Well, now I have no doubt but that the true origins of the banjo are so lost in the mists of time that we'll never really know. Actually, the short high-pitched drone string seems so illogical to me (although that's the part that makes banjo playing so fun) that I wonder how it ever got added - perhaps, therefore, it couldn't have originated from anyone so steeped in Western civilization as I am, and presumably Joel W. Sweeney was. Can anyone cite examples of short drone strings on any other Western instrument? Or on the other hand, Eastern instruments? I have a hunch the number of Eastern examples wins in a landslide.

As far as playing jigs etc. on 5-string, the book I am currently learning from, "Basic Clawhammer Banjo" by Ken Perlman, has a few jigs, slip jigs, slides, as well as hornpipes and even a couple of 3/4 tunes. I have so far just learned on of the jigs and found it not much harder than the other pieces I learned from the book - but that's probably because I cheat (I up-pick with my index finger most of the time).