A jug is a container for liquid, with a handle and an opening for pouring or drinking from.
As a musical instrument, the jug provides a rhythmic bass accompaniment.
Most jug players produce sound by buzzing their lips near the opening of the jug. The pitch is controlled by the tension of the player's lips and the flow of air through them. The jug forms a resonant cavity to modify and enrich the sound from the pure "buzz". In this way a single jug can produce many notes. Some players augment this sound with vocalizations.
The jug band was at the height of popularity in the 1920s, when such bands as Cannon's Jug Stompers were popular. Typically jug bands play folk music, either hillbilly or blues, but the 13th Floor Elevators, a psychedelic band from Texas, featured an "electric jug" in the 1960s.
Jugs will also produce sound at their main resonant tone when air is blown over the top opening. Larger jugs produce a deep musical tone and smaller jugs produce higher pitches. When played in this manner, jugs can play just one note. The pitch and volume are functions of the size and shape of the opening, the speed of the air blown across the top and, most importantly, the volume of air in the jug. That means that the pitch of a jug may be adjusted by adding water in the jug and that even a large jug may produce a higher note if it is mostly full of water.
