The modern 5-string banjo is a variation on the original 1830s design. The 5th string is usually the same gauge as the 1st, but starts from the 5th fret, three-quarters the length of the other strings. This lets the string be tuned to a higher open pitch than possible for the full-length strings. Because of the short 5th string, the 5-string banjo uses a reentrant tuning – the string pitches do not proceed lowest to highest across the fingerboard. Instead, the 4th string is lowest, then the 3rd, 2nd, 1st and the 5th string is highest. 

The short 5th string presents special problems for a capo. For small changes (going up or down one or two semitones, for example), retuning the 5th string simply is possible. Otherwise, various devices called '5th-string capos' effectively shorten the vibrating part of the string. Many banjo players use model-railroad spikes or titanium spikes (usually installed at the 7th fret and sometimes at others), under which they hook the string to press it down on the fret. 

5-string banjo players use many tunings. Probably the most common, particularly in bluegrass, is the open-G tuning: G4 D3 G3 B3 D4.

A 5-string banjo is usually played with a thumbpick and two fingerpicks.