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This particular page was created 23/11/2004 and last updated 17/05/2005
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| | This page is mainly about the tenor banjo in "Irish" (GDAE) tuning, but much of the content also applies to other low tenor banjo tunings (such as G bouzouki, ADAD, GDGD and AEAE. Take a look at the Tenor banjo technique and style page for ideas about how to use a high-tuned tenor.
Solo playingThe Irish tuned tenor banjo is tuned like a fiddle, only one octave lower, so usually we play it as much like a fiddle as possible, using a pick or thimble instead of a bow of course.With the right tune in the right key the dulcimer style is quite effective too and can provide a little variety in an endless set of dance tunes as long as you don't want to overdo it. As usual, dulcimer style is most effective if you're willing to retune the banjo now and then, but it's not always necessary. (Dulcimer style is very effective for Norwegian trad music btw, but since there seem to be only two tenor banjoists in the world playing Norwegian music, I guess that's a bit too obscure. ;-) Guitar style and especially harp style may be less suitable though. Both are rather tricky to do in Irish tuning, especially if you want to maintain a distinctive "Irish" flavour. I actually play quite a lot of guitar style myself, but mostly when I'm doing English or continental European music. For the Irish tunes, fiddle style rules.
The seventh fret capo trickThe advantage of the Irish tuning is that it's similar to the fiddle, but fact is that the majority of fiddle tunes doesn't use the fourth string at all. Far more of them ventures up on the first string beyond the high a we can reach without changing left hand position.A nice trick to simplify playing these high notes is to put a capo on the seventh fret and then move all notes one string down: the notes we'd normally play on the third string we play on the fourth string, the "second string notes" we play on the third string, the "first string notes" on the second string, and the first string we reserve for these "high position" notes.
In addition to simplifying some tunes, this technique gives the banjo a different, much softer sound that can give your playing a broader tonal spectrum. I often empasize that difference by using a Jim Dunlop Tortex pick for even softer sound when I do the seventh fret capo trick.
The fifth fret capo trickAnother trick to get more tonal variety is to use a capo on the fifth fret and move the notes one string up - "second string notes" on the first string and so on. This means you'll get the tune one octave higher than usual, that is in the same range as the fiddle, the mandolin and the mandolin-banjo. It won't make the music easier to play - quite the contrary - but it is a very nice effect now and then.
The twelfth fret capo trickSince we're playing around with a capo, try placing it on the 12th fret too. That'll bring the banjo right into the fiddle/mandolin range, effectively transforming it into a banjolele. You need a really good banjo (and a good capo!) for it to work though.
AccompanimentThe tenor banjo - both with Irish and with standard tuning - is really mainly a solo instrument. The fifths intervals between the strings encourage open chord positions that can sound rather thin at times, especially if the banjo is the only chord instrument present. The tenor banjo is also quite loud even for a banjo, so it's easy to overwhelm the solist(s) with the chords. Neither of these problems are fatal though, and the tenor can be a very effective rhythm instrument when played properly and with care.
Tenor banjos are usually strummed with a pick, but fingerpicking is also possible. It's just that most tenor banjoists never get to learn the technique.
One advantage the Irish tuned tenor banjo has over the other banjos (except for the guitar-banjo) is it's extended bass range. It reaches down to a low g, one fifth lower than a fivestring banjo and a fourth lower than the tenor and plectrum banjos.
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