banjo
A string instrument with a circular drum-like body and typically four or five strings.
In Depth
The banjo descends from West African lute-like instruments brought to the Americas by enslaved people. Early banjos used a gourd body covered with animal skin, and the instrument developed into its modern form in 19th-century America. The five-string banjo, with its distinctive short drone string, is the most traditional configuration.
The banjo became central to American folk, bluegrass, and early jazz. Earl Scruggs revolutionized banjo playing with his three-finger picking style, which defined the bluegrass sound. The tenor banjo found a home in Dixieland jazz, while the four-string plectrum banjo was popular in early 20th-century dance bands.
The earliest banjos in America were built by enslaved Africans using gourds, animal skin, and horsehair — Thomas Jefferson documented seeing these instruments in 1781.