How to Read Banjo Tabs (5-String Banjo)
5-string banjo tab has five lines, one for each string. The top line is the 1st string (D4) and the bottom line is the short 5th string (high g, G4). Each number is a fret, with 0 for an open string. Letters under the tab show the picking finger: T for thumb, I for index and M for middle.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, quarter note, eighth note, staff); the UK version uses bar, crotchet, quaver and stave. · UK version of this page
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Key facts
- Open G tuning, 5th to 1st string: G4, D3, G3, B3, D4 (g D G B D). All five open strings make a G major chord.
- Tab lines, top to bottom: 1st string D, 2nd B, 3rd G, 4th D, 5th g.
- The 5th string starts at the 5th fret, so in tab its frets usually read 0 (open), or 7 and above if it is fretted.
- T, I and M under the tab = thumb, index and middle finger of the picking hand.
- A roll is a repeating pattern of eight notes, usually played as eighth notes so one roll fills a measure of 4/4.
- Four rolls to learn first: forward, backward, forward-reverse and alternating thumb.
- Bluegrass (Scruggs-style) tab uses rolls; clawhammer tab marks a down-picked note and a thumbed 5th string instead.
Try it: the four main banjo rolls
Each roll is on open strings, so the left hand can rest. Press Play this tab, watch the numbers light up, and copy the picking letters. Self-assessed Can you play each roll four times, evenly, at the “Steady” speed?
Forward roll (G chord, open strings)
D|---0-----0-----0|---0-----0-----0| B|-0-----0-----0--|-0-----0-----0--| G|----------------|----------------| D|----------------|----------------| g|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----| I M T I M T I M I M T I M T I M
In words: 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle).
Backward (reverse) roll
D|-0-----0-----0--|-0-----0-----0--| B|---0-----0-----0|---0-----0-----0| G|----------------|----------------| D|----------------|----------------| g|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----| M I T M I T M I M I T M I T M I
In words: 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index).
Forward-reverse roll
D|-----0---0-----0|-----0---0-----0| B|---0-------0----|---0-------0----| G|-0-----------0--|-0-----------0--| D|----------------|----------------| g|-------0--------|-------0--------| T I M T M I T M T I M T M I T M
In words: 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle).
Alternating thumb roll
D|-------0-------0|-------0-------0| B|---0-------0----|---0-------0----| G|-0--------------|-0--------------| D|---------0------|---------0------| g|-----0-------0--|-----0-------0--| T I T M T I T M T I T M T I T M
In words: 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 4th string (D), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 4th string (D), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle).
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How do you read banjo tabs?
Each of the five lines is a string, with the 1st string (D) on top and the short 5th string at the bottom. A number on a line is the fret to press on that string; 0 means open. Read from left to right and pick with the finger shown underneath.
- Find the string from the line: count down from the top (1st string) to the bottom (5th string).
- Press the fret shown by the number with the left hand (or leave the string open for 0).
- Pick with the finger shown below the tab: T thumb, I index, M middle.
- Keep the notes even. In most bluegrass tab every note is an eighth note, eight to a measure.
| Tab line | String | Open note | Usually picked by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st line from the top | 1st string (D) | D4 | Middle finger (M) |
| 2nd line from the top | 2nd string (B) | B3 | Index (I) or thumb |
| 3rd line from the top | 3rd string (G) | G3 | Thumb (T) or index |
| 4th line from the top | 4th string (D) | D3 | Thumb (T) |
| 5th line from the top | 5th string (g) | G4 | Thumb (T) |
Why is the 5th string at the bottom of banjo tab?
Tab lists the strings in number order, 1st on top to 5th at the bottom. The 5th string is short and tuned high (G4), but it is still string number five, so it sits on the bottom line.
This surprises guitar players: the bottom line of banjo tab is not the lowest note. The lowest string is the 4th (D3). When you see 0 on the bottom line with a T under it, the thumb plays the high drone string – the sound that makes bluegrass banjo ring.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (D) | D4 | D♯4/E♭4 | E4 | F4 | F♯4/G♭4 | G4 |
| 2nd (B) | B3 | C4 | C♯4/D♭4 | D4 | D♯4/E♭4 | E4 |
| 3rd (G) | G3 | G♯3/A♭3 | A3 | A♯3/B♭3 | B3 | C4 |
| 4th (D) | D3 | D♯3/E♭3 | E3 | F3 | F♯3/G♭3 | G3 |
What does T I M mean in banjo tab?
T, I and M are the picking-hand fingers: thumb, index and middle. In three-finger (Scruggs) style you wear a thumb pick and two metal finger picks, and each note of a roll is played by the finger shown.
