The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-04-25
The Banjo In 1854.

The dealer in musical instruments
was stunning on profuse!y orna-
N fnted ban o. eve can give you q
more strictly professional one." he re-
marked to his customer" but this style
has the call for parlor use. The differ
ence is that the stage banjo is even
more heavily ornamented than this one
has more side screws and jewelry; the
tone is the same" ,'
"Why do the stage banjos sound
loaderP''
Because professionals pound them
with thlmDIe. which they wear upon
their right forefinger; that practice
would not be good one while playing
for a small party"
The customer decided on the parlor
banjo. bought a bag for it and extra
strings, and LETT 1872. with the dealer.
I'm carry it home myself" he said as
he took. his departure. ....
The dealer turned to the reporter:
Ten years ago." said he, you
wouldn't catch such man carrying q
ban o in the daytime. but to-day this
young fellow is proud to do it. The in
strument is now in high favor, and 10
be able to rattle off Babylon is Fall
ing or the 'Rattle-snake Jig is just
the thing. Several fellows have car
RED ban os abroad in the past three
years. and Parisians take to them.
Some of our young ladies of society
are very fair players. and the picture O.
an American belle picking the banjo
for q group of fashionable listeners is
nx-y
style of instrument-which country
men ALWAYS take for boys ban o.
was gotten up expressly for ladies,
though gentlemen often use them. 1t
is the fact of women playing banios
which has SO largely increased their
popularity. They are the fashion. A
gentleman doesn't Ike to take his
ban to a party, but when lady
produces one he considers it q fino
opportunity to show lis strength con-
corning the 'Sa~anee River, or 'Nico-
demus Johnson" Ifladies had no banjo
N the no lse these chances would not oc-
cur. Another reason for the popularity
ct the instrument is that it makes fun.
People get tired of The stiff technical.
finished piano-playing which ladies have
ca "ried to such an extreme. 1t bores
them to make the effort to show dis
crimina i've appreciation of classical
N lsic. Yes, sir, the banjo fever has
been raging all through the winter. aud
now that the serenading season is COM
mencing we are h wing another squirt in
the business. There are many forms
and styles of banjos. think there is
little real dihereuce in them. The mail
point is to have fine str ngs of good
q, alitv, and a good parchment head
stretched As tigh ly as it will bear. You
can make almost any pro erly-propor-
toned banjo talk it the skin is tight and
hard. We can give YOU very good
ban o for S7-as good as those sold for
$50. 3d..
at is considered quite a nice thing
for young man to make a small ban o
for his sweetheart. He buys the materi-
ais and works them to suit his fancy. In
these cases the article is likely to cost
him thirty dollars. The latest idea in
getting up a presentation ban for a
girl is to buy one ready made and inlay
it with colored woods; there was good
deal Of this done last winter. and some
of the results were very pretty. If You
buy a five-dollar BANJO. properly on
structed. add pegs and tail piece of
ivory. and do little inlaying and carv-
ing. you will have an instrument worth |
from s25 to$,0.
THE idea that the banjo is prime |
favorite among our colored people is a
popular error. The cOlored man will |
90 around with q ban for busin IS
he knows that people con-
meet him with the instrument and is
willing to give way to their notion.
But in his fam ly the colored man plays
else. We sell them ten
guitar strings to one banjo string. 1t
is curious consideration that the his !
tnric instrument Of the trouhadour +,
shou have almost ceased to be q So
C ETY. music making machine. while the
once lowly ban o is heard in the draw
Sun.