History of the Banjo & Bluegrass Music

Series Summary

The banjo is a stringed instrument, much like a guitar, that comes in four and five-string versions. Believed to be of African origin, the banjo has a distinctive sound and is now commonly associated with bluegrass and country music. Banjars (similar instruments that were made from gourds) were played in the historic American south by African Americans. Present day banjos come in electric or acoustic form, and are sometimes equipped with resonators and pickups. The instrument is played by finger-plucking the strings that stretch from the base to the neck of the instrument.

In this series of videos, our expert gets into the details of the history of the banjo. You will learn more about the different parts of the banjo and how it is made. Get care tips for your banjo including adjusting to temperature changes and recommendations for cases. Watch as our expert gives tips on buying and tuning a banjo. Learn about Earl Scrugg’s style of playing and learn one of his songs on the banjo. Learn the forward and reverse banjo roll (a great exercise for your fingers), and watch as our expert incorporates them into banjo music. For fun, try the “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and show your friends and family how much you have learned!

Video Transcript

"Hi I’m Fred Wilharm on behalf of ExpertVillage.com and I’d like to welcome you to banjo for beginners. In this segment we’re going to talk about the history of the instrument and how bluegrass music began. The predecessor of the modern banjo was first spotted in use by natives in Africa along the Ghana River around 1620. Naturally it turned up later in use by slave in the United States who bought the instrument over with them prior to the civil war. By the early part of the 19th century, the banjo was in regular use in minstral shows. Most banjo music of the time was folk and popular music, but there were also banjo virtuosos who were part of symphony orchestras and could literally play anything that violist could play. In 1925, the first Gibson Mastertone was introduced and eighty years later it remains one of the finest banjos in production. Along came the Great Depression of 1929 and suddenly there was almost no demand for bright and happy music, as we all know, it’s almost nearly impossible to play a sad song on the banjo. So for years after, it was almost impossible to buy a five string banjo or even replacement strings, but in the early 1940s a five string picker named Earl Scruggs, developed a three finger style based on the old classical method. He combined it with a folk style originating in the Appalachian Mountains and started bluegrass music as we know it today. This long scale five string bluegrass banjo is the most popular style today and is the direct result of the influence of Earl Scruggs and his band."