Patek style tenor banjo
Fingerpicking and frailing in DGdg tuning
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Starting from CGda, just retune two outer strings.
Irish low GDae tuning shall be changed to open D tuning ADad instead. Note you will match the strings of DADgad tuning.
I plant just my little finger on the banjo head during fingerpicking.
For frailing (clawhammer) techniques I use my ring fingernail, covered with reversed plastic fingerpick.
DGdg tenor banjo is also ideal second instrument for fingerpicking guitar player as you can trade the picking patterns.
Become the "first generation" tenor banjo fingerpicker!
1. Retune your tenor banjo
Open G tuning DGdg matches the open strings and range of the 5-string banjo open G tuning gDGBd. The high g string is now on the treble side.Starting from CGda, just retune two outer strings.
Irish low GDae tuning shall be changed to open D tuning ADad instead. Note you will match the strings of DADgad tuning.
2. Buy the fingerpicks
To emulate the 5-string banjo sound I use the standard set of plastic thumbpick and two metal fingerpicks for my index and middle finger.I plant just my little finger on the banjo head during fingerpicking.
For frailing (clawhammer) techniques I use my ring fingernail, covered with reversed plastic fingerpick.
3. Explore new sounds
If you are flatpicking tenor banjo player, you can now easily play frailing and fingerpicking styles without buying 5-string banjo.DGdg tenor banjo is also ideal second instrument for fingerpicking guitar player as you can trade the picking patterns.
Become the "first generation" tenor banjo fingerpicker!
It's normal that the guitar is played either with flatpick or with finger[pick]s. On the contrary, the tenor banjo is expected to be played with flatpick only - even if next door there is another kind of banjo (the 5-string one) which is played with the finger[pick]s.
I've heard great music played with flatpick in CGda, DGbe, or low Irish GDae tuning. However this site shows you what happens when the tenor banjo is tuned to DGdg and when it is played with fingerpicks.
I've heard great music played with flatpick in CGda, DGbe, or low Irish GDae tuning. However this site shows you what happens when the tenor banjo is tuned to DGdg and when it is played with fingerpicks.