Sorry folks. I’m a beginner. When using a capo what do with the 5th string? Let’s say I am playing in b flat. Do I tune the fifth string up to a b flat? How high can you tune the 5th string without it breaking? Or do I leave the fifth string at a harmony note like the fifth or seventh or do I not play it at all
What to do with the 5th string
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Hi Paul, No need to apologise here. It’s a question many beginners ask so we are always glad to help.
So a couple of things here.
Does your banjo have railroad spikes, a 5th string capo or none.?
If none check this out https://store.banjobenclark.com/products/strum-hollow-5th-string-capo
If you capo your banjo at second fret for A/D you need to capo the 5th string at the 7th fret tuned to A.
If you want to tune your banjo to Bb move your capo to the third fret and the the 5th string at the 8th fret to Bb.
My banjo has spikes at 7th 8th 9th & 10th. To play in a high C out of the G position ( what that means is all the tunes I can play in G I can play in C ) if I capo my banjo at the 5th fret and my 5th string capo’d at the 10th fret. I am sure @BanjoBen has covered all this in a lesson but I can’t find it perhaps he will jump in and cover anything I have missed.
You can tune your fifth string up to A safely but I don’t recommend going any higher I’ve snapped a few 5th strings in my time.
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Check this out @davidsonpaul78
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/banjo-capo-strategy-banjo
Also, make sure you’re going through the beginner checklist here: https://banjobenclark.com/university/beginner-banjo
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Banjo Ben can tell you his story of how he learned to wear finger picks. We all have to start somewhere. I worked for a doctor many, many years ago who taught me that no question is a stupid one if you don’t know the answer. And I had a lot of questions.
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@davidsonpaul78, I had the exact same question early on. I ended up buying one of the fifth string capos from Ben’s General Store and It was a wise little investment indeed. I recommend it highly.
While you’re awaiting it’s arrival, you can make a temporary one with an ink pen cap if you’re interested in experimenting a little. It works, but it’s not very secure or adjustable like the proper one from the General Store. (Afterwards, you can keep it for a back-up in a pinch!) There are several examples out there, but here’s a link to one:
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musician/Banjo/PenCapCapo/pencapcapo.html
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I beg to differ…the one you don’t ask…
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True enough.
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I’ve never mentioned this but I had the exact same issue when I started playing, I put the picks on backward…except I didn’t try to play in front of JD Crowe that way!
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