Chris Prieto’s only prior experience with a musical instrument was playing saxophone in the fifth grade. After becoming enthralled by old-time and country roots music a decade ago, Prieto decided to ...

KOKOMO – Brian Carver built his first banjo when he was 17 years old using a piece of plywood, paper clips and an old frying pan. He got the idea to make one after he bought a cheap Bean Blossom banjo ...

The gourd banjos have sound holes on the side and the size of those holes will impact the instrument’s sound. If they’re large the sound will be more booming, but if it’s too large they can actually ...

The histories of gourds and humans intertwine across thousands of years and eight world regions. People loved the hard-shelled gourd before they knew how to grow it, and today you don’t have to ...