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1. History: Numerous studies show that the banjo was originally developed from banzas, banjars, banias, and bangoes, the national plucked instruments of black Africans. In the 17th century, when the slave trade was prevalent, black slaves introduced it to the New World. Later, the banjo gradually spread from the southern plantations to the northern states of the United States. In the 19th century, the banjo spread to the United Kingdom. There was a white banjo player named Sweeney. He toured with the banjo throughout the United Kingdom and the United States, making the instrument popular among white urban residents, and the circus also It became a major gathering place for many banjo players, mainly performing vaudeville-style burlesque performances. After World War II, the banjo entered a revival, led by Earl Scruggs (bluegrass), Bela Fleck (jazz, rock, world music), Gerry O'Connor (Celtic music) and Irish music), Perry Bechtel (jazz, big band), Pete Seeger (folk), and Otis Taylor (African-American roots, blues, jazz) and other music stars whose performances spread further to United States, and entered the living rooms of Americans who did not listen to country music through the theme music of "The Beverly Hillbillies". The tenor banjo has also become an integral part of traditional Irish music.（ 01， 02） |
2. Structure: The upper part of the banjo is shaped like a guitar, and the lower part is shaped like a tambourine. It usually has four or five strings and is played with fingers or a pick. The mainstream banjo has 5 strings (four long and one short). There are also 4-string pick banjos used to play jazz and four-string treble banjos used to play Irish music. The 6-string guitar is often called a banjo guitar and is played in the same way as a guitar. |
3 Features:: The banjo is a member of the guitar family. Like other instruments in the guitar family, it is sounded by pizzicato, but its volume is not large. The banjo's unique tone comes from the flexible nature of the outer membrane of the body. The taut strings produced a crisp and bright sound, but the volume was relatively small. Adding a wooden resonator on the back of the piano body can spread the sound outward, greatly improving its sound quality and enhancing its sound reverberation.
Sound Example  （See here）
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4. Example of Morricone's music
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