--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a…" description: "\"“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The instrumen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/liz-doherty-197187_cape-breton_banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thi_275228.jpg" --- # banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm… ![“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The instrument is believed to have evolved from various African and African-American prototypes. Four- and 5-stringed versions of the banjo are popular, each…” quote by Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/liz-doherty-197187_cape-breton_banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thi_275228.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/liz-doherty-197187_cape-breton_banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thi_275228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/liz-doherty-197187_cape-breton_banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thi_275228.jpg) > ““banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The instrument is believed to have evolved from various African and African-American prototypes. Four- and 5-stringed versions of the banjo are popular, each associated with specific music genres; the 5-stringed banjo, plucked and strummed with the fingers, is associated with Appalachian, old-time and bluegrass music, while the four-stringed versions (both the “plectrum” banjo, which is an identical 22-fret banjo, just like the 5-string instrument but without the fifth string and played with a plectrum, and the tenor banjo which has fewer frets \[17 or 19\], a shorter neck, is tuned in fifths and is played with a plectrum) is associated with vaudeville, Dixieland jazz, ragtime and swing, as well as Irish folk and traditional music. The first Irish banjo player to record commercially was James Wheeler, in the U.S. in 1916, for the Columbia label; as part of The Flanagan Brothers duo, Mick Flanagan recorded during the 1920s and 1930s as did others in the various dance bands popular in the U.S. at the time. Neil Nolan, a Boston-based banjo player originally from Prince Edward Island, recorded with Dan Sullivan’s Shamrock Band; the collaboration with Sullivan led to him also being included in the line-up for the Caledonia and Columbia Scotch Bands, alongside Cape Breton fiddlers; these were recorded for 78s in 1928. In the 1930s The Inverness Serenaders also included a banjo player (Paul Aucoin). While the instrument was not widely used in Cape Breton, a few notable players were Packie Haley and Nellie Coakley, who were involved in the Northside Irish tradition of the 1920s and 1930s; Ed MacGillivray played banjo with Tena Campbell; and the Iona area had some banjo players, such as the “Lighthouse” MacLeans. The banjo was well known in Cape Breton’s old-time tradition, especially in the 1960s, but was not really introduced to the Cape Breton fiddle scene until the 1970s when Paul Cranford, a 6-string banjo player, arrived from Toronto. He has since replaced the banjo with fiddle. A few fiddlers have dabbled with the instrument but it has had no major presence within the tradition.”” Liz Doherty ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The banjo is a plucked, fretted lute with a skin drum head, evolving from African roots and used in diverse musical styles worldwide. **In simple terms:** Banjo: a plucked lute with African origins. Key Takeaway Explore banjo’s cultural heritage. Themes music instrument history culture heritage Mood curious appreciative Type educational historical When to use this quote - learning to play - music education - cultural research - performance - instrument making Key Concepts ethnomusicology craftsmanship genre diversity Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to the banjo’s sound? - How can you preserve its cultural legacy? A Different Perspective Modern genres may overlook traditional roots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cape breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cape-breton/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Traditional music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional-music/) ## Related quotes > [I love five-string banjo. On an electric guitar, let's say a two-hour show, it starts getting heavy right across the neck and shoulders. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr/i-love-five-string-banjo-on-an-electric-guitar-let-s-say-a-two-hour/) [Hank Williams Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr/) > [“No one knows it yet, but Cape Breton is a dress rehearsal for the Great Depression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-marie-macdonald/no-one-knows-it-yet-but-cape-breton-is-a-dress-rehearsal-for-the/) [Ann-Marie MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-marie-macdonald/) > [On the other hand, if there's an underlying core of poetry that I go to, I go to the sea. I've lived on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/on-the-other-hand-if-there-s-an-underlying-core-of-poetry-that-i-go/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Bishop on "At the Fishhouses"At the last minute, after I'd had a chance to do a little research in Cape Breton, I foundI'd said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/bishop-on-at-the-fishhouses-at-the-last-minute-after-i-d-had-a-chance-2/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“In