The Bridge Banjo is the ideal beginner banjo for someone looking to learn traditional Irish music.

"Gerry O'Connor may be the single best four string banjoist in the history of Irish Music.

The legendary Luke Kelly of The Dubliners famously played a five string banjo however, using it to accompany his iconic ballads. Standard tuning for a five string banjo is GDGBD, also known as open G tuning. Five string banjos are typically larger instruments than 4 strings, featuring 22 frets.

The Early African Origin of the Banjo Despite banjo-like instruments being independently invented in various cultures (such as the Chinese Sanxian, or the Japanese Shamisen), the first instrument that showed any sort of resemblance to modern-day Western banjos can be traced back to Central and Western Africa.