Diddley Bow

The Diddley Bow is a musical instrument, associated with early or pre-blues music in America, whose origins are likely somewhere in Africa. It is made with a single wire strung up on a board, often over a glass jar, which acts as a resonator. I suppose if we believe in the idea of linear development, the next stage would be the cigar box guitar, followed by more sophisticated stringed instruments. On the other hand, perhaps the Diddley Bow and cigar box guitars were attempts to make guitar-like instruments on little means. Here's a Diddley Bow made with cigar box technology.

Here's Lonnie Pitchford...

One-string Willie

Sometimes life gets complex though...here's a two-string Diddley Bow


Of course if you reverse your Diddley Bow, you get a Bo Diddley and that's another trip altogether. Remember, you can't judge a book by lookin at the cover...
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