Banjo 3846 224865269 2008-07-10T19:27:56Z Crubins 364865 /* Five-string banjo */ remove parentheses - deserves its own sentence. {{Infobox Instrument |name = Banjo |names = |image = BluegrassBanjo.jpg |classification = [[String instrument]] ([[Pizzicato|plucked or frailed]]) |range = [[Image:Range banjo.png|200px]] |related = |articles = }} {{otheruses}} The '''banjo''' is a [[stringed instrument]] developed by [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved]] [[Africa]]ns in the [[United States]], adapted from several African instruments.<ref>[http://www.ibma.org/about.bluegrass/history/index.asp Bluegrass Music: The Roots]." [[International Bluegrass Music Association|IBMA]]. Retrieved on [[2006-08-25]]</ref> The name ''banjo'' commonly is thought to be derived from the [[Kimbundu]] term ''mbanza''. Some etymologists derive it from a dialectal pronunciation of "[[bandora (instrument)|bandore]]", though recent research suggests that it may come from a [[Senegambia (geography)|Senegambia]]n term for the [[bamboo]] stick used for the instrument's neck{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. == History == African Slaves in the [[Southern United States|American South]] and [[Appalachia]] fashioned the earliest banjos after instruments they had been familiar with in [[Africa]], with some of the earliest instruments sometimes referred to now as "gourd banjos". One example would be an ''[[akonting]]''. It is a spike folk lute played by the [[Jola people|Jola tribe]] of [[Senegambia (geography)|Senegambia]]. Another similar instrument is the ''[[xalam]]'' of Senegal which dates back to [[ancient Egypt]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}} The modern banjo was popularized by the American minstrel performer [[Joel Sweeney]] in the 1830s. Banjos were introduced in Britain in the 1840s by Sweeney's group, the American [[Virginia Minstrels]], and became very popular in music halls.<ref name=Zither>[http://www.shlomomusic.com/zitherbanjo.htm Information on the banjo and development of the Zither-banjo]</ref> == Modern forms == The modern banjo comes in a variety of forms, including four-('''plectrum''' and '''tenor''' banjos) and five-string versions. A six-string version, tuned and played similar to a [[guitar]], is gaining popularity. In almost all of its forms the banjo's playing is characterised by a fast strumming or [[arpeggio|arpeggiated]] right hand, although there are many different playing styles. == Usage == Today, the banjo commonly is associated with [[country music|country]] and [[bluegrass music]]. Historically, however, the banjo occupied a central place in [[African American music|African American traditional music]], as well as in the [[minstrel show]]s of the 19th century. In fact, African Americans exerted a strong, early influence on the development of both country and bluegrass through the introduction of banjo, and as well through the innovation of musical techniques in the playing of both the banjo and fiddle.<ref>Winship, David.[http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/index.cgi?CONTEXT=cat&cat=10043 "The African American Music Tradition in Country Music]." BCMA, Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. Retrieved 02-08-2007.</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Cecelia|last=Conway|authorlink=Cecelia Conway|year=2005|title=African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia|pages=424|publisher=The University of Tennessee Press}}</ref><ref>[http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/whatisoldtime/old-time-music-definition.htm "Old-time (oldtimey) Music What is it?]." TML, A Traditional Music Library. Retrieved 02-08-2007.