Irish tenor banjo scale charts
12 printable scale charts in GDAE, with note names and audio. Start with G and D major, then explore the minor scales and modes used in 2596 settings in our library.
12 scales with tablature
Swipe across a chart to read the full staff.
G major
985 settings in this keyChords: G, C, Em + Am, D, D7
Open G major tab and tunesD major
756 settings in this keyChords: D, G, Bm + Em, A7
Open D major tab and tunesA major
257 settings in this keyChords: A, D, E + F#m, E7
Open A major tab and tunesC major
78 settings in this keyChords: C, F, G + Am, Dm, G7
Open C major tab and tunesE minor
142 settings in this keyChords: Em, D, G + C, Am
Open E minor tab and tunesA minor
127 settings in this keyChords: Am, G, C + F, Dm, Em
Open A minor tab and tunesG minor
93 settings in this keyChords: Gm, F, Bb + Cm, Dm, Eb
Open G minor tab and tunesD minor
46 settings in this keyChords: Dm, Am, C + Bb, F
Open D minor tab and tunesA dorian
45 settings in this keyChords: Am, G, C + Em, D
Open A dorian tab and tunesE dorian
6 settings in this keyChords: Em, A, D + G, Bm
Open E dorian tab and tunesD mixolydian
35 settings in this keyChords: D, C, Am + Bm
Open D mixolydian tab and tunesA mixolydian
26 settings in this keyChords: A, G, Em + D
Open A mixolydian tab and tunesPractise one scale with a tune
Play the scale slowly, then open a tune in that key. Find the notes where each phrase settles. Use the player to hear the phrase again and try it at a lower speed.
The scale gives you a starting set of notes. The melody and chord underneath determine which notes fit at a particular moment.
Pentatonic shapes
Five-note scales: major and minor pentatonics give you a smaller set of notes to practise. Listen to the melody and accompaniment when choosing where to use them. The separate GDAEcharts cover G and D major pentatonic, plus E and A minor pentatonic.
Modes, in one paragraph
A mode is a scale that treats a different note as home. A dorian uses exactly the notes of G major but centres on A. D mixolydian is D major with the seventh flattened, C-natural. Listen for the note a phrase settles on and check the sharps or flats in its setting.
Questions about scales
G major and D major first: between them they cover 1741 of the 2705 tunes on this site. Then A dorian and E minor for the minor-sounding tunes, and the mixolydian modes as you meet them. Every chart above sits in first position, almost all of it below the fifth fret.
This page is it. Press Print and the charts come out on their own, without the navigation or anything else around them, on paper or to PDF.
Learning the scale helps you recognise a tune’s notes. Practise the melody by ear first, then try a small variation while keeping its rhythm and phrase endings. A scale note can still clash with the chord underneath it, so listen to the accompaniment.
A mode is a type of scale with its own pattern of intervals. A dorian uses the notes of G major but centres on A. Its raised sixth, F#, distinguishes it from A natural minor.
Yes. The pentatonic scale charts for tenor banjo show G and D major pentatonic, plus E and A minor pentatonic, in GDAE tab. Each uses five notes per octave.
The scale’s note names stay the same. GDAE instruments share fret patterns, while a GDAD bouzouki needs different frets on its top course. Mandolin sounds at fiddle pitch; Irish tenor banjo and octave mandola sound an octave lower.