Banjo Chords
Banjo chords for the 5-string banjo in open G: every chord as chord boxes with finger numbers, and each shape played for you.
Keyboard: Space strums the selected shape, ← → step through the shapes. Click any chord box to hear it.
Chord chart
The easiest shape for every major, minor and dominant 7th chord in the current tuning. Tap one to see all its shapes above.
Building the chart…
Using the banjo chord chart
These banjo chords are worked out for the 5-string banjo in open G: pick a root and a chord type to see each shape as a chord box with finger numbers, hear it strummed, and print a chart of 5 string banjo chords for the music stand. Pick the root and the chord type and the banjo shapes appear as boxes, easiest first, worked out for open G unless you switch the Tuning menu to double C. Tap a box or Strum to hear it, or Note by note to hear each string on its own. Space strums the selected shape and the arrow keys step through the others. Print chart prints the grid of major, minor and 7th shapes under the tool.
Read the box from left to right as the 5th string (the short high G), then the 4th (low D), 3rd (G), 2nd (B) and 1st (high D). The 5th string is never fretted on this page: a circle over it means let it ring as a drone with the chord, and an x means leave it out because its G does not belong to the chord. Numbers in the dots are fingers 1 to 4, and a box marked 5fr starts at the fifth fret. Because the short string on the left is the highest in pitch, the names here give the chord by its root only.
Open G tuning and the short 5th string
The most common tuning for the 5-string banjo, above all in bluegrass, is open G: from the 5th string to the 1st, G D G B D. Strum it with no fingers down and you hear a G major chord, which is why so many banjo tunes sit in G. Double C (G C G C D) is in the Tuning menu too.
The 5th string is the odd one. It is short: it starts at the 5th fret, three quarters the length of the others, and it is tuned high, to the G above the others. Players mostly leave it open and let it ring as a drone. So on this page the 5th string is never fretted: it is shown open when its G belongs to the chord (G, C, Em, Am7 and more) and marked x (do not pick it) when G is not in the chord, as in D, A, E and F. Every chord box, like banjo tab, shows the 5th string on the left. Check your tuning first with the banjo tuner.
First banjo chords to learn
In the key of G, the three main chords are G, C and D7 (the I, IV and V7 chords). These are the shapes the tool shows first (strings 5, 4, 3, 2, 1):
| Chord | Shape | Chord | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 00000 | Em | 02002 |
| C | 02012 | Am | x2212 |
| D | x0234 | E | x2102 |
| D7 | x0214 | F | x3213 |
A (x2222) is one finger laid across the four long strings at the 2nd fret. Slide that barre up to the 7th fret for D or to the 10th for F: a barre on the long strings in open G is always a major chord, and its root is the note of the 3rd string at that fret.
How to practise banjo chord changes
Start with G to C and back. G is all open, so the only work is putting two fingers down for C and lifting them again. Then add D7 and play the three in a loop, four strums each, slowly enough that every change lands on the beat. When the left hand knows the shapes, play the same changes with a simple roll in the right hand instead of strums, and keep the 5th string ringing where the chord allows it. Use the Note by note button to hear how each string of the shape should sound, and fix any string that is muted by a finger lying against it.
More for banjo: Banjo Tuner · Fretboard Notes
Questions
What tuning are these banjo chords for?
Open G (G D G B D) by default, the most common 5-string tuning. Double C (G C G C D) is in the Tuning menu, and every shape is recalculated for it.
Do I play the 5th string on every chord?
Only when its note, G, is part of the chord. The chord boxes show it open when it fits and marked x when it would clash, as in D or E.
Why is the G chord all open strings?
Open G tuning is tuned to the notes of a G major chord, so the open strings sound G major with no fingers down.
Do these charts work for a 4-string or 6-string banjo?
No. They are for the 5-string banjo. A 6-string banjo is tuned like a guitar, so use the guitar chords page for it.