his younger brother Elmer played banjo.

This could be Carl playing his violin, which country folks call the fiddler.

Elmer and Carl were musicians and singers in their own band. Here’s a musician playing his banjo. Margaret Atwood’s uncle Elmer played banjo.

The boys taught themselves how to play. Either by ear or book. In the early days, there was no internet and thus, no youtube videos.

The info on Carl and Elmer are from the book:

The book is available at Book Of Lives: A Memoir Of Sorts by Margaret Atwood. 

If you buy from the web links, I may earn a small commission.

The main book review webpage on Book Of Lives is here