Learn: history of the banjo
Fun Facts
- There are three main types of banjos:
- 4-string banjos, which are built and played like ukuleles.
- 5-string banjos are the most common type. They are often used in traditional styles, like bluegrass and frailing.
- 6-string banjos, which are played exactly like a guitar but sound like a banjo.
- Banjos are a product of enslaved Africans, their descendants in the Caribbean, and colonial North America.
- Playing styles include the clawhammer and Scruggs style (rapid three-finger picking).
- The design and the type of wood and metal used affect a banjo’s sound.
- Mento musicians use a tenor banjo.
The Friendliest Instrument
The banjo originated in Africa, was refined in the Caribbean, and then gained popularity in North America. Historically, the banjo has played a key role in folk music, plantation songs, and jigs.
Construction:
Earlier forms of the banjo includes a drum-like body made out of a gourd (or sometimes a calabash) and a neck that could accommodate 4 strings—three long strings that run the full length of the instrument and one short thumb string that stops about halfway up the side of the neck.
The drum-like gourd body and strings of different lengths are uniquely African, while the flat fingerboard and tuning pegs are more commonly associated with European traditions.
Styles of Play:
As a regional instrument, the banjo has several playing styles. From the more commercialized claw hammer style, to the more authentic African style of two or three finger plucking to bluegrass style. based on its adaptability, it is easy to see why the banjo is the friendliest instrument.
Creator Spotlight: Jeff Menzies
Jeff Menzies is an educator and collector who creates custom musical instruments for musicians and museums worldwide that act as functional works of art. He is based in Kingston, Jamaica.
26” scale blue mahoe neck. 12” maple rim with laminate Jamaican cedar lip. Rim is hand painted. Jamaican goat skin. Purple heart pegs. Bone nut and tailpiece. Mango bridge. Aquila strings. Image courtesy of Jeff Menzies. 
Blue Mahoe 5 String Tackhead Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Blue Mahoe 5 String Tackhead Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Blue Mahoe 5 String Tackhead Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Blue Mahoe 5 String Tackhead Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
100% of the proceeds from the sale of this banjo will be donated to the Jamaica Center for the Arts (JAarts), purchasing windows and doors for the first building currently under construction. We thank you for your support! 26” scale Jamaican grown Honduran mahogany neck. Canteen gourd. Bone nut and tailpiece. Purple Heart pegs. Jamaican goatskin. Mango bridge. Image courtesy of Jeff Menzies. 
Mahogany 5 String Gourd Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Mahogany 5 String Gourd Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Mahogany 5 String Gourd Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies 
Mahogany 5 String Gourd Banjo courtesy of Jeff Menzies
Follow Jeff on instagram @menziesinstruments or sign up to take a 1:1 instrument making class with him here.
Watch: performances by The Jolly Boys
Originally formed in 1945, The Jolly Boys are one of the oldest and most recognized Mento bands. Watch the videos below to see Jolly Boys member Egbert Watson playing the banjo. Can you identify the banjo he’s playing?
Rehab (Cover)
Album: Great Expectation, 2010
Hog Inna Mi Minty
Festival Musiques Metisses
Angouleme, France 2014
Listen: different styles of playing
Bluegrass
Bluegrass music was created in Southern Appalachia by English, Scottish, and Irish descendants and enslaved Africans. It is a sub genre of country music and mainly features the fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and upright bass. Elements of gospel, jazz, old-time mountain music, square dance fiddling and popular music can be heard throughout the genre.
Characteristics of Bluegrass include:
- Acoustic instruments
- Fast Tempos
- Off-beat comping
- Virtuosic playing
- High, lonesome sound
- Reinterpretations of folk standards
Listen to Wildflower Waltz below, can you hear these characteristics?
Artist: Banjo Cowgirl
Song: Wildflower Waltz
Label: Equilibrio Studio
Irish Traditional (Trad)
Initially traditional Irish music was performed solo and associated with rural life and experiences of the Irish poor. Today, performances are mostly played in ensembles and transcend social and geographical boundaries as a result of emigration, innovative fusions with other music genres and broadcasting technologies. Trad music typically consists of a fiddle, Uilleann Pipes, tin whistle, flute, bodhrán, concertina, button accordion, banjo, harp, bouzouki, guitar.
Characteristics of Irish Traditional include:
- Airs
- Instrumental dance tunes
- Sean nós singing
- Songs either in English or Irish
- Irish harp music
Listen to Rob MacKillop’s Back In The Garden below, can you hear these characteristics?
Artist: Rob MacKillop
Song: Back In The Garden
Apply it: let’s test your skills
Now that you’ve learned about the banjo. Let’s use those skills to create your own banjo *medley or *track.
Or learn more about the band and the role it plays in today’s music here.
*A Google account will be needed.
