Want to play the banjo? Of course you do! But which one, and which style?
Check here to see all the members of the banjo family plus the various playing styles that suit this versatile instrument. Pick up a bit of banjo lore as well. Whatever your ultimate choice, the Victoria Banjo Club can help you get started and enjoy your banjo playing.
The banjo’s origins can be traced back to the simple stringed instruments fashioned by West African peoples from hollowed-out gourds with goat skin heads, gut strings and wooden necks. They may have been modelled on in earlier Arabic instruments, although some speculate that the Italian bandore (a 16th century guitar) might have been the original. Whatever its parentage, it accompanied slaves brought to the United States from the 17thcentury on, where it was known as the banjar, banshaw, or banga.
It was extensively developed and popularised from the late 19th century until the mid- 1920s, during which time the name banjo became firmly established and became a firm favourite amongst European as well as Afro-American people. In part, its rising popularity was due to the widespread diffusion of songs first featured in Minstrel shows as well as the rise of Ragtime. The banjo was a cheap and convenient alternative for people who couldn’t afford pianos or who wanted to take their music with them wherever they went. Click hereto read more about the banjo in the United States (http://www.drhorsehair.com/history.html) to read about the banjo in Australia.
The modern banjo encompasses 4-, 5-, 6-,7- or even 8- and 9-string versions, each with different tunings, lengths of neck, number of frets and methods of playing. But all share the basic design elements of a round drum body, covered with a vellum or plastic head that can be adjusted via thumbscrews to drumhead-like tension. The back may be left open or covered with a resonator or “pot”. The steel or nylon strings pass from a tailpiece over a bridge on the soundboard or drumhead, up a long fretted neck and over the pressure bridge or “nut” to the tuning pegs.[Diagram of 4- & 5-string banjos]
The principal differences between various types of modern banjos mainly consist in the way each is tuned and played. Here is an outline of some of the styles:
5-String banjos
There are many different playing styles for the 5-string banjo, each suited to a particular repertoire, including Bluegrass (using finger picks), Clawhammer (using thumb and finger nails), Folk style (which combines Clawhammer and up-picking) and the Bare fingered approached influenced by classical guitar playing. To learn more about 5-string banjo styles, link to the excellent Sheehans website at:
http://www.sheehans.com/help/banhelp.asp?page=banjo
4-String banjos
The 4-string banjo is a relatively modern addition to the family, finding its place early in the 20th century in fretted instrument orchestras that were popular then, as well as adding a strident, unmistakeable underpinning for ragtime and jazz. There are two main 4-string types: the tenor and the plectrum banjo.
Unlike 5-string models, Tenor banjos are constructed with a shorter 19-fret neck and are tuned CGDA. They are played with a pick (plectrum) and the strumming style of play and strident tone make them a useful rhythm instrument for jazz bands. Here is a link to some useful Tenor Banjo website:
http://www.musicaviva.com/internet/webrings/tenorbanjowebrin.tpl
The Irish Tenor banjo with its shorter 17-fret neck is tuned GDAE (rather than the usual tenor tuning of CGDA ) to suit the melodies commonly found in traditional Irish folk and popular music. This makes many tunes fit the instrument a lot better, which together with the fact that Irish banjos are often played without a “pot” gives the instrument its distinctive warmer, fuller sound. Today, it is mostly played with a plectrum.
Plectrum banjo
The Plectrum or Chord/Melody banjo has a 22-fret neck and is tuned CGBD, which fits well with the chords frequently found in Trad-, Dixieland- or Revival-style jazz numbers. The longer neck allows for greater scope for the player to access a greater range of chord progressions as well as picking out melodies or use a combination of both. As the name says, it is played with a plectrum.
As far as four-string banjos are concerned, it is the plectrum rather than the tenor that is mostly played in Australia today. It is the choice of the Victoria Banjo Club in recognition of its versatility. The plectrum can be used for folk music and can be played in “cross picking” style – not unlike the “finger picking” style use on a 5-string banjo. Single string melodies are somewhat more difficult to play on a plectrum than a tenor banjo. However, the tuning of the plectrum banjo allows the melody note to be played on the first string, which provides a chord/melody combination and a rich, full sound that is not achievable on a tenor.
For more, check out this plectrum banjo website:
http://www.musicaviva.com/internet/webrings/plectrumbanjoweb.tpl
Whichever style of banjo playing you wish to learn, the Victoria Banjo Club can help you.