Banjo - stringed musical instrument with the body in the form of a drum and a long wooden neck with the stamp, which is spanned by four to nine gut strings.
The sound of the banjo - sharp & fast fading, with rustling shade. Around the XVII century banjo exported from West Africa to the southern US states. She is a direct descendant of African lute. In some African countries, the banjo is a sacred tool, which can touch only the high priests and rulers. Some of the earlier tools were known as "banjo pumpkin".
In modern models of the banjo used metal or wooden shell; the membrane is stretched to the open bottom or closed (English model) wooden cabinet with metal screws, neck fixed with metal frets ends flat head with mechanical pegs. The strings are made of steel, smooth and twisted. The sound is taken with your fingers, like a guitar or a plectrum.
In the modern jazz music used as species Banjo: banjo, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, banjo, tenor banjo, guitar. Banjo-ukulele has four strings and a single operation a1, d1, fis1, h 1. The banjo-mandolin has four strings and a pair operation mandolin approx. Banjo tenor has four single strings and build stringed viola. In a banjo-guitar six strings and build a six-string guitar.