this part of Canada, it was assumed that the passengers would provide each other with entertainment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-rose-roberts/in-this-part-of-canada-it-was-assumed-that-the-passengers-would/) Beatrice Rose Roberts > [My uncle Buddy MacMaster is one of the greatest fiddlers Cape Breton has ever produced, and we've produced a lot of them! His fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/my-uncle-buddy-macmaster-is-one-of-the-greatest-fiddlers-cape-breton/) [Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/) > [“Bishop on "At the Fishhouses" At the last minute, after I’d had a chance to do a little research in Cape Breton, I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/bishop-on-at-the-fishhouses-at-the-last-minute-after-i-d-had-a-chance/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [I am a very musical person. I love music, and I don't just love Cape Breton fiddling, although it's my favorite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/i-am-a-very-musical-person-i-love-music-and-i-don-t-just-love-cape/) [Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/) > [“She comes to naught, my dear one, she comes to naught, all that there business. What the hell, maybe twice in your life you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/she-comes-to-naught-my-dear-one-she-comes-to-naught-all-that-there/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Living in Cape Breton, it's really all about fiddle music, so it's not like there were other instruments out there that tempted me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/living-in-cape-breton-it-s-really-all-about-fiddle-music-so-it-s-not/) [Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/) > [“was privileged to know the very last living exponent of this way of playing, Alex Currie from Cape Breton, and I can confirm that his style of playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-muirhead/was-privileged-to-know-the-very-last-living-exponent-of-this-way-of/) [Fergus Muirhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-muirhead/) > [I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/i-have-travelled-around-the-globe-i-have-seen-the-canadian-and/) [Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/) > [I just love Cape Breton fiddling! I think it's very close. They derive their music from Scottish music. Well, in Donegal we're very influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mairead-ni-mhaonaigh/i-just-love-cape-breton-fiddling-i-think-it-s-very-close-they-derive/) Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh > [“I exhausted myself trying to take it all in, noting every little variation and departure from how things were supposed to be. My notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-johnston/i-exhausted-myself-trying-to-take-it-all-in-noting-every-little/) Wayne Johnston > [I once owned a home on an island off the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-monninger/i-once-owned-a-home-on-an-island-off-the-coast-of-cape-breton-nova/) [Joseph Monninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-monninger/) ## More Banjo quotes > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) Rory Block > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) Daniel Roth > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/) [Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/) > [Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/whenever-a-big-white-man-picks-up-a-banjo-my-cheeks-tighten/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“There was talk of the Centaur being moved into the elephant cages to make room for a banjo-picking Minotaur. Surrendering his meager furnishings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/there-was-talk-of-the-centaur-being-moved-into-the-elephant-cages-to/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) > [John Fahey, thought during his lifetime to be possibly more than a little crazy, was the author of some thirty albums of gnomically introverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/john-fahey-thought-during-his-lifetime-to-be-possibly-more-than-a/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The instrument is believed to have evolved from various African and African-American prototypes. Four- and 5-stringed versions of the banjo are popular, each associated with specific music genres; the 5-stringed banjo, plucked and strummed with the fingers, is associated with Appalachian, old-time and bluegrass music, while the four-stringed versions (both the “plectrum” banjo, which is an identical 22-fret banjo, just like the 5-string instrument but without the fifth string and played with a plectrum, and the tenor banjo which has fewer frets [17 or 19], a shorter neck, is tuned in fifths and is played with a plectrum) is associated with vaudeville, Dixieland jazz, ragtime and swing, as well as Irish folk and traditional music. The first Irish banjo player to record commercially was James Wheeler, in the U.S. in 1916, for the Columbia label; as part of The Flanagan Brothers duo, Mick Flanagan recorded during the 1920s and 1930s as did others in the various dance bands popular in the U.S. at the time. 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