</ref> Recently, the banjo has enjoyed inclusion in a wide variety of musical genres, including pop crossover music and [[Celtic punk]]. == Five-string banjo == {{infobox | title = Helmholtz notation | label1 = Note: | data1 = This article uses [[Helmholtz pitch notation]] to define banjo tunings. }} The instrument is available in many forms. The five-string banjo is credited to [[Joel Walker Sweeney]], an American [[minstrel show|minstrel]] performer from [[Appomattox Court House]], [[Virginia]]. Sweeney wanted an instrument similar to the banjar played by African Americans in the American South, but at the same time, he wanted to implement some new ideas. He worked with a New York drum maker to replace the banjar's skin-covered gourd with the modern open-backed drum-like pot, and added another string to give the instrument more range or a drone. This new banjo came to be tuned gCGBb; a minor 3rd higher than the eAEG#b tuning of the banjar, and Sweeney was playing it by the 1830s. [[Image:Woman plays banjo.jpg|left|thumb|250px]] The banjo can be played in several styles and is used in various forms of [[music]]. American [[old-time music]] typically uses the five-string [[open back banjo]]. It is played in a number of different styles, the most common of which are called [[clawhammer]] (or "claw-hammer") and frailing, characterised by the use of a downward rather than upward motion when striking the strings with the fingers. Banjo picks are inserted onto the fingers for a smoother playing. Frailing techniques use the thumb to catch the fifth string for a [[drone (music)|drone]] after each strum or twice in each action ("double thumbing"), or to pick out additional melody notes in what is known as "drop-thumb." [[Pete Seeger]] popularised a [[Folk music|folk]] style by combining clawhammer with "up picking", usually without the use of [[fingerpick]]s. [[Image:Adrienne Young's banjo.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Adrienne Young]]'s banjo at Little Grill Collective June 27, 2008 in [[Harrisonburg, Virginia]].]] [[Bluegrass music]], which uses the five-string resonator banjo exclusively, is played in several common styles. These include [[Scruggs style]], named after [[Earl Scruggs]], melodic or [[Keith style]], and three-finger style with single string work, also called Reno style after [[Don Reno]], legendary father of [[Don Wayne Reno]]. In these styles the emphasis is on arpeggiated figures played in a continuous eighth-note rhythm. All of these styles are typically played with [[fingerpick]]s. Many tunings are used for the five-string banjo. Probably the most common, particularly in bluegrass, is the open G tuning (gDGBd). In earlier times, the tuning gCGBd was commonly used instead. Other tunings common in old-time music include double C (gCGcd), sawmill or mountain minor (gDGcd) also called Modal or Mountain Modal, old-time A (aDAde) a step up from double C, often played with a violin accompaniment, and open D (f#DF#Ad). These tunings are often taken up a tone, either by tuning up or using a [[capo]]. The fifth (drone) string is the same gauge as the first, but it is generally five frets shorter, three quarters the length of the rest. One notable exception is the long necked [[Pete Seeger]] model, where the additional three frets are not added to the fifth string. The short fifth string means that unlike many string instruments, the strings on a five string banjo do not go in order from lowest to highest from one side of the neck to the other. Instead, in order from low to high the strings are the fourth, third, second, first, and then fifth. The short fifth string presents special problems for using a [[capo]] to change the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] of the instrument. For small changes (going up or down one or two semitones, for example) it is possible simply to retune the fifth string. Otherwise various devices, known as fifth string capos, are available effectively to shorten the string. Many banjo players favour the use of model railroad spikes or titanium spikes (usually installed at the seventh fret and sometimes at others), under which the string can be hooked to keep it pressed down on the [[fret]]. While the five-string banjo has been used in classical music since the turn of the century, [[contemporary classical music|contemporary and modern]] works have been written for the instrument by [[Béla Fleck]], [http://www.timlake.com Tim Lake], [[George Crumb]], [[Jo Kondo]], [[Paul Elwood]], [[Hans Werner Henze]] (notably in his [[Symphony No. 6 (Henze)|Sixth Symphony]]), [[Beck]], [[J.P. Pickens]], Peggy Honeywell and [[Sufjan Stevens]]. Petite variations on the 5-string banjo have been available since the 1890s. S.S. Stewart introduced the [[banjeaurine]], tuned one fourth above a standard five-string. Piccolo banjos are smaller, and tuned one octave above a standard banjo. == Four-string banjo == {{Unreferencedsection|date=July 2008}} [[Image:Riverside Stompers - Peter Schwanzer solo - Dieter Bietak 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Four-string banjo]] [[Image:Item-ps-250-(plectrum-special)-1458 lg.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Plectrum banjo]] [[Image:Item-it-250f-(irish-tenor)-1419 lg.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Irish tenor banjo]] [[Image:Item-ceb-4-1296 lg.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Cello banjo]] The '''plectrum banjo''' has four strings, lacking the shorter fifth drone string, and around 22 frets; it is usually tuned CGBd. As the name suggests, it is usually played with a guitar-style [[plectrum|pick]] (that is, a single one held between thumb and forefinger), unlike the five-string banjo, which is either played with a [[thumbpick]] and two fingerpicks, or with bare fingers. The plectrum banjo evolved out of the five-string banjo, to cater to styles of music involving strummed chords. [[Eddie Peabody]] was possibly the greatest exponent of the plectrum banjo style in the early to mid twentieth century. A further development is the '''tenor banjo''', which also has four strings and is also typically played with a plectrum. It has a shorter neck with around 19 frets and a scale length of 21 3/4" - 23" on shorter models, and 25 1/2" to 26 3/4" on longer ones. It is usually tuned CGda, like a [[mandola]], but has also been tuned Gdae′ like an [[octave mandolin]] which produces a more mellow tone. Tenor Banjos also come in short scale with 17 frets and are used by players who use fiddle fingering, in the Gdae′ tuning. These tunings became popular around the turn of the century due to the growing popularity of the mandolin. Another alternative, called "Chicago" tuning is DGBe (like the first four strings of a guitar) which is now regaining popularity due to the number of guitarists who double on banjo. The tenor banjo has become a standard instrument for [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish traditional music]]. The tenor banjo was also a common rhythm instrument in early jazz and dance bands throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Its volume and timbre suited early jazz (and jazz-influenced popular music styles) and could both compete with other instruments (such as [[brass instruments]] and [[saxophones]]) and be heard clearly on acoustic recordings. However, as the guitar gained in popularity in the 1930s, the tenor banjo moved out of mainstream jazz and popular music finding a place in traditional jazz and Dixieland jazz. [[Harry Reser]] was arguably the best tenor banjoist of the early twentieth century and wrote a large number of works for tenor banjo as well as instructional material. The tenor banjo is regaining popularity as Dixieland jazz finds its way back into experimental improvisational music. Its rise to popularity is being supported by the recent manufacturing of tenors at a working musicians price. Rarer than either the tenor or plectrum banjo is the [[cello banjo]]. Normally tuned C′G′DA , one octave below the tenor banjo, it matches the [[cello]] and [[mandocello]] in range. It played a role in banjo orchestras in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. [[Bass banjo]]s have been produced in both upright bass formats and with standard, horizontally-carried banjo bodies. Four-string banjo playing (in addition to rhythm playing) can include single string playing, chord melody (in which a succession of chords are played where the highest note forms a melody), a tremolo style (both of chords and single strings) and a complicated technique called duo style which combines single string tremolo and rhythm chords. [[Roy Smeck]] was an influential performer on many fretted instruments including banjo. He also wrote a number of solos and instructional books. [[Johnny Biar]] and [[Buddy Wachter]] are prominent four-string banjoists currently working professionally. == Banjo variants == [[Image:Banjo.png|left|thumb|300px|Old 6-string zither banjo]] A British innovation was the 6-string banjo, developed by William Temlett, one of England's earliest banjo makers, who opened his shop in London in 1846. American Alfred Davis Cammeyer (1862-1949), a young violinist-turned banjo concert player, devised the 5-string zither-banjo around 1880, which had a wood resonator and metal "wire" strings (the 1st and 2nd melody strings and 5th "thumb" string; the 3rd melody string was gut and the 4th was silk covered) as well as frets and guitar-style tuning machines. British [[opera]] diva [[Adelina Patti]] advised Cammeyer that the zither-banjo might be popular with English audiences, and Cammeyer went to London in 1888. After convincing the British that banjos could be used for more sophisticated music than was normally played by blackface minstrels, he was soon performing for London society, where he met Sir [[Arthur Sullivan]], who recommended that Cammeyer progress from writing banjo arrangements of music to composing his own music. (Interesting to note that, supposedly unbeknownst to Cammeyer, William Temlett had patented a 7-string closed back banjo in 1869, and was already marketing it as a "zither-banjo.") The first 5-string electric solid-body banjo was developed by Charles (Buck) Wilburn Trent, Harold "Shot" Jackson, and David Jackson in 1960. The six-string or guitar-banjo was the instrument of the early jazz great [[Johnny St. Cyr]], as well as of jazzmen [[Django Reinhardt]], [[Danny Barker]], [[Papa Charlie Jackson]] and [[Clancy Hayes]], as well as the blues and gospel singer The [[Reverend Gary Davis]]. Nowadays, it sometimes appears under such names as guitanjo, [[Guitjo (six-string)|guitjo]], ganjo, or banjitar. A number of hybrid instruments exist, crossing the banjo with other stringed instruments. Most of these use the body of a banjo, often with a resonator, and the neck of the other instrument. Examples include the ''[[Banjo Mandolin|banjo mandolin]]''; the [[Banjolin]]; and the ''banjo [[ukulele]]'' or ''[[banjolele]]''. These were especially popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, and were probably a result of a desire either to allow players of other instruments to jump on the banjo bandwagon at the height of its popularity, or to get the natural amplification benefits of the banjo resonator in an age before electric amplification. Instruments using the five-string banjo neck on a wooden body (for example, that of a [[bouzouki]] or [[dobro|resonator guitar]]) have also been made, such as the banjola. A 20th-Century [[Music of Turkey|Turkish]] instrument very similar to the banjo is called [[Cümbüs]]. Rhythm guitarist [[Dave Day]] of 1960's proto-punks [[The Monks]] replaced his guitar with a six-string, gut-strung banjo upon which he played guitar chords. This instrument sounds much more metallic, scratchy and wiry than a standard electric guitar, due to its amplification via a small microphone stuck inside the banjo's body. == Banjo makers == *Aria *Bacon & Day *Bart Reiter *[[Deering Banjo Company]] *[[Framus]] *[[Gibson Guitar Corporation]] *Gold Tone *Huber *Iida *Morgan Monroe *Oldfield *Ome *Stelling *[[Vega Company|Vega]] *[[Wildwood Banjos]] *Silvertone ==References== {{reflist}} == See also == * [[African American music]] * [[List of banjo players|Banjo players, list of]] * [[Bluegrass music]] * [[Country music]] * [[Prewar Gibson banjo]] * [[Guitjo (double-neck)|Double-neck guitjo]] * [[Stringed instrument tunings]] * [[Irish Music]] * [[Banjo (samba)]] * [[Banjo-Kazooie (series)|Banjo-Kazooie]] == Further reading == === Banjo history === * Conway, Cecelia (1995). ''African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions'', University of Tennessee Press. Paper: ISBN 0-87049-893-2; cloth: ISBN 0-87049-892-4. 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. ISBN 0-8078-2484-4. 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. ISBN 0-915171-64-3. * Linn, Karen (1994). ''That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture.'' University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06433-X. 