A 6-string banjo is an excellent choice for players who are familiar with playing chords using only their left hand, as it enables you to perform songs such as “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” which utilize full barre chords.
These banjos feature guitar-style necks that accommodate metal guitar strings. In addition, their radiused fingerboard provides comfort for guitarists.
Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D Tuning gives the banjo an acoustic sound with distinct tonal characteristics that is popular with fingerstyle players and singer-songwriters.
To tune a 6-string banjo using this tuning method, begin by finding an A reference pitch on either piano, guitar, or tuning fork for the lowest E string (6th), plucked up its strings until their pegs match up with that note, and adjusted as necessary until they match up perfectly with it. Repeat these steps for A and D strings respectively before tuning all six of your banjo strings! You’re now ready to rock out.
Be mindful that tuning a banjo may take some time, if this is something that takes more than your free time or you don’t have the budget for, consider hiring a professional to set it up or asking a friend with experience playing banjo to assist with this step.
Apart from offering more symmetrical chord voicing, this tuning also sounds fantastic on solos. The additional low string will provide your banjo with some fullness to help round out melodies. Once you get used to it, tuning your banjo in this tuning should become effortless and fun – each banjo has slightly different peg placement so practice will be needed in learning how to tune by ear.
Changeable Banjo Heads
There are various kinds of banjo drum heads. One popular option is the frosted head, which comes in multiple sizes and can easily be removed to alter your banjo’s tone. There is also a less durable glaze version which still produces great sound; alternatively some players prefer skin heads which come in all sorts of sizes and can even be cut down to size for your banjo!
Hex nuts on the back of a drum head can be tightened using a screw driver or nut driver to alter its tension, increasing or decreasing resonant frequency and changing tone ring position. As soon as these nuts are tightened further over time, tension tightens more over the tone ring increasing resonance frequency of drum. Hex nuts often come equipped with interchangeable screwdriver bits so it should be easy to locate one in your toolkit.
Some musicians choose drum heads based on the style and sound they want to achieve, while some experiment with changing drum heads on their banjos to discover different sounds that may come about by switching up the heads. To do this, wrenches will come in handy as this process requires loosening and tightening hex nuts to make adjustments, taking care not to over tighten as this would create a divet in the center of the drum head and lower its resonant quality.
Pickup Options
If you want a 6-string banjo to sound loud and full without spending lots of money on a resonator, installing a pickup may help achieve this result. Fishman, LR Baggs and Kavanjo offer different pickup solutions that may suit both budget and sound preferences.
People who explore the 6-string banjo often discover they can create an excellent bluegrass sound with nylon strings and a heavy gauge flatpick, using bass strings with gutsy growl to achieve it without making it too muddy. Unfortunately, lower string ringing may create issues when playing barre chords using their left hand; so guitarists who only want to use their 6-string banjos for Dixieland play might opt to replace fifth and sixth strings with lighter sets tuned an octave or two higher to prevent any unwanted muddiness.
If you are searching for a ready-to-go electric 6-string banjo, look no further than the Dean Backwoods 6. Featuring a DMT Design humbucker in its pot for authentic banjo sound and clear amplified playback; additionally it is suitable for running through effects pedals if that’s what your musical goal is.
Acoustic or Electric
A 6-string banjo is an excellent instrument to choose when performing blues, country, dixieland or ragtime music. With its ability to use guitar chords for fingerstyle playing as well as its rich sound. Plus, its narrow neck and short fretboard make it suitable for those accustomed to playing guitar and help alleviate muscle skeletal issues caused by long necked acoustic guitars with heavy pots.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that a 6-string banjo should not be seen as an alternative for playing traditional bluegrass music with fast Scruggs style rolls and clawhammer styles of playing; although possible on 6-string banjos it should generally not be done.
Beyond tunings, there are various options for altering the tone of a 6-string banjo. Some manufacturers provide openback models (which tend to be quieter), and also resonator banjos which project loudly enough for group performances or live gigs.
Many players prefer stringing their 6-string banjo with nylon strings for a vintage, “plunky” sound. No matter which string type you use, however, always ensure that a tuner such as the Snark SN-8, Korg Pitchblack and Boss TU-3 is handy so your tones stay in tune.