonation drifts
A banjo bridge is not fixed to anything. It stands on the head under string tension, and its position sets the intonation of every fretted note. Measure from the nut to the twelfth fret, double it, and stand the bridge feet that distance from the nut — then confirm it by comparing the twelfth fret harmonic against the fretted twelfth. Fretted notes running sharp mean the bridge is sitting too close to the neck.
The head is the second variable. Tightening it brightens the whole instrument and lifts pitch slightly as the bridge sinks less; damp weather slackens it and everything turns dull and flat. That is why a banjo tuned in a cold room needs a full pass again under stage lights, and why open strings are only half the job. Strum the open chord and listen to the B3 246.94 Hz third, which is the note that sours first.
Banjo open G, and the guitar tuning named after it
The 5-string banjo's open G is where the instrument lives; the guitar tuning of the same name reaches the same chord with six strings and a different voicing. Both sound a G major triad with nothing fretted, which is what open tuning means.
| Tuning | Strings, low to high | Frequency (Hz, A4 = 440) |
|---|---|---|
| Banjo — Open G (gDGBD) | G4 D3 G3 B3 D4 | 392.00 146.83 196.00 246.94 293.66 |
| Guitar — Open G (DGDGBD) | D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4 | 73.42 98.00 146.83 196.00 246.94 293.66 |
FAQ
- Why is the fifth string the highest?
- Because it is the shortest. It runs from a small nut at the fifth fret down to the bridge, so only about three quarters of the scale is vibrating, and it gets its own peg sticking out of the side of the neck at that point. It is a drone: in Scruggs style your thumb strikes it open, over and over, while the melody happens on the long strings. Position on the instrument tells you nothing about pitch here.
- The open strings already sound like a chord.
- They do, and that is the whole point of open G. The five strings sound G, B and D with two of the Ds doubled, which is a G major triad and nothing else, so a bare strum is already a chord and a straight barre at any fret gives you another one. The fifth fret is C, the seventh is D. It is a large part of why so much bluegrass and clawhammer repertoire sits in G.
- How do I play in another key without retuning?
- A capo handles the four long strings, but it cannot reach the fifth string, which starts past it. The usual answer is small spikes fitted under the fifth string at the seventh and ninth frets: hook the string under one and the drone jumps to a4 or b4, matching a capo at the second or fourth fret. Failing that, you retune that one string with its peg each time you move.
- My banjo drifts constantly. Is that normal?
- More than a guitar does, yes. The head is a stretched membrane that reacts to humidity and temperature, and the bridge stands on it unglued, held down by string pressure alone, so anything that changes the head changes the pitch. Friction pegs, where fitted, add slipping on top of that. Tune, play for a minute, tune again — a banjo settles rather than staying put.
