Why do you like Banjos?

The banjo is a stringed instrument with four or five strings. When a musician plays the banjo, the strings cause a thin sheet of plastic or animal hide stretched over the circular frame to vibrate. The first banjos were thought to have been created and used in Africa in the early 1600s. read more

I'm guessing that the banjo is such an uplifting sound that it brings out the fun in people, much like the accordion does. Thus, Banjo players and accordionists are often the subject of (usually) well-intended humor. The banjo player in our band is subjected to a constant barrage of jokes and seems to revel in them. read more

Thus "violin, viola, 'cello, bass" became "mandolin, mandola, mandocello, mandobass", or in the case of banjos, "banjolin, banjola, banjo cello, bass banjo". Because the range of pluck stringed instrument generally isn't as great as that of comparably-size bowed string instruments, other instruments were often added to these plucked orchestras to extend the range of the ensemble upwards and downwards. read more

Not Every “Good” Banjo is Heavy. Most bluegrass banjo players prefer banjos that have a bell bronze tone ring (like the Deering -06- tone ring). So, bluegrass players have learned to recognize that a “good” banjo has a heavy tone ring and a heavy flange and weighs 12 to 14 pounds. read more