Music theory for 5-string banjo

Banjo Lab

See the key. Find the chord. Play the song.

Banjo Lab connects music theory to the open-G fretboard. Explore how keys and chords relate, learn practical shapes, then build timing through rolls, progressions, and familiar songs.

Start with G Practice a song

One connected workspace

Theory you can put under your fingers

Music theory is universal; Banjo Lab makes it instrument-specific. Every concept leads back to a chord shape, picking pattern, or timed exercise you can play on a five-string banjo.

A simple learning path

Begin anywhere. Keep the ideas connected.

  1. 01

    Understand the key

    Turn the Circle of Fifths to see the scale, relative minor, diatonic chords, dominant, and subdominant.

    Explore the Circle
  2. 02

    Learn the shapes

    Connect chord names to open-G voicings, movable barre, F, and D shapes, and recommended fingering.

    Open the Chord Chart
  3. 03

    Build steady timing

    Practice progressions, forward rolls, and beginner songs with synchronized, adjustable metronomes.

    Enter Chord Practice

Keep growing

Train your hands, ears, and memory

Use the Roll Library for right-hand vocabulary, Song Practice to connect measures, Flash Cards to recall chords in a key, and Music Terms whenever the language is unfamiliar.

Roll LibraryFive foundational picking patterns Song PracticeFolk, bluegrass, and religious studies Flash CardsRecall chords by key and scale degree Music TermsPlain-language theory reference