unfingerable?
63 distinct movable chord shapes for the Plectrum banjo in Standard tuning CGBD.
By Andy Allinger, 2009, placed in the public domain.
The root of each chord is not specified, because it may be placed anywhere on the fretboard. The shape stays the same, while it slides up or down the frets. So, once you learn the first shape, you know how to play all the major chords. The Roman numeral with each voicing tells which note of the major scale is played on the highest string. So to play a G Major III:
| Chord | Voicings | ||||
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| Minor | |
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| Seventh | |
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| Diminished | |
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| Augmented | |
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| Flat Fifth | |
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| Sixth | |
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| Minor Sixth | |
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| Minor Seventh | |
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| Major-Seventh | |
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Minor Major-Seventh | |
| Ninth | |
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Minor Ninth | | |
| Major-Ninth | | ||||
| Suspended Fourth | |
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| Suspended Sixth | |
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| Seventh Suspended Fourth | |
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| Add Ninth | |
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Minor Add Ninth | | |
| Eleventh | |
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| Thirteenth | |
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| Six-Nine | |
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Minor Six-Nine unfingerable? |
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| Seventh Sharp Ninth | |
Seventh Flat Ninth | |
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The numbers in the spellings of chords are notes of the major scale, counting 1=do, 2=re, 3=mi, 4=fa, 5=so, 6=la, 7=ti, 8=do, 9=re, 10=mi, 11=fa, 12=so, 13=la. Notice that you may subtract seven and it's the same note. Sharps and flats are indicated with # and b. The root of the chord is the note in its name and is the 1 to begin counting from. Notes in bold are the most important.
Be warned that the names of the chords are not logically consistent, and various abbreviations are used by different writers. Often ° is used to mean diminished, + means augmented, or it may mean sharp the following note, - means flat the following note.
| Chord Name | Spelling | Comments |
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| Major | 1 3 5 | |
| Minor | 1 b3 5 | |
| Diminished | 1 b3 b5 | A dim7 can usually be played instead. Some arrangers don't distinguish between dim and dim7. |
| Augmented | 1 3 #5 | Because the notes in an augmented chord are each four frets apart, all voicings are the same. |
| Flat Fifth | 1 3 b5 | |
| Suspended Second | 1 2 5 | This is equivalent to a sus4 with the root transposed up 7 frets. |
| Suspended Fourth | 1 4 5 | |
| Suspended Sixth | 1 5 6 | |
| Sixth | 1 3 5 6 | Equivalent to m7 with its root transposed down 3 frets. |
| Minor Sixth | 1 b3 5 6 | |
| Seventh Formally called Dominant Seventh | 1 3 5 b7 | An easier voicing for 7 V is the dim bIII which has three of the four notes of the 7 chord |
| Minor Seventh | 1 b3 5 b7 | Equivalent to a 6 with the root transposed 3 frets higher |
| Diminished Seventh | 1 b3 b5 bb7 | Because the notes of this chord are each 3 frets apart, any voicing is the same. The bb7 is the same as 6. Nonetheless, this chord is called a seventh. |
| Augmented Seventh | 1 3 #5 7 | |
| Seventh Suspended Fourth | 1 4 5 b7 | |
| Seventh Flat Fifth | 1 3 b5 b7 | |
| Major-Seventh | 1 3 5 7 | |
| Minor Major-Seventh | 1 b3 5 7 | |
| Add Ninth | 1 3 5 9 | |
| Minor Add Ninth | 1 b3 5 9 | |
| Add Augmented Fifth | 1 3 5 #5 | |
| Ninth | 1 3 5 b7 9 | May substitute a m6 with the root transposed 7 frets higher. |
| Minor Ninth | 1 b3 5 b7 9 | The alternate 9 IX voicing has no 3 and so can also be used for a m9 IX |
| Diminished Ninth | 1 b3 b5 bb7 9 | |
| Major-Ninth | 1 3 5 7 9 | |
| Eleventh | 1 3 5 b7 9 11 or 1 3 5 b7 9 11 |
May substitute 7sus4 with root transposed up 7 frets OR m7 with root transposed up 7 frets OR add9 with root transposed down 2 frets |
| Thirteenth | 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 | Six-Nine chords are portions of a Thirteenth |
| Six-Nine | 1 3 5 6 9 | May substitute a 13 without transposing |
| Minor Six-Nine | 1 b3 5 6 9 | May substitute a 13 with the root transposed up 5 frets. |
| Seventh Sharp Ninth | 1 3 5 b7 #9 | |
| Seventh Flat Ninth | 1 3 5 b7 b9 |
This chart is thorough, but it is not complete, because there is always another chord.
andy@13olive.net