Nobel Laureate David Politzer, Caltech, describes the difficulty in giving objective descriptions of why one banjo sounds different from another, and the different musical styles of individual musicians.

Caltech physicist and Nobel Laureate David Politzer relates how a seemingly obvious question still eludes our understanding: What makes a banjo ring?

Close Up static - An artisan welds a banjo tension hoop / California, United States

Medium Close Up push-in - A router cuts a groove into the body of a banjo / California, United States

Cowboys play banjos around a campfire.

Medium Close Up static - A musician plays a banjo / California, United States