Banjo · Chapter 21 of 23

Up the Neck

The banjo’s neck goes much further than the 5th fret. A few positions higher up give you new notes, a brighter sound and an easier way through some tunes.

So far your left hand has stayed near the nut, in first position. A position is simply where your hand sits: in 7th position, your index finger covers the 7th fret and the other fingers the 8th, 9th and 10th.

The D shape at the 7th fret

In open G tuning, a D chord lies across the top three strings at the 7th fret: 3rd string 7th fret (D), 2nd string 7th fret (F♯), 1st string 7th fret (A). Lay your index finger across them, or use three fingers. Around that chord, the notes of a D7 and G chord are within reach:

Press the dots to hear the notes. The D chord at the 7th fret is lit as the root.

Melody up the neck

Here is the first half of Fisher’s Hornpipe’s B part. The hand stays at the 7th fret; the fingers roll through the chord shape, and the 1st string reaches up to the 9th and 10th frets for the high melody notes.

Moving there

Shift on an open string or a rest if you can: while an open string rings, your hand has a moment to travel. Look at the fret dots (the inlays, usually at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th frets) to land in the right place.

Why go up?

Some melody notes are only up there, and some passages are easier with a chord shape under the hand. Notes high on the neck also sound brighter and stand out over a band.

Fisher’s Hornpipe

A hornpipe from the British Isles, long played by Southern fiddlers and banjo players. Bars 9 to 12 are up the neck; everything else is in first position.

Try it. Loop bars 9–12 at 50% until your hand finds the 7th fret without looking. Then practice just the moves in and out: bar 8 to bar 9 (up) and bar 12 to bar 13 (down).

Check each one when you can do it without looking twice.

I can find the D chord at the 7th fret on the top three strings.
I can move from first position to the 7th fret and back in time.
I can play the B part of Fisher’s Hornpipe up the neck slowly.

Remember

A position is where the index finger sits; 7th position covers frets 7 to 10.
In open G, a D chord lies across strings 3, 2 and 1 at the 7th fret.
Shift while an open string rings, and use the fret dots to land.