FOLK MUSIC INSTRUMENTS:

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THE BANJO

There are at least four distinct types of banjos, and more than twice that number of playing styles. But one thing that they all have in common is their lively, upbeat, vibrant sound. Listeners invariably respond with enthusiasm to the banjo. When I first migrated from the plains of Texas to the mountains of the Southeast, I traveled with a talented banjo player named Steve Keith. I can still recall vividly how we'd come into a mountain community as total strangers . . . then Steve would head for a local hangout and cut loose with his old-time banjo. Almost with the first note, the whole town would seem to open up to us. It was like magic! In fact, it was magic. And after I saw it happen a few times, I decided I wanted to be able to do that myself, so I began playing the banjo. (And I must say, it works!)

There are two major types of banjos: five-string and four-string. The five-string is perhaps the best known. One of the nice things about this instrument is that it's generally tuned to an "open" G chord (just strum the unfretted strings, and you get a G), with the fifth (shorter) string acting as a drone. The open tuning also makes picking out melodies relatively easy. The five-string banjo is played in at least three different styles, and the one you choose will almost dictate the kind of music you'll eventually perform.

Bluegrass or three-finger style is the most popular type of banjo playing today. Tunes such as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", "Dueling Banjos", and the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies have brought this type of banjo music to almost every man, woman, and child in America. In this style, the instrument is played by putting fingerpicks on the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the right hand, and then doing highly syncopated "rolls" on the strings. Bluegrass banjo has an incredible amount of drive and rhythm, but it does not make a good solo style: If you're going to get skilled at it, you'll have to play in company with at least a guitarist or another rhythm player.

The old-time banjo style is sometimes called clawhammer or trailing and is usually played on an open-back instrument. It originated in Africa and was spread throughout America by the minstrel shows of the 1850's. The technique consists of picking down on the strings with the fingernail of the index finger and the side of the thumb. This style of banjo doesn't have the hard-driving, highly syncopated sound of bluegrass, but offers a more laid-back feel. Since it can be played either with chords or with "notey" melodies, it makes a great accompaniment for vocals and other instruments.

Clawhammer style is particularly well suited for rhythms of traditional mountain songs, fiddle tunes, and other types of folk music . . . while it's not easily adapted to jazz, swing, blues, or Irish jigs. If you like authentic mountain music, you should learn this old-time style.

The third of the five-string banjo styles is classical. It gained popularity during the late 1800's and still attracts a good deal of interest, particularly in the Northeast. The classical banjo is strung with nylon or gut strings and is played with all five fingers of the right hand, without the use of picks. Music reading is a must for the classical style, as much of the repertoire is learned from sheet music. You will hear very complex ragtime, classical, and semiclassical pieces in this style, as well as a few popular and newly composed works.

The four-string, or tenor, banjo has a shorter neck than does the five-stringer and is played with a pick. This is the instrument that most people associate with Dixieland and early jazz music. It's also used as a lead instrument in many Irish folk tunes and as a rhythm-maker in old—time string bands. As a lead instrument, the tenor is played in the mandolin style—in which the melody notes are picked individually-or in the chordal style, in which each note of a melody is played with a different chord.

Another type of four-stringer is the plectrum banjo, which has a neck the same length as the five-string instrument, but lacks the fifth string. The playing technique is similar to that used for the tenor, but this banjo is suited less for rhythm and more for lead.

Actually, there are more four-string banjo players in the U.S. than there are five-string pickers (though they seem to get a lot less attention). Tenor and plectrum playing is particularly strong in the Midwest and the West, but you can probably scout up a good teacher in any major city.

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