Steeeev - Posted - 04/16/2013:  18:41:13

Can anyone let me know how to play Am and Em, and any other chords, for that matter, up the neck (like around frets 12-18) for the 5 string banjo with an open G tuning?  Is there a chart out there somewhere with this information on it?  I have a "500 Chords For The Guitar" book, and that has been very helpful for the guitar, so I was wondering if there was something out there for the banjo.  Thank. y'all.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 04/16/2013:  18:53:12

If you know the chords in the 0 thru 11 frets, you know them from 12-22. They repeat in their exact same form and name after the 12th fret...they're just an octave higher in pitch.

Treat the 12th fret as you would the banjo "open", they're the same notes. Open notes DGBD = 12th fret notes DGBD.

Em is therefore the same form you use down the neck...but since you can't use open strings, you barre across the 12th fret and pick up the other two notes on the 4th and 1st string at the 14th fret. Same with the Am...use the same fingering from 'down the neck' but visualize the 12th fret as being the 'nut' and slide the whole form up. Easy!

Edited by - trapdoor2 on 04/16/2013 18:58:01

Steeeev - Posted - 04/16/2013:  19:04:01

Wow!  Thanks trapdoor2!  I can't wait to give it a try.  Thanks again!

Crabgrass - Posted - 04/17/2013:  06:10:46

If you have a smart phone, there is an app that i find handy.  Its simply called BanjoChords by Charles Dumont.  I think it was 99 cents.  Simple format, just select the chord you want and it shows all the options for it over the entire neck.

Old Hickory - Posted - 04/17/2013:  09:10:30

Check out John Boulding's (Banjophobic) latest Lick of the Week (LOTW) videos on "chord groupings." Over the course of about 4 lessons, he showed how the shapes for all the chords you're likely to encounter in any song in any key relate to each other and repeat up and down the neck.

Just search his name in Member Search and you can find his videos.

Rick McKeon - Posted - 04/17/2013:  09:18:55

Here is a booklet I put together to go along with my series of lessons called Music Theory For Banjo Players. On pages 14 & 15 there are some charts showing movable chords forms for major, minor and 7th chords. You can put them anywhere in the neck. Where the root is tells you the name of the chord. rickmckeon.com/banjolessons/ba...heory.pdf

Rick

Fathand - Posted - 04/17/2013:  10:05:03

There are 3 Minor chord forms that are moveable up and down the neck similar to the Barre, D and F positions we are used to for Major chords,  If you make your full 4 fingered Am and Dm chords, they are moveable as well as the Barred chord similar to the open Em chord. e.g barre at 1st fret and fret the 1st and 4th string at 3rd fret  for Fm. When playing up neck, I sometimes only fret and play 1st 3 strings of these.

There are also moveable chord forms for Maj 7, Augmented and Major 6 chords that I have used and likely any other chord you can name.

Maj 7, make an Am chord on 1st 3 strings and put your pinky on 4th string 4thh fret and you have an F Maj  7 you can move,

Augmented  Barre at 2nd fret and play 1st string 3rd fret and you have a moveable  A Aug chord.