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

## References
## Further reading 
### 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