For more on the history of this tuning, please visit my website at !www.sandyweltmanmusic.com The plectrum tuning from lowest to highest is C-G-B-D. Its tuning and string length is therefore identical to the four stopped strings of a classic banjo: (bass to treble) CGBD. With a greater emphasis being placed on rhythm, and a need to produce a louder, punchier sound, the plectrum style of play started to gain traction. 800-845-7791 | info@deeringbanjos.com. Start by taking a close look at each of the 4-string plectrum banjos in this section. As vaudeville performers had done in the 1890s, dance band banjoists began to leave the fifth string off their instruments altogether. Goodtime Special™ Plectrum Banjo. This is referred to as "Open G" Tuning because the banjo is tuned to an open G chord, meaning that if you strum the banjo without fingering any of the strings on the neck you will be playing a G chord. It should be noted that these performers were not representative of the general experience of most banjo players at that time. This is referred to as "Standard Tenor Tuning" for obvious reasons. By lowering the tuning and increasing the scale length from 14 to 17 inches, mandolin players overcame these issues, and in the process created what we now refer to as the tenor banjo. For guitar players considering the jump to banjo, this tuning makes it easy to import all your existing scale and chord knowledge and start playing straight out of the box. The fork in the history of the banjo - when it diversified into four and five-string models - was a gradual process. The most standard plectrum banjo tuning. Of course, if the goal is to be able to read “lead-sheets” and play chord-melody banjo, it is obviously important to know where the melody note falls on the 1st string, the usual melody string for plectrum banjo players. Coincidentally, Davis lived in the same apartment building as the Condons for many years and was friendly with Condon’s daughter. It was the most widely used five-string tuning at the time and allowed them to tackle new styles of music without relearning the fretboard. Much of the banjo music published in the 1920s was done so in versions for both five-string and plectrum models, simplifying the process of converting these tunes from one instrument to the other. Tuning a banjo is easy. Banjolins, which cut the string count back to four, were an improvement, but still not loud enough. Stand a plectrum banjo up against your average five-string banjo and at first glance, you might not spot the difference. A few years later my dear departed friend Eddy Davis also checked out the guitar and a banjo of Condon’s and they were both tuned plectrum tuning. This is very close to the standard 5-string tuning (without the 5-string), but the 4th string is dropped down to C. D, G, B, E This tuning is the same as the top four strings of a guitar and is often referred to as "Chicago Tuning". This makes it very easy for guitarists to pick up a 4-string banjo and start playing. Their native instrument was too quiet to be of use in these louder ensembles. This rhythmic foundation can be built upon by picking out individual notes for melodic emphasis. It is in this style of play that the influence of earlier five-string banjo can still be keenly felt. This makes it very easy for guitarists to pick up a 4-string banjo and start playing. The plectrum banjo does not include the fifth shorter string. This continued into the first decade of the 1900s with the rise of ragtime. This is very close to the standard 5-string tuning (without the 5-string), but the 4th string is dropped down to C. D, G, B, E The exact sound of the 4th string tuned one octave higher on a tenor banjo is the same pitch as the sound of the C note at the 5th fret , 3rd string of a 5 string banjo tuned DGBE or a plectrum banjo tuned CGBD. Hybrids that combined the mandolin's eight strings and scale length with the banjo's drum head had already been in production since the 1890s. The fork in the history of the banjo - when it diversified into four and five-string models - was a gradual process The most standard plectrum banjo tuning. The 17-fret versions are much less common than the 19-fret versions, but still more common than the 21-fret versions. Note to 5-string banjo players: The 4-string plectrum banjo is the same as a 5-string banjo only without the 5th string. The Banjo is an essential instrument in everyones Bluegrass band and this chart will get you going. A tremolo allows plectrum banjo players to produce constant sound which links one chord strum to the next. Earl Scruggs used this tuning on such songs as "Reuben". Standard plectrum banjo tuning is in CGBD. This is a very popular tuning for old time tunes such as Shady Grove, Little Sadie, and many others. Add to Wishlist. Especially for players seeking to emulate the early jazz sound, make the switch from other strummed instruments, or breathe new life into classic folk and five-string banjo tunes. Played with a flat pick or ‘plectrum', from where they get their name, these instruments lend themselves to lively, rhythmic performance and occupy a unique space in the American musical tradition. These really work and don't require any modification to your banjo. BANJOS AVAILABLE TO PLAYERS OF ALL ABILITIES. Around the same time as some finger style banjoists were starting to transition towards these instruments, mandolin players also angling for work in popular dance bands began eyeing up the banjo as well. This tuning seems to work real well on the Plectrum for a number of reasons. By the 1910s the ballroom craze was in full swing, fuelled by the success of ragtime music, establishing classic