Banjo Tuner
Tune your instrument quickly and easily
Tap a pegto tune by ear
Or use your micto tune automatically
This online banjo tuner listens through your microphone and shows how far each string is from the correct pitch, so you can tune your 5-string banjo in a few seconds. You can also play a reference tone for each string and tune by ear. It runs in your browser, so you can tune on a phone, tablet or laptop without installing anything.
How to tune a banjo
Pick a quiet spot
A banjo is loud and bright, so any quiet corner works. Hold it in playing position with your device within arm's reach.
Start the tuner
Start the tuner and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
Tune the 4th string
Pluck the open 4th string, the lowest-pitched one, and let it ring. Turn the tuning peg until the tuner shows the string is in tune.
Tune strings 3, 2 and 1
Tune the 3rd string (G), then the 2nd string (B), then the 1st string (D) the same way, one at a time.
Tune the short 5th string
Tune the 5th string last. It is a high g, and it is easy to go past the note, so turn its peg slowly.
Check all five strings
Go over strings 4 to 1 and then the 5th string again. The bridge and the head react to changes in string tension, so a second pass catches small shifts.
Banjo tuning: 5-string open G (gDGBD)
The standard tuning for a 5-string banjo is open G. The strings are numbered 1 to 5: string 1 is the thinnest, closest to the floor when you hold the banjo, and string 5 is the short thumb string. Their notes are D (1st), B (2nd), G (3rd), D (4th) and a high g (5th). When you strum the open strings together they make a G major chord, which is why it is called open G. The tuner also offers Double C (g C G C D), which you can choose from the tunings menu.
Why the 5th string is higher
The short 5th string has its tuning peg partway up the neck, and it is the highest-pitched string even though it sits next to the lowest one. This is normal for a 5-string banjo, so do not be surprised when it reads higher than the 4th string.
Tips for keeping your banjo in tune
Ease up to pitch
If you overshoot, loosen the string below the note and tighten up again. A string tuned up to pitch stays put better.
Check the bridge
The bridge on a banjo is not fixed in place. If it moves, the tuning and the intonation go off, so check it if the banjo sounds wrong even though the open strings are in tune.
Check after weather changes
A banjo head reacts to humidity, so the pitch can move on damp or very dry days. Tune every time you play.
Settling new strings
Fresh banjo strings go flat quickly. Retune after each practice for the first few days.
Head skin tension
If the banjo head is loose, string tension depresses the bridge and causes flat intonation. Keep the head tuned near a tap-tone of G# or A.
Banjo tuner FAQ
Standard 5-string banjo tuning is open G: g, D, G, B, D, listing the 5th string first and the 1st string last. The 5th string is the short thumb string and is the highest-pitched. Strummed together, the open strings sound a G major chord.
Press start, allow the microphone and pluck the open 4th string. Tighten the peg if the tuner reads flat and loosen it if it reads sharp. Continue with the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings, and finish with the short 5th string.
The 5th string is a short string that starts partway up the neck, and it is tuned to a high g. That is how a 5-string banjo is designed, so a higher reading than the 4th string is correct.
With a tuner the order does not matter much. A simple order is 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and then the 5th string. Check all strings again at the end, because tuning one string can shift the others.
This page is set for the 5-string banjo. A tenor banjo is tuned in fifths, C, G, D, A, the same notes as a viola, so use a chromatic tuner for it, such as the one on our home page.
Yes. A banjo is loud and bright, so a phone or laptop microphone picks it up easily. Tune in a quiet room and pause other sounds so the tuner only hears the banjo.
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