A banjo is a stringed instrument with a long, thin neck and a classically rounded body. The number of strings on a banjo varies depending on the model: a classical banjo has four or five strings, while other models have up to six. The sound of the instrument is most commonly associated with bluegrass and country western music in the United States, but it can also be found in other musical genres. Musicians all over the world are drawn to the banjo because of its distinct style and sound, and they are constantly refining it to suit their individual needs.
Stringed instruments have been used in human civilization for thousands of years. The banjo is thought to have originated in Africa, where the mbanza was created by stretching animal skin over a gourd and adding a long neck with strings for the musician to pluck. Captured slaves brought these stringed instruments to the Americas, and the first written mention of the term dates from the mid-1700s. Black minstrel shows popularized the banjo in the 1800s, and frets were added to the instrument to alter the sound. By the time the instrument became popular, the gourd had been replaced by a flat wood or metal frame.
Traditional banjos have four or five strings, with the fifth string usually pegged halfway up the neck and used as a drone. The six-string version is tuned and played in the same way that a guitar is, and some exotic variants have even more strings. To pluck the instrument, musicians usually use multiple finger picks, though some prefer to use their fingers instead. Although there are a variety of playing styles, depending on the style of music and the musician’s training, banjo music is distinguished by a distinctive “rinky-tink” sound.
The tenor banjo, which has a shorter neck and a different tuning than a traditional model, is one of the four string variants. Tenor banjos are commonly used in Irish and Dixieland music. Another variation is the plectrum banjo, which has a longer traditional neck and is designed to be played like a guitar with a single pick. With this type, musicians tend to strum rather than pluck chords, resulting in a unique sound. Various instruments, such as bouzoukis, ukuleles, mandolins, and guitars, have been hybridized with the banjo. For a unique sound and resonance, these variants combine the distinct sounds of their parent instruments.