Banjos & Mandolins

The banjo is a four, five or (occasionally) six or even more instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity as a resonator, called the head. The membrane, or head, is typically made of plastic, although animal skin is still occasionally but rarely used, and the frame is typically circular.
A mandolin (Italian: mandolino pronounced [mandoˈliːno]; literally “small mandola”) is a musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or “pick”. It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings).