Thediddley bow is a single-stringed Americaninstrument that influenced the development of theblues sound. It consists of a single string ofbaling wire tensioned between two nails on a board over a glass bottle, which is used both as abridge and as a means to amplify the instrument's sound.
It was traditionally considered a starter or children's instrument in theDeep South, especially in theAfrican American community, and is rarely heard outside the rural South. It may have been influenced to some degree byWest African instruments.[1] Other nicknames for this instrument include "jitterbug" or "one-string," while anethnomusicologist would formally call it a "monochordzither."
The diddley bow derives from instruments used in theSahel region ofWest Africa, in places such as northern Nigeria and Mali.[2] There, they were often played by children, one beating the string with sticks and the other changing the pitch by moving a slide up and down. The instrument was then developed as a children's toy by slaves in the United States. They were first documented in the rural South by researchers in the 1930s.[3][4]
The diddley bow was traditionally considered an "entry-level" instrument, normally played by adolescent boys, who then graduate to a "normal"guitar if they show promise on the diddley bow. However currently, the diddley bow is also played by professional players as a solo as well as an accompaniment instrument.[citation needed]
The diddley bow is significant toblues music in that many blues guitarists got their start playing it as children, as well as the fact that, like theslide guitar, it is played with a slide. However, because it was considered a children's instrument, few musicians continued to play the diddley bow once they reached adulthood. The diddley bow is therefore not well represented in recordings.[citation needed]
The diddley bow is typically homemade, consisting usually of a wooden board and a single wire string stretched between two screws, and played by plucking while varying the pitch with a metal or glass slide held in the other hand. A glass bottle is usually used as the bridge, which helps amplify the sound. Some diddley bows have an added resonator box under the bridge, and are essentially single-stringcigar box guitars. Some recent diddley bows are electrified withpickups.
One notable performer of the instrument was theMississippi blues musicianLonnie Pitchford, who used to demonstrate the instrument by stretching a wire between two nails hammered into the wood of a vertical beam making up part of the front porch of his home. Pitchford's headstone, placed on his grave in 2000 by theMt. Zion Memorial Fund, is actually designed with a playable diddley bow on the side as requested by Pitchford's family.[5]
An electric diddley bow
Other notable traditional players include Lewis Dotson, Glen Faulkner,Jessie Mae Hemphill, Compton Jones,Eddie "One String" Jones,Napoleon Strickland, Moses Williams,James "Super Chikan" Johnson andOne String Sam.[6] Willie Joe Duncan was also notable for his work with a large electrified diddley bow he called aUnitar. Some members of the Motown band "The Funk Brothers" are said to have learned to play the guitar on the diddley bow.Buddy Guy learned to play music on a two-string homemade diddley bow before getting his first guitar (a Harmony acoustic). As a child, blues musicianElmore James describes using a diddley bow: he "plucked a wire strung on the wall of his house while sliding a bottle along it to vary the pitch."[7]
American Patchwork: Songs and Stories of America, part 3: "The Land Where the Blues Began" (1990). Written, directed, and produced byAlan Lomax; developed by the Association for Cultural Equity atColumbia University andHunter College. North Carolina Public TV; A Dibb Direction production for Channel Four.[11]
It Might Get Loud, a 2008 documentary about the careers and influences of prominentrock guitarists, featuresJack White building a diddley bow from scratch and playing a tune on it.
Louis Dotson - "Sitting on Top of the World" onBothered All the Time, Southern Culture SC 1703[12]
Willie Joe (Duncan) and His Unitar – The track "Unitar Rock," is available onTeen Beat Vol 4., Ace CDCHD 655.[13] "Twitchy" and "Cherokee Dance" are available onThe Specialty Story, Specialty 5SPCD-4412-2.[14]
Glen Faulkner – "Cotton Pickin' Blues," "Louisiana Blues," "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah," "Get Right Church And Lets Go Home," onThe Spirit Lives On: Deep South Country Blues and Spirituals in the 1990s,[15] Hot Fox HF-CD-005 (German CD, now out of print).
Jessie Mae Hemphill – two tracks (one accompanied by Compton Jones) onHeritage of the Blues: Shake It, Baby, HighTone HCD 8156.[16] Two tracks (accompanied by Compton Jones and Glen Faulkner) onGet Right Blues, Inside Sounds ISC-0519.[17]
Compton Jones – One track, "Shake 'Em On Down," onAfro-American Folk Music from Tate and Panola Counties, Mississippi, Rounder 1515 (CD).[18] With booklet notes by diddley bow scholar, Dr. David Evans.[19]
Eddie "One String" Jones –One String Blues, Takoma Records CDTAK 1023.[20] Nine tracks, the first one an interview of Eddie Jones where he tells how he built his instrument. The booklet notes includes a drawing and some photographs of his instrument and of him playing.
The Almanac of Bad Luck 2009 by Tijuana Hercules.[21]
Lonnie Pitchford – Pitchford was another diddley bow master. He can be heard on four tracks onNational Downhome Blues Festival Volume One, Southland SCD-21, "Train Coming Around the Bend," "My Babe," "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "One-String Boogie." Two tracks onAll Around Man, Rooster R2629;[22] "Real Rock Music: Crawlin' Kingsnake" and "My Babe." One track onLiving Country Blues, Evidence ECD 26105-2 ("Boogie Chillen"). Also, another "One-String Boogie," and "My Baby Walked Away" onAmerican Folk Blues Festival '83; "Johnny Stole An Apple,"Living Country Blues USA - Volume 7: Afro-American Blues Roots; "My Baby Walked Away" onLiving Country Blues USA - Volume 9: Mississippi Moan and (yet another) "One String Boogie" onLiving Country Blues USA - Volume 10: Country Boogie
Napoleon Strickland – One track, "Key to the Blues," onBottleneck Blues, Testament 5021 (CD).[23] (This same cut also appears on the CDAfrica and the Blues).
One String Sam – Two cuts ("I Need $100" and "I Got to Go") from the 1973Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival[24] onMotor City Blues / Please Mr. Foreman,[25] Schoolkids' Records, SKR2101-2. Two tracks onRural Blues Vol 1 (1934–1956), Document Records B000000J8B ("I Need $100" and "My Baby, Oooo" (studio versions).[26]
One String Willie - Seven tracks onA Store-Bought Guitar Just Won't Do, 10 tracks onYou Gotta Hit the String Right to Make the Music Swing.[27]
Moses Williams – four tracks on a double-LP anthology of Florida blues produced by the Florida Folklife Program;Drop on Down In Florida, Florida Folklife LP 102-103. A double-CD-with-hardback book edition of this double-LP set has been released, adding ten further tracks.[28] Two CDs from the Florida Folklife Collection present Williams playing and singing "Which Way Did My Baby Go?" and "Apple Farm Blues."[29][30]
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