What is Banjo Double C tuning?
Double C is the tuning old-time clawhammer banjo players use for tunes in the key of C — and, with a capo at the 2nd fret, for the many fiddle tunes in D. It is written gCGCD. Two strings move from standard open G: the 4th drops a whole step from D to C, and the 2nd rises a half step from B to C.
The result has C on two strings an octave apart, which is the “double C”, with G on two more. The open strings are neither major nor minor — there is no third in them — which is what gives the tuning its open, ringing, slightly lonesome sound, and why the same tuning serves major and modal tunes alike.
The highlighted strings are the ones that move. Tap a string to hear its target.
String notes and frequencies
The exact pitch of each open string at concert pitch, A = 440 Hz — the numbers a strobe or a frequency counter would show. The tuner above works from the same targets.
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | G4 | 392.00 Hz | unchanged |
| 4th | C3 | 130.81 Hz | D3 → C3, 2 semitones down |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz | unchanged |
| 2nd | C4 | 261.63 Hz | B3 → C4, 1 semitone up |
| 1st | D4 | 293.66 Hz | unchanged |
Getting from open G to double C
- Lower the 4th string from D to C. A whole step down, to C3. It should end an octave below the note you are about to tune the 2nd string to.
- Raise the 2nd string from B to C. A half step up, to middle C. Go gently — it is a small move.
- Leave the 5th, 3rd and 1st strings alone. They stay at g, G and D, as in open G.
- Check the two Cs together. The 4th and 2nd strings should sound like one note an octave apart, with no wobble.
Where the notes are
The first five frets of every string in this tuning. Each fret is one semitone, so this is also how to check a string against its neighbour: find the fret where the lower string plays the higher string’s open note.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| 2nd | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F |
| 3rd | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C |
| 4th | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F |
| 5th | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C |
Frequently asked questions
What is double C tuning on a banjo?
gCGCD: the 5th string at high G, then C, G, C and D from the 4th string to the 1st. Compared with standard open G, the 4th string is a whole step lower and the 2nd string a half step higher.
Is double C the same as drop C?
No. Drop C (gCGBD) lowers only the 4th string from open G and leaves the 2nd string at B. Double C also raises the 2nd string to C — which is what doubles it, and what takes the B out of the open strings.
Why do clawhammer players use it?
Because the melody notes of tunes in C fall under the fingers on the first two strings while the low C drones underneath, and because with no third in the open strings the tuning suits modal tunes as well as major ones.
For everything else about tuning the instrument itself — strings that slip, pegs, and what the dial is telling you — see the banjo tuner and the standard banjo tuning this one is measured from.
Common chord shapes in Banjo Double C tuning
Where the everyday chords fall on a banjo tuned this way. Each shape is found by searching this tuning’s own strings for the frets that sound the chord — nothing here is copied from a standard-tuning chart — and each plays when you press it.
- G2425
- C0002
- D2224
- D72204
- Em4445
- Am0202
- F0203
Shapes are for the four long strings. The short 5th string is not fretted: it rings open as a drone over whichever chord is held.