Banjo

Banjo

A four-string banjo
Classification	string
Inventor(s)	Surinamese Creole peoples
Developed	Late 1700s-present

Thebanjois astring instrument,that was first played by African slaves in theUnited Statesa few hundred years ago. The idea came from other African instruments. The namebanjomay have come from a Kimbundu word:mbanza,but it could have also come from a Senegambian word for thebamboostick used for the banjo's neck.

The modern banjo comes in a variety of forms, including four- and five-string versions. A six-string version, tuned and played similarly to a guitar, has gained popularity. In almost all of its forms, banjo playing is characterized by a fast arpeggiated plucking, though many different playing styles exist.

Related pages

• Bluegrass music
• Country music

Further reading

Banjo history

• Conway, Cecelia (1995).African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions,University of Tennessee Press. Paper:ISBN0-87049-893-2;cloth:ISBN0-87049-892-4.A study of the influence of African Americans on banjo playing throughout U.S. history.
• Gura, Philip F. and James F. Bollman (1999).America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century.The University of North Carolina Press.ISBN0-8078-2484-4.The definitive history of the banjo, focusing on the instrument's development in the 1800s.
• Katonah Museum of Art (2003).The Birth of the Banjo.Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, New York.ISBN0-915171-64-3.
• Linn, Karen (1994).That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture.University of Illinois Press.ISBN0-252-06433-X.Scholarly cultural history of the banjo, focusing on how its image has evolved over the years.
• Tsumura, Akira (1984).Banjos: The Tsumura Collection.Kodansha International Ltd.ISBN0-87011-605-3.An illustrated history of the banjo featuring the world's premier collection.
• Webb, Robert Lloyd (1996).Ring the Banjar!.2nd edition. Centerstream Publishing.ISBN1-57424-016-1.A short history of the banjo, with pictures from an exhibition at the MIT Museum.

Instructional (5-string Banjo)

• Bailey, Jay. "Historical Origin and Stylistic Development of the Five-String Banjo." The Journal of American Folklore 85.335 (1972): 58-65.
• Costello, Patrick (2003).The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo.Pik-Ware Publishing.ISBN0-9744190-0-1.Instruction in frailing banjo. Available online under a Creative Commons license on several web sites includingezfolkArchived2007-11-17 at theWayback Machine.
• Scruggs, Earl. "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo". Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN0-634-06042-2.Instruction in Scruggs or 3 finger style 5 string banjo.
• Seeger, Mike (2005). "Old-Time Banjo Styles". Homespun Tapes. Seeger teaches several old-time picking techniques - clawhammer, two-finger, three-finger, up-picking and others.
• Seeger, Pete (1969).How to Play the 5-String Banjo.3rd edition. Music Sales Corporation.ISBN0-8256-0024-3.The seminal instruction book, still in print decades later. Seeger has since recorded an instruction video, available on DVD.
• Wernick, Pete (1985 DVD).Beginning Bluegrass Banjo.Full course in the basics of Scruggs style.
• Wernick, Pete & Trischka, Tony (2000).Masters of the Five-String Banjo.Acutab Publications.ISBN0-7866-5939-4.70 banjo pieces from Scruggs, Reno, Osborne and Crowe to Fleck, Munde, and Cloud. Technique, improvising, set-up, learning, backup, favorite banjos, practice tips, equipment.
• Winans, Robert B. "The Folk, the Stage, and the Five-String Banjo in the Nineteenth Century." The Journal of American Folklore 89. 354 (1976): 407-37. 14 Sep. 2006.

Instructional (Tenor Banjo)

• Bay, Mel (1990).Complete Tenor Banjo Method.Porcupine Press.ISBN1-56222-018-7.An instructional guide.
• Bay, Mel (1973).Deluxe Encyclopedia of Tenor Banjo Chords.Porcupine Press.ISBN0-87166-877-7.A comprehensive chord dictionary for CGDA or standard tuning.
• O'Connor, Gerry.50 solos for Irish tenor banjo: (featuring jigs, reels and hornpipes arranged for E, A, D, G and A, D, G, C tuning).Soodlum, Waltons Mfg. Ltd.ISBN978-1857201482.
• Richards, Tobe A. (2006).The Tenor Banjo Chord Bible: CGDA Standard Jazz Tuning 1,728 Chords.Cabot Books.ISBN0-9553944-4-9.A comprehensive chord dictionary in standard jazz tuning.
• Richards, Tobe A. (2006).The Irish Tenor Banjo Chord Bible: GDAE Irish Tuning 1,728 Chords.Cabot Books.ISBN0-9553944-6-5.A comprehensive chord dictionary in Irish tuning.
• Wachter, Buddy (2005).Learning Tenor Banjo.Homespun.ISBN1-59773-078-5.An instructional guide.

Instructional (Plectrum Banjo)

• Richards, Tobe A. (2007).The Plectrum Banjo Chord Bible: CGBD Standard Tuning 1,728 Chords.Cabot Books.ISBN978-1-906207-07-6.A comprehensive chord dictionary in standard tuning.

Instructional (Claw-hammer Banjo)

• Koken, Walt (2016) "Slo-Mo Banjo" DVD. Mudthumper Music.

Instructional (Cello Banjo)

• The cello banjo was introduced during the banjo orchestra craze of the early 20th century, to play, not surprisingly, the cello parts of the orchestra. Recently it has made a little comeback, thanks mainly to Gold Tone making two low-pitched instruments, a 5-string and the 4-string.

Instructional (Bass Banjo)

• Gibson produced a separate instrument called a "bass banjo" from 1930 to 1933. This was a 4-string instrument, played as an upright bass, with a stand substituting for a spike. It was tuned EADG, the same as Gibson's mando-bass.

Instructional (Bluegrass Banjo)

• Bluegrass music, which uses the five-string resonator banjo almost exclusively, is played in several common styles. These include Scruggs style, named after Earl Scruggs; melodic, or Keith style, named for Bill Keith; and three-finger style with single-string work, also called Reno style after Don Reno.

Other websites

• The International Bluegrass Music Museum
• Banjo Music & Theory
• Chord finder for 4-string banjos
• Banjo-L
• The Banjo Hangout
• The Banjo Newsletter