On the banjo one hand frets the chords, the other picks the rolls with thumb, index and middle finger. Both hands are busy. So left-handers can play right-handed perfectly well – or use a banjo that is built mirrored. One feature, though, makes the banjo different from the ukulele and guitar: the short fifth string.
Why restringing isn’t enough on a banjo
The fifth string doesn’t start at the headstock but at its own tuning peg on the side of the neck, at the fifth fret. That peg is fixed to the side of the neck that faces up while playing. Turn a standard banjo over and it ends up underneath – along with the short string. Unlike a ukulele or guitar, this can’t be fixed just by stringing it differently.
- Left-handed banjo: the neck, nut and fifth-string peg are built mirrored. This is the best solution if you want to play the other way round.
- New neck: on many banjos the neck can be unbolted from the round body. A repair shop can then fit a left-handed neck.
- Bridge: the banjo bridge is loose, held in place only by the strings. For left-handers it is set up to match the new string order and repositioned so the notes are in tune.
Playing it upside down?
Simply playing a standard banjo upside down is rare: the short fifth string then lies at the bottom, where the thumb can’t reach it well for rolls. If a left-handed banjo isn’t an option yet, learning right-handed is usually the easier path – many left-handers play that way quite naturally.
The left-handed view in the app
If you play a left-handed banjo, switch on the Left-handed setting – under “My Stars” or right below the chord chart on any chord page. All chord charts and the blues neck are then mirrored, just as you see your banjo. The short fifth string moves to the other side in the pictures too; string names and numbers stay readable. If you play right-handed, leave it off.
All chords