![]() Stretch or bend the strings BEFORE playing. ![]() This can help a banjo stay in tune better I’ll sometimes take an old lead pencil and run it through the grooves of the nut. When you change strings, put some graphite in the nut slots.This is why I recommend only capos whose pressure is adjustable. Over tightening a capo can pull the strings out of tune. Lastly, make sure you only tighten the capo as much as needed to get a clear sound. If it is at some crazy angle, then that’s not helping your tuning. The banjo capo should sit next to the fret without being right on top of it. If you use a capo, make sure you have it in the right spot. Watch the strings when you play, are they bending slightly? I see this a lot. That’s right, you may not know your own strength Hercules. If you have a lot of strength in your hands, you might overdo it and squeeze the strings right out of tune. Just because a banjo has frets doesn’t mean you push the string in and it’s automatically in tune. ![]() People that play super hard tend to have this issue more than those playing at normal levels. This can be caused by a tailpiece that doesn’t have enough pressure on it. However, you might want to double check that your bridge isn’t slipping around while playing. ![]() It’s rare that this is a problem most banjo players I’ve seen have too much pressure on the tailpiece. The tailpiece doesn’t have enough pressure If the fretted note is sharp, you need to pull the bridge back further towards the tailpiece. Use a tuner if your ear isn’t good enough. They should be the same note an octave apart. Check the open string against the 12 fret of that same string. It might sound okay open or in the lower frets, but the higher up you go, the more out of tune it sounds. Incorrect bridge placement causes a banjo to fret out wrong up the neck. If you don’t have lots of experience working on instruments, don’t try this at home. Take it to your local luthier for repair. Does the sound waver a lot? If you see movement then something is definitely amiss. Play some open strings and slightly (I said slightly) pull on the neck. Consider these banjo strings: Your banjo neck might be loose or not attached perfectly Solution-Buy strings every 3-5 months if you are playing a good bit. Any time my banjo starts having tuning issues, the first thing I check are the strings. Old strings can lead to intonation issues up and down the banjo neck, especially as you move up higher. If your strings are old, blackened, and filled with grim, your banjo probably isn’t going to stay in tune much. I tighten mine about once or twice a year at most. At the same time, it’s tough to break one, you REALLY have to crank down on it.īy the way, a banjo head doesn’t have to be tightened much. Be careful not to overtighten it a banjo head can break. If you can push down on the head and you easily hear a warble when hitting the strings open. As the bridge moves, this causes the banjo to go out of tune. The looser the head is, the more the banjo bridge can move up and down. The banjo bridge sits on top of the head. All I do is tighten’er up and good as new. Nowadays, I occasionally see the 5th string screw come loose on one of my other banjos. It got so bad, I finally broke down and bought new tuners for it. My old RB-250 has serious problems with the tuning pegs after I owned it for 4-5 years. Solution-tighten up the screw in the back of the tuning peg Also, when you tune, watch the tuner to make sure it’s not turning on its own. Check the screw in the back of the banjo tuner and see if it appears loose. Tuning pegs can come loose or slip over time. Here are some things that may cause you to go out of tune There are some banjo setup tricks that will increase your chances of being in tune 10 minutes after you begin your practice session. On the other hand, there are some things you can do to prevent it from going out of tune so much. The main culprit is the banjo head, which moves around depending on the temperature or humidity. “You’ll spend half your life tuning it and half your life playing it.”Īs the Bruce Hornsby song goes-“ That’s just the way it is.” Why does this keep happening?įirst and foremost, the banjo is full of moveable parts. You bought a banjo and as the old saying goes, (Sorry, I know that’s not the answer you want to hear, especially since you are here to get help.)
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