Guide to Banjos

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Kinds of Banjos include the following:

Five-string banjo

• A five-string banjo is made with five strings.
• It produces a deep and strong bass, crisp treble, and a good balance between the two.
• It is popularly played in the bluegrass style, but it can also be played in the clawhammer, folk style, and classical style.
• It can be made with a resonator to produce a louder and more attacking sound.
• An open back model (with no resonator) usually produces a plunky and mellow tone.
• It requires constant tuning for easy fingering.
• It can be played with or without a finger pick.

• A four-string banjo is made with four strings.
• It is tuned to the keys C-G-B-D.
• It has 22 frets.
• It is played with a finger pick held between the forefinger and the thumb.
• Its subtypes include the tenor, Irish tenor, and plectrum banjo.

• The tenor banjo is strummed and played using a plectrum pick.
• It has 19 frets.
• It is commonly used to play jazz sounds in the New Orleans style.
• Its neck is shorter than that of the five-string model.
• It allows higher tuning.

• The Irish tenor banjo is similar to the tenor banjo, only it has 17 frets.
• It has a short neck that allows higher tuning.
• It is popularly used in Irish music.
• It is played using a plectrum pick to produce rapid, single string melodies.

• The plectrum banjo features a neck scale similar to that of the five-string banjo.
• It is used for accompanying vocals and playing the melody.
• It can be played with or without a resonator.
• It requires a G tuning.

Comfort: Choose a banjo that is comfortable to play with. If you intend to play the instrument while standing up, opt for a lightweight model to prevent strain and fatigue.

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Wikipedia
Sheehans
Banjo Wizard