Bleach Bottle
Banjo
NOTE:
Parental assistance is suggested for younger children
The
basic idea for the banjo probably developed in Africa hundreds
of years ago and transferred to the Americas during the slave
trade era when simply fashioned stringed instruments were made
by rural folk using whatever was at hand. This bleach bottle
banjo belongs to the lute family of instruments that includes
the guitar, bluegrass banjo, mandolin, and all other stringed
instruments with a neck. I call this do-it-yourself project a
banjo, but its design and construction are based on the
traditional practice of spiking a length of wood through a
sound box resonator made from materials such as a calabash,
coconut shell, cigar box, or a plastic container.
Materials:
2 to 4 qt size plastic container
30 in x I in x 2 in wood strip for the neck
3 yards nylon fishing line (40 to 60 lb test)
3/4 in x 2 in x 1/4 in piece of wood for bridge
2 screw eyes or other tuner options
2-1 in finishing nails for hitch pins
Tools:
Saw
Hammer
Safety scissors
Sandpaper
Assembly
1. Cut off bottom half of plastic container. On opposite
sides of container, cut trap door flaps close to the resonator
playing surface so that the fingerboard fits snugly when the
flaps of the container are folded out and the wood strip is
inserted (see Photo 1 above).
2. At the tail of the instrument, hammer in hitch pins side
by side so that only a small portion of the nail protrudes.
(see Photo 2 at right) At the head
of the instrument, place screw eyes so when turned they do not
bump into each other. Do not screw them in too far
until after strings are attached.
3. Secure fishing line strings between nails and screws.
Tie knots so they will not slip when tensioning strings.
4. Insert small chunk of wood under strings for bridge. Cut
shallow slots into bridge to keep strings from sliding off.
5. Add a small piece of wood next to the screw eyes (tuning
pegs) for nut (see Photo 3 at right).
Also see Making Frets.
6. Tension strings by turning screw eyes into wood. Make
adjustments where necessary. Strings should be fairly tight
for maximum resonance.
7. Paint or decorate resonator, if desired.
Making Frets
Add a small piece of wood (a nut) next to the tuning pegs to
delineate a more precise string length between nut and bridge.
Notes of a major scale can be marked on the fingerboard or
make simple frets using 3/4 inch dowels flattened on one side
and glued along the fingerboard at the appropriate places. The
nut should be notched and should raise the strings just enough
above the fingerboard to pass slightly above the first fret.
If the strings bump into frets farther along the fingerboard
while fingering the first three or four frets, raise the
height of the bridge slightly to correct this.
To Play
Tune the strings to create whatever pitch relationship you
wish. I suggest unison tuning: one string acts as a drone, the
other as a melody string. After tuning, hold and strum the
instrument in guitar-like fashion. By stopping the melody
string along the board neck with your fingers, you can pick
out scales and melodies. Making fret marks with a felt-tip pen
at appropriate places along the fingerboard will help you find
the scale notes. I prefer a regular do-re-mi diatonic (rather
than chromatic) scale for playing simple melodies.