Banjo

The **banjo** is a string instrument, that was first played by African slaves in the United States a few hundred years ago. The idea came from other African instruments.
The name _banjo_ may have come from a Kimbundu word: _mbanza_, but it could have also come from a Senegambian word for the bamboo stick 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

### Banjo history

- Conway, Cecelia (1995). _African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions_, University of Tennessee Press. Paper: ; cloth: . 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. . 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. .
- Linn, Karen (1994). _That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture._ University of Illinois Press. . 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. . An illustrated history of the banjo featuring the world's premier collection.
- Webb, Robert Lloyd (1996). _Ring the Banjar!_. 2nd edition. Centerstream Publishing. . 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. . Instruction in frailing banjo. Available online under a Creative Commons license on several web sites including ezfolk .
- Scruggs, Earl. "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo". Hal Leonard Corporation. . 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. . 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. .  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. . An instructional guide.
- Bay, Mel (1973). _Deluxe Encyclopedia of Tenor Banjo Chords_. Porcupine Press. . 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. .
- Richards, Tobe A. (2006). _The Tenor Banjo Chord Bible: CGDA Standard Jazz Tuning 1,728 Chords_. Cabot Books. . 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. . A comprehensive chord dictionary in Irish tuning.
- Wachter, Buddy (2005). _Learning Tenor Banjo_. Homespun. . An instructional guide.

### Instructional (Plectrum Banjo)

- Richards, Tobe A. (2007). _The Plectrum Banjo Chord Bible: CGBD Standard Tuning 1,728 Chords_. Cabot Books. . 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

## Infobox (instrument)

- **name**: Banjo
- **image**: Banjo.jpg
- **image capt**: A four-string banjo
- **classification**: string
- **inventors**: Surinamese Creole peoples
- **developed**: Late 1700s-present