  the banjolele (brand name; sometimes banjo ukulele or banjo uke) is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by alvin d. keech in 1917.  the instrument achieved its greatest popularity in the 1920s and '30s, and combines the small scale, tuning, and playing style of a ukulele with the construction and distinctive tone of a banjo, hence the name. its development was pushed by the need for vaudeville performers to have an instrument that played with the ease of the ukulele, but with more volume. ==construction and tuning== thumb|"my dog has fleas" tuning.  banjo ukuleles parallel banjo construction, on a smaller scale, in terms of overall construction. they are always fretted. most are built of wood with metal accoutrements, although the mid-century "dixie" brand featured banjoleles made from solid metal. the banjolele neck typically has sixteen frets and is the same scale length as a soprano or, less commonly, concert-sized ukulele. banjo ukuleles may be open-backed, or may incorporate a resonator. banjo ukulele heads were traditionally made of calf skin, but most modern instruments are fitted with synthetic heads. some players prefer the natural skin heads for a more traditional tone. the bridge floats on the head and is held in place by the tension of the strings. like standard ukuleles, banjo ukuleles were originally outfitted with gut strings. nylon strings are now typically used, sometimes with a wound third string. the banjolele is commonly tuned gcea ("c tuning") or adf#b ("d tuning"), with a re-entrant 4th string. the adf#b tuning often produces a more strident tone, and is used for this reason. both of these tunings are known as "my dog has fleas" tunings (5th, tonic, maj 3rd, maj 6th). ==popular culture== thumb the banjolele was the instrument played by british comedian george formby (1904â61
1917_introductions Banjo_family_instruments Ukuleles