I had to learn the Tenor Banjo recently, to play with a POLKA band.
Say bye-bye to the 4ths and 3rd of the guitar. Hello to TB's tuning in 5ths!
Keep your Flatpick though |
|
see also my more elaborate Banjo page
URL: http://ca.oocities.com/banjovie55/index.html
~# b # b # b # b # b # b # b # b # b # b ~
~| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ~
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C |
C to A Outlay at nut
~ stop each lower string at 7th fret ,
K\/k =alternate picking
A|--------|----++++|--k0++++|A
D|--------|--k0++++|K7++++++|D
G|--k0++++|K7++++++|--------|G
C|K7++++++|----++++|--------|C
~ ' ' `~
The equivalent sound of the TB's open tuning can be found to
the right below,on the guitar.
Get used to that sound, period. Z= strum all strings so marked |
________________ ~`Guitar___________________
~ Tenor Banjo ~E|Z5(A)Z5++|Z5++|guitar..|E
A|Z0++|A B|Z3(D)Z3++|----|Z10++(C)|B
D|Z0++|D G|Z0++|----|Z7++|Z7+++(D)|G
G|Z0++|G D|----|Z5++|Z5++|--------|D
C|Z0++|C A|Z3(C)Z3++|----|Z10+++++|A
~TB at nut......~E|----|----|Z8(C)Z8++++++|E
____________________________________________
|
~ Since you are a guitarist,you'll want to hear an E chord ,RIGHT?
A|Z2++|------k2|A `'`'`'`' A|Z7++|------k7|A [E Major:4th fret R_5_3_R]
D|Z2++|----K2++|D ~~~~~~~~ D|Z6++|----K6++|D ..........................
G|Z1++|--k1++++|G ........ G|Z4++|--k4++++|G ..........................
C|Z4++|K4++++++|C HAPPY? C|Z4++|K4++++++|C K\/k alternate strokes...
There, 2 E Major chords. This should orient your sense of the pitch
of C Natural ,the lowest pitch in this tuning.
______________________________________________________________________
~ Now we have that out of our system,look at the 2nd E* chord.
~Its a useful primer to look at how it evolves from a nut position.
The usual fret relationships ,numberically ,apply similar to the
I,IV,V basics,on the guitar. Finding the closest germane shapes on the
neck will save excessive motion to frets 5,and 7 ,above a low
voiced "I" Tonic chord.
: Here it helps to use the excessive motion with that 2nd "E"
for a moment to find the F Major(IV) and G Major(V).(As a rule
let the first fret hand finger play lowest stop,near nut 1)2)3)4).
Other more flexible stops will be evident when the tuning is comfortable . |
C Major Scale supplies Roots of the diatonic Chords here. |
>First position C Major chord C_G_E_C<
 | |
~
~` nut PosIIPosIII Pos IV Pos(V) Pos(VII)
C Major (I) DMi\/Emi E Major(III)...F...(IV) ...G...(V)
A|Z3++(C)|A A|Z5Z7|A A|Z7++|A A|Z8++|A A|Z10+|A
D|Z2++(E)|D D|Z3Z5|D D|Z6++|D D|Z7++|D D|Z9++|D
G|Z0++(G)|G G|Z2Z4|G G|Z4++|G G|Z5++|G G|Z7++|G
C|Z0++(C)|C C|Z2Z4|C C|Z4++|C C|Z5++|C C|Z7++|C
~ [DMi relative________FMa__] ]
~ / [EMi_______relative______________GMa_]
\F G C
A|Z3++|A A|Z3"Z5|Z3+++|A
D|Z2++|D D|Z3"Z5|Z2+++|D
G|Z5++|G G|Z2"Z4|Z0+++|G
C|Z0++|C C|Z0"Z2|Z0+++|C
~ (I) (IV)(V) (I)
_________________________________________________________________
|
Quick Grid Grips : Roots on C( and A( strings ,here and,
left hand fingers #1)2)3)4) stop frets.
Thirds are Minor on lower fret stop.....|2|...
Thirds are Major on higher fret stop....|3|...
Hint: ` string with ` M\m3 .
______________ ________ _________ ________ _________
|----{ CM\m` } {DbM\m} {DM\m } {EbM\m } { EM\m }----|
R R R R R
Nut'|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~
1Fret|0|0|1|-| |1|1|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|1Fret
2fret| | |2|-| | | |2|-| |1|1|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|2fret
3fret| | |`|3| | | |3|-| | | |2|-| |1|1|`|-| |-|-|-|-|3fret
4fret| | | | | | | |`|4| | | |3|-| | | |2|-| |1|1|`|-|4fret
5fret| | | | | | | | | | | | |`|4| | | |3|-| | | |2|-|5fret
6fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |4| | | |3|-|6fret
7fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |4|7fret
{_______} {_______} {_______} {_______) {_______)
One F Major Chord, can become another...Chordal Third raised to 5th!
|
>F Major First Position C_A_F_C<
|
|----{ FM\m } {GbF#M\m} { GM\m } { AbM\m } { AM\m }----|
R R R R R
Nut'|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~
1FRET|0|1|-|0| |1|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|1Fret
2fret| |2|-| | | |2|-| | |1|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|2fret
3fret| |`|3| | | |3|-| | | |2|-| | |1|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-|3fret
4fret| | |^| | | |`|4| | | |3|-| | | |2|-| | |1|-|-|1|4fret
5fret| | | | | | | |^| | | |`|4| | | |3|-| | | |2|-| |5fret
6fret| | | | | | | | | | | | |^| | | |`|4| | | |3|R| |6fret
7fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |^| | | |`|4| |7fret
{_______} {_______} {_______} {_______} {_______}
~
|
! ! ! ! !
~ Quick Grid Grips root on D( String
|----{ FM\m } {GbF#M\m} { GM\m } { AbM\m } { AM\m }----|
R R R R R
Nut'|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~
1FRET| |1|-|-| |1|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|1Fret
2fret| |2|-|-| | |2|-|-| |1|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|2fret
3fret| |`|3|3| | |3|-|-| | |2|-|-| |1|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|3fret
4fret| | | | | | |`|4|4| | |3|-|-| | |2|-|-| |1|-|-|-|4fret
5fret| | | | | | | | | | | |`|4|4| | |3|-|-| | |2|-|-|5fret
6fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |`|4|4| | |3|-|-|6fret
7fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |`|4|4|7fret
{_______} {_______} {_______} {_______} {_______}
~
~
~
|----{_______} {_______} {_______} {_______} {_______}----|
~Quick Grid Grips,root on C( String M/m3 on ` D( string
|----( D M\m ) ( EbM\m ) ( EM\m ) ( FM\m ) (F#GbM\m)---|
Nut'|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~ ~|C|G|D|A|~
1Fret|-|-|-| | |-|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|Fret1
2fret|2|2|-| | |-|-|-| | |-|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|2fret
3fret| | |3| | |2|2|-| | |-|-|-| | |-|-|-|1| |-|-|-|-|3fret
4fret| | |4| | | | |3| | |2|2| | | |-|-|-| | |-|-|-|1|4fret
5fret| | |`| | | | |4| | | | |3| | |2|2|-| | |-|-|-| |5fret
6fret| | | | | | | |`| | | | |4| | | | |3| | |2|2|-| |6fret
7fret| | | | | | | | | | | | |`| | | | |4| | | | |3| |7fret
8fret| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |`| | | | |4| |8fret
|----(_______) (________) (_______) (_______) (_______)----|
Banjovie! |