The banjo is a string instrument that uses a skin stretched over a frame (effectively a drum) as its resonator. It originated in Africa and was taken to America by African slaves where it was adopted by white rural musicians, and Irish immigrants, some of whom took the instrument back to Ireland.
There are now two main types of banjo in common use. The 5-string banjo (pictured) is mostly used for bluegrass and American old-time music. It's generally played with a fast right hand finger-picking style. The 4-string tenor banjo is used in Irish music as a melody instrument.
The Cümbüş is a banjo variant created in Turkey in the 1930s that's become popular among Turkish gypsy musicians, but has also found enthusiastic champions in other parts of the world, including Ry Cooder and Antto Varilo of Värttinä.
Banjo players featured in The Pure Drop:
