Banjo

Banjo, stringed instrument of the lute family, with an open-backed round body consisting of a circular wood hoop over which is stretched a vellum belly (formerly nailed on, now held tense by a screw mechanism); a long, narrow, fretted neck; and metal or metal-wound gut strings. The strings run from a tailpiece, over a bridge (a piece of wood that holds the strings off of the belly of the banjo) held in place by their pressure, up the neck to rear tuning pegs (machine screws on modern banjos). Five strings are typical: four full-length strings and a shorter fifth “thumb” string running to a tuning screw halfway up the neck. A common tuning (beginning with the thumb string) is g¹ c⁰ g⁰ b⁰ d¹ (g¹ = G above middle C; c⁰ = C below middle C). Often a five-string banjo body is suspended in a metal or wood resonator.

The only Western stringed instrument with a vellum belly, the banjo originated in Africa and was brought to America in the 17th century by black slaves. Early banjos had fretless necks, a varying number of strings, and, sometimes, gourd bodies. Adopted by white musicians in 19th-century minstrel-show troupes, the banjo gained frets and metal strings. The five-string banjo, plucked with the fingers, is common in folk music and commercial bluegrass bands. The plectrum-plucked four-string banjo was popular about 1900 in vaudeville bands.