Why The Banjo Makes America Great
Do you know what a banjo is? In case you don't, a banjo is a four to six stringed instrument with a drum for a head. You probably know that is it played in country and bluegrass bands and might be seen in hillbilly movies. Unfortunately, you might also believe that it's an annoying instrument and has no place in music today. This just may change your mind.
It was invented in the early 1800's by African slaves imitating instruments from their own country. The instrument most likely imitated was the banjar which was commonly made from a hollowed out gourd. Because of its origins, the banjo was an instrument untouched by white society until, according to drhorsehair.com, "A young man named Joel Walker Sweeney, of Appomattox Court House, VA, learned to play a four- string gourd banjo at age 13, from the black men working on his father's farm." When he was older, Joel added a shorter fifth string to the banjo, and started to tour. Until this time, all performances on the banjo seem to......
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