tom nelson - Posted - 03/16/2024:  09:31:40

Is there a way to know which banjo tuning to use with sheet music keys? I have a copy of "House of the Rising Sun" in Am. So how do I know what banjo tuning to use with that or any other key? I can transpose chords but the multiple tunings is a bit fuzzy to me.

Thanks

Culloden - Posted - 03/16/2024:  10:13:20

When in doubt, start with the tuning you are most comfortable with and see if it will work. If it's too awkward, then it's time to try a different one.
I always played House of the Rising Sun in open G tuning, but I play Bluegrass.

davidppp - Posted - 03/16/2024:  11:13:27

The tuning I'm most comfortable with these days is double-C. Flattening the 3rds of the C's and the F's makes C minor easy. If you're playing with others, maybe they really want Am. Otherwise, transposing to Cm is easy. On the other hand, "modal" tunings will take you in a very different direction, i.e., away from an emphasis on chords and produce harmonies you don't hear much outside of banjo -- worth a try for the adventurous.

carlb - Posted - 03/16/2024:  11:14:43

First, decide what key you want to sing it in. There are plenty of banjo tunings to choose from.

zeppmusic.com/banjo/aktuning.htm

RB-1 - Posted - 03/16/2024:  12:03:45

I strongly recommend adapting your skills to the instrument and not the instrument to your skills.

Indeed, starting with gDGBd and in a while you'll find where to go.

Without capo, key's of Gmaj, Em, Am, Cmaj and Dmaj (with the 5th string spiked up 2 frets).

So capo 2 would mean Amaj, F#m, Bm, Dmaj (with the 5th string spiked up 2 frets) and Emaj (with the 5th string spiked up 4 frets).

Capo 3 would mean Bbmaj, Gm, Cm, Ebmaj (with the 5th string spiked up 3 frets) and Fmaj (with the 5th string spiked up 5 frets).

Capo 4 would mean Bmaj, Abm, C#m and Emaj (with the 5th string spiked up 4 frets) .

Of course one can play in any key without a capo, but in many cases it's not going to sound very convincing (as in: real banjo )

Unless, of course, your name is Bela, Jens or Noam......

banjoak - Posted - 03/16/2024:  14:02:58

quote:

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Originally posted by tom nelson

Is there a way to know which banjo tuning to use with sheet music keys? I have a copy of "House of the Rising Sun" in Am. So how do I know what banjo tuning to use with that or any other key? I can transpose chords but the multiple tunings is a bit fuzzy to me.



Thanks

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Depends a bit on what type of song/tune and style.

Many folks in the clawhammer and old-time, esp fiddle tune world... generally start with the one of 3 related default schemes; tonic of the key and the mode; and equivalent tuned up or capo up a few frets.

gDGBD mostly for Major, some Mixolydian; in key of G up to Bb, maybe B or C

gDGCD for modal type tunes (Aeolian, Dorian, Mixolydian) G up to Bb, maybe B or C

gCGCD - mostly for key of C, D maybe up to F. Can work for major, and some modal tunes.

I also find fDGCD pretty useful; good choice of F, Dm, Bb, and some G modal. 

That's the starting point, but might find something in the tune that would make another tuning works better.

tom nelson - Posted - 03/16/2024:  15:00:51

Thank you for the reply. To push this thing a little further down the road, what tuning would go to for a song in Am?

Thanks again

Old Hickory - Posted - 03/16/2024:  15:31:49

quote:

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Originally posted by tom nelson

Thank you for the reply. To push this thing a little further down the road, what tuning would go to for a song in Am?

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For three-finger, I play House of the Rising Sun in standard G tuning and play the chords as written.

As a clawhammer player, maybe your home tuning is something else. Drop C? Double C? I don't know. But if your usual tuning is one in which you know how to make Am, C, D, F and E chords, then try that tuning and see how you do.

Since A minor is the relative minor of C Major, playing in A minor in G tuning with no capo will be essentially the same as playing in C Major in G tuning with no capo, which is extremely easy to do.

Warning! Music theory ahead:  As you've probably already seen from your sheet music, House of the Rising Sun has D Major and E Major chords. But i the key of A minor, the D and E chords are minor (since A minor is supposed to be made up of all natural notes). What's happening? House of the Rising Sun is in A harmonic minor. A variant minor scale/key. And that's all I'm gonna say on that because I barely understand it and it's more than you need to know . . . except you've invited this conversation on tunings, which gets into issues of key, and also involves things you might not need to know yet.

I agree with earlier advice: If you're a relative beginner, approach every new song with the tuning you know. 

If the key and chords to a song don't make sense or are difficult to play in the tuning you know, transpose -- either to use a capo and play in the target key using chord shapes you know or to play without capo and change the key of song.

Good luck.

Edited by - Old Hickory on 03/16/2024 15:39:23

banjered - Posted - 03/16/2024:  15:35:18

There are several HOTRSun in the tab library if that helps. banjered

tom nelson - Posted - 03/16/2024:  15:49:21

Thanks for the info. I don't think anybody could be newer to open back playing than myself. I'll try playing the chords as they are written on the paper and see what happens.

Old Hickory - Posted - 03/16/2024:  17:16:54

quote:

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Originally posted by tom nelson

Thanks for the info. I don't think anybody could be newer to open back playing than myself. I'll try playing the chords as they are written on the paper and see what happens.

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What tuning do you tend to use?

dbrooks - Posted - 03/16/2024:  17:50:46

You have gotten some good, sometimes detailed, advice. Sometimes we can be surprised which tuning will work well with a particular key. I try to keep it simple - until it doesn't work.

I use open-G tuning for these keys: G, Em, A (capo 2), Bb (capo 3). . .

I use double-C tuning for these keys: C, Cm, D (capo 2), Dm (capo 2), E, (capo 4)

I use sawmill tuning for these keys: G modal, A modal (capo 2)

I use G minor tuning (gDGBbD) for G minor.

Other tunes may have specific tunings that may bear the name of the tuning - Sandy River Belle tuning, Cumberland Gap tuning, etc.

Ultimately, we all use trial and error to work out a playable arrangement.

David

dlm7507 - Posted - 03/17/2024:  09:00:27

For sheet music "minor" might be Dorian or Aeolian minor (or Phrygian for that matter). On the sheet music, how many sharps?

No sharps Ion=C, Mix=G, Dor=D, Aeo=A (see the circle of 5ths).
One sharp Ion=G, Mix=D, Dor=A, Aeo=E.
Two sharps Ion=D, Mix=A, Dor=E, Aeo=B.

If there are no sharps, Am (Aeolian) is is in the C family and Double C might be easier.
If there is one sharp, Am (Dorian) is in the G family and Open G might be better for you.
That is of course if you are playing melody, rather than chords where Open G has a richer chord availability.

R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 03/19/2024:  17:15:48

quote:

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Originally posted by tom nelson

Thank you for the reply. To push this thing a little further down the road, what tuning would go to for a song in Am?



Thanks again

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You've been given lots to experiment with, and a lot of times it takes some experimenting to figure out the best tuning.

Off the top, I'd think

gDGBD, gDGCD both Capo2 or maybe, gDGBbD Capo2.

The last one is actually open G-minor tuning capoed up to A.  for a gDGBD tuning chord chart, everything is the same but just bump any 2nd string note up one fret.