Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-02-21
TWANelNo THE BANJO.
Chat with a Maker and Master Of the Pop
 ular Instrument.

San FranClScO t3lil
 It is said that you are the pioneer banj maker and teacher of the city, said the reporter to jolly. red faced little man. with slightly gray hair and stoop in his shoulders and as the banjo Is coming into use as one of the most popu- lar instruments of the day. l have come to have talk with you on the subject
 ~Cuite right; quite right. l have been here since '55, but. 1 declare. the present craze for banjo music beats anything l ever saw. Not only here. either, but all over the country they have taken the thing up. in some cases to tIe exclusion of pianos and other instruments. especially accOmpaniments for ballads. that it iS a wonder it has not had a run like this be- fore. The trouble was. though, that people did not like the idea of playing on an instrument that was so strongly associated with dlrkey life in the south, and with negro minStrelsy in gen eral Time has wrought great change in the notions of the people in this regard. and the humble banjo has been elevated to the rank of the guitar. Besides. the banjo, as it is manufactured. is not an in strument to be sneeLed at or coughed down when 1t is in the hands of a player who knows how 10 get music out of It Another thing about the banjo; Almost any one with an ear for melody can pick up a tOlearbly fair knowledge of it in a few weeks. with any kind of application That is why so many people who don want 70 spend two or three years learning the piano have begun tO twang the banjo. have pupils all over the city from Tar fat to Mob hill make the banjo for them after they have taken few lessons and know what kind of an instrument they want, high-priced or low, maple frame or mahogany, nickle frame or sill yer hoop
 A list of the pupils was shown, and it was found tO be long. including. as the teacher remarked, persons of all grades Tn life It wasa matter of note that a large number of wellknown young ladies in sO- cietv have shown themselves 10 be devoted to the art of playing this once cOntemptuOusly treated instrument
 Il can teach almost any young gentle man or lady how to play the banjo in two courses of ten lessons each. which Is doing better than most banjo teachers taught Lotta how to play in lS6L Well do l re- member the night she made her first ap- pearance as a banjo SOlOist Tn Maguire S opera house They male her play until her fingers were sore and her voice was
 hoarse from singing ln those days hardly any one p.ayed the banjo oil the minstrel stage. Now you hear it everywhere They sell them at all the music stores. and the heavy demand has contributed not a little 10 the present boom m the music trade. wouldn't advise any one 10 buy A ready made banjo, however It's just like buying ready made clothing or shoes The best article is that made tO order by (. man who understands what a banjo should be and how tO perfectly suit h.s customer
 Besides. you often have tO pay an out
 rageously high price-from s6O to s'J for the readv-made instTumeEts-whcnS S2J to
 $50 would be a good price for them
 No one will hesitate about playing on this simple instrument when it is known that fashion and culture have place1 upon it the imprint of their approval The banjo has cen popular instrument Tn trstclass society in England for the past two or three years. l had the honor Of selling an elegant concert banjo to a mem Der of the princess royal party during their visit 10 this cit two years ago. and giving him a few lessons. From this gentleman I learned that Lady Randolph Ihurchill. Lady Vaudeville, and many others of equal rank are skillful banioista | The earl of punrayen. Il Is said. has the finest collection of Lan os in Ire world. in ! cIuding one worth S2, OOO. having solid gold hoop. fine rosewood neck. ivory frets. and decorated with broad silk rib
 bons. on which are painted ferns and leaves. The English pl-yers order all their banios from America The idea of making them does not seem 10 have struck the manufacturers of musical instruments over there. or. what is more likely, they don't know how In msking good banjo you must have the right kind Of | wood. for one thing Ny handles and ! rims are all given three years to season m ! before they are used for making banloS | I have handles in my shop that were sawed out fourteen years ago If a banjo | ia made of wood not thoroughly seasoned. | it will warp and twist out of shape. Many | of our banjo makers don't seem 10 under ' stand fhis