The Banjo

The banjo is an instrument that is often associated with country, bluegrass, folk, traditional Irish music, and Appalachian music, as well as, heavily rooted inAfrican American music. 

Originally, the banjo can be traced back to the 17th century where it was handmade from scrap item, often by enslaved people. The banjo is sometimes referred to as a drum with strings over it. The earliest versions of the instrument feature a body made of gourd or gourd-shaped shells—similar to the kora, which is heavily used in African American music. The banjo has a long wooden neck and can have anywhere from four to six strings. The banjo was a fairly common instrument that circulated through salve trades world-wide.

The banjo, originally having four strings, became a popularized five-string instrument in the 1800s after Joel Walker was credited with inventing the short, fifth string—even though there are paintings of banjos with five strings that date back to the late 1700s. However, Sweeney was responsible for the heavy spread of the banjo, which led to the beginnings of mass producing the instrument. Later, in 1846, William Temlet invented the first six-string banjo in Great Britain. He was said to have sold banjos with as many as seven strings!

The modern banjo comes in many different forms, including ones with varied numbers of strings, different resonators, body shapes, and neck lengths. Banjos became extremely popular in jazz music in the earlier part of the 1900s. The instrument could easily be picked up in early sound recordings, taking it a great instrument for the technology of the time. However, it was later replaced by the guitar. 

Some famous banjoists include Steve Martin, George Crumb, Paul Elwood, Punch Brothers, Modest Mouse, and Beck.



This selection includes music from Don Vappie. Don Vappie is a renown banjo player from New Orleans and had a huge impact on the culture of what he calls "creole jazz". 



This video is related to the influence of the banjo in Appalachian music.



The banjo and the fiddle are often paired in Irish Folk music.


Here is the banjo in bluegrass music.


Here is just a funny video of some guys "going back in time" to play the banjo in the 1920s. (:

Comments

  1. esterhazyOctober 4, 2017 at 7:55 AM

    All of the examples you included here are resonator banjos, which were invented in the early 20th century when jazz musicians needed a louder version of the instrument. Your Appalachian example is a little misleading, since that kid is playing a resonator banjo in a modern (1950s) bluegrass style. True, that style did originate in the Appalachians, but it doesn't represent the picking style or instrument preference (open-back banjo) of most Appalachian musicians.

    Would someone like to comment on the image used in the fourth video? It doesn't have anything in particular to do with the recording, but it says a lot about the heritage of Appalachian and bluegrass music...

    ReplyDelete

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