Banjo B♭6 chord (Open D)B♭ sixth on the 5-string banjo: 0 1 1 3, and 6 more shapes

Bb6 chord chart for 5-string banjo in Open D tuning: 0 1 1 3, open position, with the short 5th string marked
Bb6 (Bb sixth) on the 5-string banjo, Open D: 0 1 1 3, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 0 1 1 3 (open position)

  1. String 4 (D): open, D
  2. String 3 (F♯): 1st fret, index finger (barre), G
  3. String 2 (A): 1st fret, index finger (barre), B♭
  4. String 1 (D): 3rd fret, ring finger, F
  5. String 5, the short f♯: open, F♯, not in the chord

Sounds: D G B♭ F  ·  B♭6 is B♭, D, F, G (1 · 3 · 5 · 6)

The 5th string: the short f♯ rubs against the F and G in this shape, a semitone away: some players let it ring, some skip it.

Open D tuning: f♯DF♯AD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose Open D once in its Settings and it remembers.

More B♭6 shapes

  1. 11f♯DGB♭D0 1 1 0
    open · no 5th
  2. 311f♯FGB♭D3 1 1 0
    open
  3. 3fr1234f♯FB♭DG3 4 5 5
    3fr
  4. 5fr3411f♯B♭DDG8 8 5 5
    5fr · no 5th
  5. 8fr143f♯B♭FGD8 11 10 0
    8fr
  6. 12fr1234f♯DGB♭F12 13 13 15
    12fr

Other B♭ chords in Open D

B♭B♭mB♭7B♭m7B♭maj7B♭6B♭sus4B♭sus2B♭dimB♭aug

Other sixth chords

G6A6D6C6B6E6F6B♭6

B♭6 in other tunings

Open GDouble CSawmillC Tuning

All Open D banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app