One of the most important (and sometimes most difficult) things to do is to get your banjo in tune. If it is not in tune it will not sound right. Learning how the strings should sound takes a lot of time, but don't let that discourage you. Do concern yourself with proper intonation for ear training purposes. You will be in the process of training your “musical ear” for years to come. It is imperative that you lay a proper foundation, and learn from the start how to identify the notes on the banjo.
If you do not have a properly tuned piano, you can easily obtain a pitch pipe, an electronic tuner or a Pocket Tones at a near by music store. Make it a habit to sound the tones even when you are not practicing your instrument. Proper pitch identification will be of great value to you and your musical partners. Don’t get caught up with the “It’s close enough” attitude or tune by the old adage “ It’s close enough for rock and roll”. If it is not correctly tuned, don’t start the tune!
Use Farley's Pocket Tones to develop excellent pitch recognition – it is the perfect answer for an immediate tone, and it fits right in your hand. Farley's Pocket Tones are available to tune a variety of instruments including Guitar PocketTone, Chromatic-C PocketTone and Chromatic-F PocketTone. Chromatic-C is the generally recommended pitch pipe for women and the Chromatic-F PocketTone for men. Farley's Pocket Tones are convenient, affordable and quite helpful. Get yours today!
