Chords for Goodtime Banjo Styles - 5-String Banjo

Tempo:
80.3 bpm
Chords used:

G

A

D

B

E

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
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Goodtime Banjo Styles - 5-String Banjo chords
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[G]
[N]
Hi, I'm David with the Deering Banjo Company.
Today I have a good time five string banjo with me.
And the five string banjo is the easiest stringed instrument to play.
Why?
Because it's tuned in what we call an open tuning.
[G] If you strum across the strings, we'll play a chord.
So this is an open G tuning.
So when we strum across the string, we're playing a G chord.
So right there, without doing anything else,
we're already playing a chord.
Much easier than a lot of other instruments,
[E] such as a guitar, where you're having
to fret a lot of strings just to play that first chord.
So the tuning of the instrument is this fifth string
is shorter, you can see, than the other strings.
And that's what kind of makes the five string banjo unique.
And it's the highest pitched string here.
[G] And so this note is a G.
Then the fourth string
[D] is the lowest pitched string, and it's a D.
[G] Then the next string is a G.
[B]
The second string is a B.
The first [D] string is a D.
So those
are all the notes in a G chord.
So [G] again, strum across it, we have a G chord.
As you explore the five string banjo,
you'll come across different playing techniques.
There's two main playing techniques you'll come across.
One's called the three finger style.
Another is the claw hammer style.
The three finger style, you wear finger picks,
like I have on here.
You wear them on your thumb, your index finger,
and your middle finger.
This style is used for bluegrass playing.
And so it'd sound like this.
[B] [G]
The claw hammer style, you don't use the finger picks.
And it's kind of a brushing, picking combination.
You really just use two fingers.
And so it's your thumb, and then you
choose either your index finger or your middle finger.
And so a real simple pattern would be.
So if I play a tune, [Bm] it would sound like this.
[A] [G]
[A] [Em]
[A] [G]
[N] As you can see, you can play any style on the Good Time
five string banjo.
You can play three finger style.
You can play claw hammer.
You can strum it.
Anything you want can be played on this banjo.
We also have the Good Time two banjo.
And so these two banjos are exactly the same,
except the Good Time two has a back on it,
where the Good Time is an open back banjo.
And so the back on the Good Time two,
that's called a resonator.
The resonator does exactly that.
It resonates the sound out towards your audience,
reflects that sound out there, and makes
the banjo louder and brighter.
Traditionally, this banjo would be used for three finger
bluegrass styles, because they have
to overtake the sound of other instruments in the band
when they step out to take their solo.
And claw hammer is traditionally used on an open back banjo,
because when you're playing claw hammer, traditionally,
there's no soloist.
And everybody is playing the melody together.
And so you don't want to overtake the rest of the band.
You don't want to overtake that fiddle that's traditionally
be leading the band in an open.
But you can do anything you want on either banjo.
It's really up to you.
Key:  
G
2131
A
1231
D
1321
B
12341112
E
2311
G
2131
A
1231
D
1321
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_ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [N]
Hi, I'm David with the Deering Banjo Company.
Today I have a good time five string banjo with me.
And the five string banjo is the easiest stringed instrument to play.
Why?
Because it's tuned in what we call an open tuning.
[G] _ If you strum across the strings, we'll play a chord.
So this is an open G tuning.
So when we strum across the string, we're playing a G chord.
So right there, without doing anything else,
we're already playing a chord.
Much easier than a lot of other instruments,
[E] such as a guitar, where you're having
to fret a lot of strings just to play that first chord.
So the tuning of the instrument is this fifth string
is shorter, you can see, than the other strings.
And that's what kind of makes the five string banjo unique.
And it's the highest pitched string here.
[G] And so this note is a G.
Then the fourth string
[D] is the lowest pitched string, and it's a D.
[G] Then the next string is a G.
[B]
The second string is a B.
The first [D] string is a D.
_ _ So those
are all the notes in a G chord.
So [G] again, strum across it, we have a G chord. _
_ _ _ _ _
As you explore the five string banjo,
you'll come across different playing techniques.
There's two main playing techniques you'll come across.
One's called the three finger style.
Another is the claw hammer style.
The three finger style, you wear finger picks,
like I have on here.
You wear them on your thumb, your index finger,
and your middle finger.
This style is used for bluegrass playing.
And so it'd sound like this. _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ The claw hammer style, you don't use the finger picks.
And it's kind of a brushing, picking combination.
You really just use two fingers.
And so it's your thumb, and then you
choose either your index finger or your middle finger.
And so a real simple pattern would be. _ _
_ _ _ _ So if I play a tune, [Bm] it would sound like this. _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _
_ [A] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
[A] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
[N] As you can see, you can play any style on the Good Time
five string banjo.
You can play three finger style.
You can play claw hammer.
You can strum it.
Anything you want can be played on this banjo.
We also have the Good Time two banjo.
And so these two banjos are exactly the same,
except the Good Time two has a back on it,
where the Good Time is an open back banjo.
And so the back on the Good Time two,
that's called a resonator.
The resonator does exactly that.
It resonates the sound out towards your audience,
reflects that sound out there, and makes
the banjo louder and brighter.
Traditionally, this banjo would be used for three finger
bluegrass styles, because they have
to overtake the sound of other instruments in the band
when they step out to take their solo.
And claw hammer is traditionally used on an open back banjo,
because when you're playing claw hammer, traditionally,
there's no soloist.
And everybody is playing the melody together.
And so you don't want to overtake the rest of the band.
You don't want to overtake that fiddle that's traditionally
be leading the band in an open.
_ But you can do anything you want on either banjo.
It's really up to you. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _