Looking at banjos and...

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

If you could have an extra string, like the fifth string on a bluegrass banjo, to what note would you tune it?

 

For those that hadn't noticed, bluegrass banjos have an extra string that only goes half way up the neck and is not frettable. it is, AFAIK, tuned to "G".

 

http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/deering/assets/banjos.jpg

 

You can see the extra string on the banjo on the left. That's the tuner at the 5th fret.

 

So what note would you choose? I think I'd pick a high "D". Any others?

[Bluesape]

There's a 6 string down the street tuned like a guitar. Great for spoofy Deliverance bluesy stuff, but not what I'd consider a serious instrument.

[A String]

I believe open G is the most common tuning for a six string: D G D G B D. The band leader in our old band used to play one. I'll check with him for you.

[picker]

BANJOS?!?! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BANJOS!!!!

[fantasticsound]

...For those that hadn't noticed, bluegrass banjos have an extra string that only goes half way up the neck and is not frettable. it is, AFAIK, tuned to "G".

 

Hey Vince. You have one significant mistake in the above statement. The high string on a 5-string banjo is, indeed, frettable. In fact, in order to play 5 string banjo with a capo it is typical to hammer model railroad spikes at the first 3 or 4 frets above the zero-fret of the high G string in order to hold the string down similar to how a string tree holds strings down on the headstock of some guitars. You capo across the 4 string section of the neck and tuck the string under the appropriate spike to match the high G string to the rest.

 

I can't say how I'd tune a string like that on the guitar. It completely changes the nature of the instrument, how it's played, etc. I find 6 string banjos, tuned to standard guitar tuning, interesting toys, but they don't sound like bluegrass banjo because of the lack of a high string on the bass side of the neck.

[fantasticsound]

I found a picture that illustrates the point. This is a Shubb 5th string capo that mounts to the side of the neck, slides and clamps at several different frets rather than using the model train spikes.

 

http://www.folkofthewood.com/Images3/shubb5thstrcapo.jpg

[Trucks]

You tune the extra string as root (sometimes 5th) of whichever chord you are tuned to.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Yeah, but what I'm asking is... if you had to have a similar gizmo on your guitar... what would you tune the extra string string to?

 

 

[Eric VB]

I'd add about 12-18 non-frettable strings and call it a lute.