5-String Banjo tuner – Double C (gCGCD)
G-C-G-C-D · Alternative
Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your 5-String Banjo is to Double C (gCGCD) tuning (G-C-G-C-D). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Double C (gCGCD) tuning
Compared with Standard / Open G (gDGBD), Double C (gCGCD) moves 2 strings. Some strings go up and others go down, so the total tension stays close to Standard / Open G (gDGBD) while the shape of the fretboard changes completely.3 strings stay exactly where they were.
| String | Standard / Open G (gDGBD) | Double C (gCGCD) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | D3 | C3 | down 2 semitones |
| 4 | B3 | C4 | up 1 semitone |
Played open, the strings sound G-C-G-C-D – from C3 at the bottom to G4 at the top, a span of 1 octave and 7 semitones.
Double C (gCGCD) is re-entrant: the strings do not rise steadily in pitch, so the string nearest your thumb is not the lowest note available. That is deliberate, and it is a large part of why the instrument sounds the way it does.
Left open, the strings together spell Csus2. That is a by-product of how the intervals are laid out rather than the point of the tuning, but it does mean some chords need very few fingers here. See Csus2 shapes in this tuning →
Double C – gCGCD – is one of the core old-time clawhammer tunings, named for the two C strings it puts under the hand. It suits tunes in C and, with a capo at the second fret, the great mass of old-time tunes in D.
Clawhammer playing depends on drones and open strings far more than bluegrass does, and tunings like this one are chosen per tune rather than set once and left alone.
History
Where the Double C (gCGCD) tuning comes from
Double C (gCGCD) is one of the most common old-time clawhammer tunings; it gets its name from the two C strings. It is part of the Appalachian tradition documented by folklorists and by Pete Seeger's influential banjo method of 1948.
Other 5-String Banjo tunings
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my 5-String Banjo to Double C (gCGCD)?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (G-C-G-C-D).
Which notes are used in Double C (gCGCD) tuning?
Double C (gCGCD) tuning for 5-String Banjo uses the notes G-C-G-C-D, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.