5-String Banjo tuner – Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD)
G-D-G-C-D · Modal
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 Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) tuning (G-D-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 Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) tuning
Compared with Standard / Open G (gDGBD), Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) moves 1 string. Every change is upward, the largest by 1 semitone, so the strings pull tighter than in Standard / Open G (gDGBD).4 strings stay exactly where they were.
| String | Standard / Open G (gDGBD) | Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | B3 | C4 | up 1 semitone |
Played open, the strings sound G-D-G-C-D – from D3 at the bottom to G4 at the top, a span of 1 octave and 5 semitones.
Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) 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.
Strummed open, with nothing fretted, the strings spell Gsus4. That is what makes a tuning like this useful for slide playing and drones – a full chord is one straight barre away at any fret. See Gsus4 shapes in this tuning →
Sawmill, also called mountain modal or G modal, raises one string of Open G so the open chord becomes suspended rather than major. The banjo stops sounding a definite major chord and starts sounding modal – which is what the older Appalachian repertoire wants.
Tunes like "Shady Grove" and "Cluck Old Hen" live here. It is the tuning that most clearly separates old-time banjo from bluegrass banjo.
History
Where the Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) tuning comes from
Sawmill tuning (gDGCD), also called “mountain minor” or “modal”, is an old Appalachian tuning in which the open strings form a suspended chord, well suited to modal, minor tunes. Its name is sometimes linked to the tune “Sawmill”; it was widely used by old-time players such as Roscoe Holcomb.
Other 5-String Banjo tunings
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my 5-String Banjo to Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD)?
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-D-G-C-D).
Which notes are used in Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) tuning?
Sawmill / Mountain Modal (gDGCD) tuning for 5-String Banjo uses the notes G-D-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.