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. ISBN 0-87011-605-3. An illustrated history of the banjo featuring the world's premier collection. * Webb, Robert Lloyd (1996). ''Ring the Banjar!''. 2nd edition. Centerstream Publishing. ISBN 1-57424-016-1. 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. ISBN 0-9744190-0-1. Instruction in frailing banjo. Available online under a Creative Commons license on several web sites including [http://www.ezfolk.com/banjo/howtao/ ezfolk]. *Richards, Tobe A. ''The Bluegrass Banjo Chord Bible: Open G Tuning 2,160 Chords''. Cabot Books (2008) ISBN 978-1-906207-08-3. Comprehesive chord dictionary featuring 2,160 chords, moveable shapes, slash chords, tuning diagrams, historical factfile etc. 94 pages. *Scruggs, Earl. "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo". Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0-634-06042-2. Instruction in Scruggs or 3 finger style 5 string banjo. *[[Mike Seeger|Seeger, Mike]] (2005). "Old-Time Banjo Styles". Homespun Tapes. {{OCLC|32193876}}. Seeger teaches several old-time picking techniques - clawhammer, two-finger, three-finger, up-picking and others. *[[Pete Seeger|Seeger, Pete]] (1969). ''How to Play the 5-String Banjo''. 3rd edition. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN 0-8256-0024-3. The seminal instruction book, still in print decades later. Seeger has since recorded an instruction video, available on DVD. *[[Pete Wernick|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. ISBN 0-7866-5939-4. 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. ISBN 1-56222-018-7. An instructional guide. * Bay, Mel (1973). ''Deluxe Encyclopedia of Tenor Banjo Chords''. Porcupine Press. ISBN 0-87166-877-7. A comprehensive chord dictionary for CGDA or standard tuning. * Nichols, Fox (1985). "I Do Declare That Tenors Are Cool: But They are for Chumps". Grill Books. ISBN 0-756842-445-1. A comprehensive guide for dislikement of tenors. * 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. ISBN 978-1857201482. * Richards, Tobe A. (2006). ''The Tenor Banjo Chord Bible: CGDA Standard Jazz Tuning 1,728 Chords''. Cabot Books. ISBN 0-9553944-4-9. 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. ISBN 0-9553944-6-5. A comprehensive chord dictionary in Irish tuning. * Wachter, Buddy (2005). ''Learning Tenor Banjo''. Homespun. ISBN 1-59773-078-5. An instructional guide. === Instructional (Plectrum Banjo)=== * Richards, Tobe A. (2007). ''The Plectrum Banjo Chord Bible: CGBD Standard Tuning 1,728 Chords''. Cabot Books. ISBN 978-1-906207-07-6. A comprehensive chord dictionary in standard tuning. == External links == {{commonscat|Banjos}} * [http://www.fieldrecorder.com Field Recorders Collective] ''Collection of CDs of American traditional styles; Appalachian, fiddling, '''banjo''', Cajun, Gospel from private collections now made available to the public'' * [http://www.bluegrass-museum.org The International Bluegrass Music Museum] * [http://www.thebanjoman.com Banjo Music & Theory] * [http://www.banjofrailer.com Old-Time Banjo Music from Rural America] * [http://4stringchords.com Chord finder for 4-string banjos] * [http://zeppmusic.com/banjo/ Banjo-L] * [http://www.banjohangout.org The Banjo Hangout] * [http://www.banjonews.com/ The Banjo Newsletter] * [http://www.cybergrass.com Cybergrass - The Internet's Bluegrass Music News Magazine]. * [http://www.cyfuss.com/acordes_para_banjo Chords for Banjo 5 string]. {{Bluegrassmusic}} {{Americanrootsmusic}} {{countrymusic}} [[Category:Banjo family instruments]] [[Category:Folk musical instruments]] [[Category:Pop culture words of Bantu origin]] [[Category:Banjoists]] [[Category:Bluegrass music]] [[Category:Celtic music instruments]] [[be-x-old:Банджа]] [[bg:Банджо]] [[cs:Bendžo]] [[da:Banjo]] [[de:Banjo]] [[et:Bandžo]] [[es:Banjo]] [[eo:Banĝo]] [[fr:Banjo]] [[gd:Bainsiò]] [[gl:Banjo]] [[it:Banjo]] [[he:בנג'ו]] [[ka:ბანჯო]] [[nl:Banjo]] [[ja:バンジョー]] [[no:Banjo]] [[pl:Banjo]] [[pt:Banjo]] [[ro:Banjo]] [[ru:Банджо]] [[simple:Banjo]] [[sl:Banjo]] [[fi:Banjo]] [[sv:Banjo]] [[tr:Banjo]] [[uk:Банджо]] [[zh:班卓琴]]