Diddley Bow

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Diddley Bow

The Diddley Bow is a single-stringed board zither that was mainly used in the Delta Blues . The simple string instrument with a separate sound box is considered to be the forerunner of the slide guitar , its origins lie in Africa. The instrument is also known under the names "Jitterbug", "Bo Diddley" and name variants such as "Diddy Bowl" and the like.

origin

Forerunners of the Diddley Bow are known in West Africa , where the instrument was played by children. Traditionally, a stretched palm fiber string was struck rhythmically with a stick, creating notes while the pitch was changed with a piece of wood or metal moved across the string. Slaves used the instrument in the southeastern United States .

Construction

The Diddley Bow is typically built by yourself. There are two variants: a portable version attached to a board and a version permanently installed on a wooden wall or beam. The principle is the same in both cases: a string is stretched between two holders, e.g. nails driven into wood. A bottle or beverage can is clamped under the string as a resonance body and pushed towards one end of the string. The string is then plucked with one hand or struck with a mallet , while the other hand varies the pitch with the help of a bottleneck, for example .

Known players

One of the most famous Diddley Bow players is probably Lonnie Pitchford , who demonstrated both variants of the instrument in the documentaries The Land Where the Blues Began (1979) and Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads (1991).

Other well-known Diddley Bow players are Lewis Dotson, Glen Faulkner, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Compton Jones, Eddie "One String" Jones, Napoleon Strickland , Moses Williams, James "Super Chikan" Johnson and "One String Sam" Wilson. Willie Joe Duncan played an electrified, extra-long Diddley Bow that he called "Unitar". Even Buddy Guy played a Diddley Bow before he got his first guitar. Bo Diddley, on the other hand, did not play Diddley Bow, contrary to what his name might suggest.

The Diddley Bow or variations of it have also recently been played by jazz pianist Cooper-Moore , blues guitarist Seasick Steve , Samm Bennett, Danny Kroha, One String Willie and Velcro Lewis. In the film It Might Get Loud (2008) Jack White builds a Diddley Bow.

Filmography

Discography (examples)

  • Seasick Steve : Diddley Bow on Man from Another Time (2009) (see also under web links)
  • Jessie Mae Hemphill : two tracks (one accompanied by Compton Jones) on Heritage of the Blues: Shake It, Baby ; two pieces (accompanied by Compton Jones and Glen Faulkner) on Get Right Blues
  • Lonnie Pitchford : including four pieces on National Downhome Blues Festival Volume One ; two tracks on All Around Man (Rooster R2629); a piece on Living Country Blues ; ...
  • Napoleon Strickland : Key to the Blues on Bottleneck Blues
  • One String Willie : seven tracks on CD A Store-Bought Guitar Just Won't Do ; ten tracks on the CD You Gotta Hit the String Right to Make the Music Swing

Similar instruments

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Deborah L. Gillaspie: Diddley Bow in the Encyclopedia of the Blues. Edward Komera, editor. Routledge, 2006. Volume 1, AJ, pages 268–269 (English)