The Diddley Bow

Every time you read an article about Elmore James, in there somewhere is reference to an instrument called a Diddley Bow.

Early references to the diddley bow appear in the 1930’s although, almost certainly it goes back way before that. There is a reference to it being played by W C Handy. It’s described as a single-stringed instrument which influenced the development of the blues sound.

This strange instrument consists of a single string of baling wire stretched between two nails on a board over a glass bottle, which is used both as a bridge and as a means to amplify the instrument's sound. Pitch is changed by moving the bottle up and down. It seems, dear old Elmore had this thing set up against a wall similar to the photograph. We try to imagine this young 14 year old struggling to make some kind of music from this thing. Well, you’ve got to start somewhere. If you’re old enough, you may consider a likeness to the tea chest basses from the days of skiffle, they consisted of a tea chest, a broom stick and a length of string that the player would stand a pluck. Virtually all the youth clubs of the 1950’s had a skiffle group. A loose connection to the blues may be back around 1956, a skiffle duo by the name of Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whiskey had a hit with the Elizabeth Cotton track, Freight train, but we digress.

The authentic ‘Diddley Bow’ if there is such a thing as an ‘authentic’ Diddley Bow was traditionally considered a children's instrument, rarely heard outside the rural south, or it wasn’t until others began to take the instrument up.

It may have been influenced to some degree by West African instruments. Other names for this instrument include the ‘jitterbug’ or ‘one-string’, a Unitar or even a posh, fancy name: monochord zither. Shall we go all sophisticated and stick with that name?

If you’re now as intrigued as we were, you’ll be pleased to know you can still purchase one or even make one. Why would you want to? Unless of course you wanted to follow in the footsteps of artists such as: Lewis Dotson, Glen Faulkner, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Compton Jones, , Napoleon Strickland, Moses Williams, "One String Sam" Wilson, and James "Super Chikan" Johnson. To get

you started, I’d recommend cocking an ear to ‘Eddie One String Jones’, track, Rollin and Tumbling.

The diddley bow derives from instruments used in West Africa. 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 diddley bow is significant to blues music in that many blues guitarists got started playing it as a child, as well as the fact that, like the slide 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 grew up and progressed to a guitar. The diddley bow is therefore, although not well represented in recordings it can still be heard.

So, before we get too embarrassed that we’re going to have a go with a ‘Diddley Bow’, we may be reassured we’re in good company. One notable performer of the instrument was the Mississippi blues musician Lonnie Pitchford, both a delta blues artists and instrument maker 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, on his grave is actually designed with a playable diddley bow on the side. A great example of Lonnie playing his Diddley Bow is his track - ‘That

train coming around the bend’

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 twostring homemade diddley bow before getting his first guitar.

So there you go, all you need is a piece of wood, two nails and length of bailing wire and a bottle, if you’re really ambitious, you could even electrify it and now you’re a ‘Blues’ musician –well, not quite, who was it who said, each journey starts with a single step? – Me, I’m off now to make my Diddley Bow.

David R Howard Backtracking To The Delta

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