dances such as the Tango and Foxtrot in 1910 and 1914 respectively. Founded in 1972, Elderly Instruments started as a small store with a handful of instruments. Sign Up To Receive Playings Tips and More! Made in USA $ 799.00 $ 689.00. This eliminates the third of the G chord and produces a G sus 4 chord. This eliminates the third of the G chord and produces a G sus 4 chord. Whatever. For example, using the standard Y chord (e.g. Advantages of the Chicago Tuning The big advantage in using Chicago tuning is for the guitar player and the baritone ukulele player. It is also sometimes called “Sawmill Tuning” or “Mountain Minor Tuning.” This is very close to standard G tuning but the second string is tuned up to a C note. For 5-string banjo, the most recommended method is the open G tuning. Is plectrum/tenor... Our third installment of our Goodtime Styles videos to help you understand what type of banjo is right for you. Deering Banjo Company Strumming out of full chord shapes, these banjo players had no need for the shortened, hard-to-fret thumb string which often did little more than make their playing sound discordant. This is very close to the standard 5-string tuning (without the 5-string), but the 4th string is dropped down to C. D, G, B, E This tuning is the same as the top four strings of a guitar and is often referred to as "Chicago Tuning". This is the same as ‘Dropped C' tuning on five-string banjo, except with that shortened fifth string missing. So I believe that Eddie played standard plectrum banjo tuning. E, A, D, G, B, EThis tuning is exactly the same as a guitar. Generally, it features the same longer scale length as a five-string, minus the fifth string.) This tuning is like a violin or mandolin, only one octave lower. Throughout the 1920s they would feature prominently in clubs and dance halls across the United States. G, C, G, B, DThis is referred to as "C" Tuning. Pete Seeger was also responsible for stretches of renewed interest, releasing his now famous How to Play Five-String Banjo in 1948. The Plectrum banjo started life as a regular 5-string banjo with the short 5th string removed to enable strumming with a plectrum. The plectrum banjo’s usual tuning is “C, G, B, D.” It can also be tuned like a mandolin or fiddle when playing traditional folk music, a style known as “Chicago tuning… The first commercially produced tenor banjo appeared around 1908 courtesy of the Vega Company, although ‘homemade' versions of the instrument likely already existed prior to that date. By Andy Allinger, 2009, placed in the public domain. Plectrum banjos are 4 string banjos that have about the same scale length of a 5 string banjo but are tune C, G, B, D traditionally. Five-string banjoists who played using finger style technique made up the majority of the banjo playing population in the late-1800s. If this sounds like an instrument you could see yourself playing, there's no time like the present to choose one! So, here is a stylized chart of a plectrum banjo fingerboard with the note name for each fret on the first string. If you strum the banjo without fretting any strings in this tuning you will be playing a D chord. To tune a guitar to “lute” tuning, use a Tenor Lute (see below) tuning from “E”: E A D F# B E, for “old” tuning, or just leave it as it is, for “new” tuning. Standard Plectrum Tuning The most standard plectrum banjo tuning. The plectrum banjo is traditionally tuned (4th to 1st string) C, G, B, D. By raising the fourth string from C to D and raising the first string from D to E, the banjo is tuned to Chicago tuning. The plectrum banjo is a whole different instrument, with a longer scale length and more frets. The 4-string plectrum banjo is normally tuned to C G B D. The neck is the same length as a five string banjo and the tuning is the same as a 5-string tuned to C tuning. By using these tuners it allows you to use the normal pegs on your banjo for tuning without needing to set, un-set or work around the screws on normal D-tuners. with accented offbeats) over a rhythmically steady left-hand bass pattern. To those who know the history of plectrum banjo and specialize in its distinctive style; not so much. As we now know, this did not spell out the end of the banjo altogether. It is easy to learn and familiarize. Add to Wishlist. It can also be referred to as "Drop C" Tuning because coming from the open G tuning, the D string on the 4th string is dropped down to a C. F#, D, F#, A, DThis is referred to as "D" Tuning. The following table should help steer you in the right general direction. Advanced techniques include the tremolo, a method of rapidly picking either single or multiple strings up and down to produce a continuous, trembling effect. E, E, A, A, D, D, G, G, B, B, E, E,This tuning is exactly the same as a 12-string guitar. This one talks about plectrum banjos. These instruments were perfect for providing rhythmic accompaniment to the dance bands of the day, and only grew in popularity as musicians adopted them for similar roles in the jazz explosion of the 1920s. Standard Chords covered in The Plectrum Banjo Chord Bible (using the key of C as an example): C, Cm, C7, Cm7, C5, C6, Cm6, Cmaj7, Cdim, Cdim7, C-5, C+, Csus2, Csus4, C7sus4, Cm7-5, Cadd9, Cmadd9, C6add9, Cm6add9, C7-5, C7+5, C7-9, C7+9, Cm(maj7), Cmaj7-5, Cmaj7+5, C9, Cm9, Cmaj9, C11, C13. This tuning is the intervals of fifths and is exactly the same as viola or mandola. D, G, B, EThis tuning is the same as the top four strings of a guitar and is often referred to as "Chicago Tuning". From vaudeville, to ballroom, to jazz; both established banjoists and converts from other instruments began to see the banjo in a whole new light.