We get this question in different forms quite often: How many strings does a banjo have? How many strings are on a banjo? Is there more than one type of banjo, and if so, how many strings do they have?

For +90% of people, the answer is going to be that there are 5 strings on a banjo. The 5-String Banjo is the banjo used in both bluegrass banjo (three-finger banjo) and clawhammer banjo. If you want to learn how to play banjo, this will most likely be the banjo for you. 

The 5-string banjo has a very different tuning and string arrangement from most stringed instruments.

On a guitar, for example, the string closest to your face plays the lowest note (tone), and as you progress down the strings towards the floor, the tones go up to the highest note played on the string closest to the ground.

On a 5-string banjo, the string closest to your face is the highest note. Then the next string (4th string) on the banjo jumps to the lowest note and then the subsequent strings moving down go from low to high. 

In addition, the fifth string on the banjo never gets fretted. On the guitar, as an example, all strings get fretted at one time or another. There is no string that never gets fretted.

Lastly, the banjo has only 3 "open" notes. This is because while the banjo has 5 strings, two pairs are the same note an octave apart. You can see here in standard open G tuning (g-D-G-B-D) that you have two G's and two D's. So the total notes played when you strum the banjo without fretting anything are just G, D and B. This gives it that great "droning" sound that so many of us LOVE!

There are of course other banjos for other types of banjo music. Below we've listed all the other variations and the number of strings on each of those banjos. 

5-String Banjo (most common)

• Strings: 5

• Tuning (standard): Open G (g-D-G-B-D)

• Details:

  • Has a short 5th string that begins halfway up the neck.

  • Most commonly used in bluegrass and old-time music.

  • Played with fingerpicks (bluegrass) or clawhammer style (old-time).

4-String Banjo

There are two main varieties:

a. Tenor Banjo

• Strings: 4

• Tuning: Standard is C-G-D-A (like viola/mandola), or Irish tuning G-D-A-E.

• Details:

  • Shorter neck than 5-string.

  • Common in traditional jazz, Celtic, and Irish music.

b. Plectrum Banjo

• Strings: 4

• Tuning: Typically C-G-B-D.

• Details:

  • Similar scale to a 5-string but without the short 5th string.

  • Played with a pick, popular in Dixieland jazz.

6-String Banjo (Banjo Guitar or "Ganjo")

• Strings: 6

• Tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E (like a guitar)

• Details:

  • Popular with guitarists who want banjo tone without learning new fingerings.

  • Common in folk, country, and pop crossover.

Other Less Common Types

a. Banjo Ukulele (Banjolele)

• Strings: 4

• Tuning: Same as a ukulele (G-C-E-A)

• Details:

  • Small banjo body with ukulele neck.

  • Used in novelty, early pop, and ukulele circles.

b. Bass Banjo

• Strings: 4 (sometimes more)

• Tuning: Like a bass guitar (E-A-D-G)

• Details:

  • Rare, used for novelty or special ensembles.

c. 12-String Banjo

• Strings: 12 (in 6 pairs like a 12-string guitar)

• Details:

  • Very rare.

  • Played like a 6-string, but with a rich, chorus-like sound.