Some tabs write the fingers as letters under each note, others only at the start of a roll. Left-hand fingers, if they are shown, are usually numbers 1 to 4 written above the tab. Clawhammer tab may use other marks for the brush and the thumbed 5th string, so read the key that comes with the tab.
What are the basic banjo rolls?
The four basic rolls are the forward roll (strings 2-1-5, repeated), the backward roll (1-2-5), the forward-reverse roll (3-2-1-5-1-2-3-1) and the alternating thumb roll (3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1). Each has eight notes.
| Roll | Strings (8 notes) | Fingers |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | 2 1 5 2 1 5 2 1 | I M T I M T I M |
| Backward (reverse) | 1 2 5 1 2 5 1 2 | M I T M I T M I |
| Forward-reverse | 3 2 1 5 1 2 3 1 | T I M T M I T M |
| Alternating thumb | 3 2 5 1 4 2 5 1 | T I T M T I T M |
Different books start some rolls on different strings; the shape – which way the fingers travel – is what gives each roll its name. Here is the forward roll through three chords, then a slow tune picked as single notes:
Forward roll through G, C and D7
D|---0-----0-----0|---2-----2-----2|---0-----0-----0|-0-------| B|-0-----0-----0--|-1-----1-----1--|-1-----1-----1--|---------| G|----------------|----------------|----------------|-0-------| D|----------------|----------------|----------------|---------| g|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----|---------| I M T I M T I M I M T I M T I M I M T I M T I M M
In words: 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), open (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), fret 2 (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), fret 2 (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), fret 2 (middle); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); 5th string (g), open (thumb); 2nd string (B), fret 1 (index); 1st string (D), open (middle); together: 3rd string (G), open (thumb) + 1st string (D), open (middle).
Oh! Susanna (Stephen Foster, 1848): first line, melody only
D|-------0-0-2-0--|---------------| B|-----0---------0|-----0-0-------| G|-0-2------------|-0-2-----2-0-2-| D|----------------|---------------| g|----------------|---------------|
In words: 3rd string (G), open; 3rd string (G), fret 2; 2nd string (B), open; 1st string (D), open; 1st string (D), open; 1st string (D), fret 2; 1st string (D), open; 2nd string (B), open; 3rd string (G), open; 3rd string (G), fret 2; 2nd string (B), open; 2nd string (B), open; 3rd string (G), fret 2; 3rd string (G), open; 3rd string (G), fret 2.
How do you read hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides in banjo tab?
h means hammer-on, p means pull-off and / or s means slide. You pick only the first note; the left hand makes the second one sound. They are often joined by a curved line over the two numbers.
Hammer-on, pull-off and slide (with the 5th string)
D|--------0--------0|--------0--------0| B|----------0-h1----|------------------| G|-0-h2-------------|-2-p0-----2-/4----| D|------------------|------------------| g|------0--------0--|------0--------0--| T T M I T M T T M T T M
In words: 3rd string (G), open (thumb); 3rd string (G), hammer-on to fret 2; 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 2nd string (B), open (index); 2nd string (B), hammer-on to fret 1; 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 3rd string (G), fret 2 (thumb); 3rd string (G), pull-off to open; 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle); 3rd string (G), fret 2 (thumb); 3rd string (G), slide up to fret 4; 5th string (g), open (thumb); 1st string (D), open (middle).
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Open string: pluck it with no finger on a fret |
| 3 | Press the string just behind the 3rd fret, then pluck |
| Numbers in one column | Play them together (a chord or double stop) |
| h (0h2) | Hammer-on: pluck the first note, then hammer a finger onto the higher fret without plucking again |
| p (2p0) | Pull-off: pluck the higher note, then pull the finger off sideways so the lower note sounds |
| / or s (2/4) | Slide up: pluck, then keep pressing as you slide to the higher fret |
| \ (4\2) | Slide down to the lower fret |
| x | Muted (dead) note: touch the string without pressing it down, then pluck |
| ~ | Vibrato: wobble the pitch by rocking or pushing the finger |
| b (5b7) | Bend: push the string sideways until fret 5 sounds like fret 7 |
| | | Bar line (end of a measure) |
| T, I, M | Picking finger: thumb, index, middle |
What to learn next
Learn the chords the rolls go over – G, C and D7 first – on the banjo chord chart, where you can hear every chord as a roll. Tuning help is on the Classfern banjo page. Classfern’s free music tools on lessonplanner.info run in your browser and keep nothing about you.
Quick quiz: reading banjo tab
Six questions on the lines, the picking letters and the rolls. Marked by Classfern Your score stays in this browser.
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