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Banjo

Banjo is a musical instrument of the guitar family, having a circular body covered in front with tightly stretched parchment and played with the fingers or a pick.

The body, or “pot”, of a modern banjo typically consists of a circular rim (generally made of wood, though metal was also common on older banjos) and a tensioned head, like a drumhead. Traditionally, the head was made from animal skin, but contemporary models often use synthetic materials. A membrane is stretched over a frame to form a resonator.

Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by African Americans in the United States, adapted from West African instruments of similar design. The banjo is frequently associated with bluegrass, folk, old-time and country music, and has also been used in rock, jazz, and classical music.

The banjo was generally limited to African American traditional music and the folk culture of rural whites before minstrel shows of the 19th century brought it into the wider mainstream.

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 also gained popularity.

Bluegrass music almost exclusively uses the five-string resonator banjo. The styles of playing include Scruggs style, named after North Carolina native 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.

The earliest banjos had four gut strings; later, from five to nine metal strings were used. In the 1890s, frets were added to the long neck, and a machine head with screws replaced the tuning pegs. The standard banjo has five metal strings.

There are many variations of the standard banjo including the zither banjo and the chanterelle.