A banjo dulcimer is an
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of ...
modified by adding a vibrating membrane to the body of the instrument. This changes the tone and volume of the instrument, operating on the same principle as the
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
.
Homer Ledford
Homer C. Ledford (September 26, 1927 – December 11, 2006) was an instrument maker and bluegrass musician from Kentucky who specialized in making dulcimers.
Born in Alpine, Tennessee, he started building instruments at an early age. When he was ...
, a luthier during the early part of the revival of the dulcimer, built several banjo dulcimers, which he called the ''dulcijo'' (a portmanteau of dulcimer and banjo).
[Alvey, R. Gerald. ''Dulcimer Maker: the craft of Homer Ledford''. University Press of Kentucky, 2003. ]
Makers of banjo dulcimers
*Doug Thomson
banjomer.com has been producing banjo dulcimers since 1980 - called "Banjo-Mer"
*
McSpadden Dulcimers began producing banjo dulcimers in the early 2000s.
*Mike Clemmer produces a banjo dulcimer called "ban-jammer"
*Dennis DenHartog (folknotes.com) has been building a solid frame banjo dulcimer called the "Banj-Mo" since spring, 2001.
See also
*
Banjo mandolin
The mandolin-banjo is a hybrid instrument, combining a banjo body with the neck and tuning of a mandolin. It is a soprano banjo. It has been independently invented in more than one country, variously being called mandolin-banjo, banjo-mandolin, ...
*
Banjo ukulele
The banjo ukulele, also known as the banjolele or banjo uke, is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. The earliest known banjoleles were built by John A. Bolander and by Alvin D. Keech, both ...
*
Banjo guitar
Banjo guitar or banjitar or ganjo (Australia) is a six-string banjo tuned in the standard tuning of a six-string guitar (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4) from lowest to highest strings. The six-string banjo was introduced in the late 19th century. Less widesprea ...
*
Guitjo
References
{{reflist
Banjo family instruments
Box zithers