Music is meant to be fun. Really, anybody who wants to make music should be capable of doing so. Unfortunately we are taught that, in order to make music, you need to study music tablature, learn scales and chords, spend money on expensive musical instruments and practice loads. But this is far from the truth.
Have you ever see any African tribes people dancing to drums? These talented drummers will have never been to music college. They obviously can’t read music and wouldn’t know a scale or chord if it hit them on the head. But they are certainly having a good time. Making music on simple, home made instruments like drums and rattles is what music making is all about.
There is a one stringed Brazilian instrument with African roots called a Berimbau. Not surprisingly it looks a bit like a bow that could be used for hunting. Now this simple instrument is the precursor to pretty much all forms of stringed instrument including guitars, harps and even pianos.
You may have heard of the Diddley Bow. This is an easy to make African American one stringed folk instrument. Typically these are a simple plank of wood with a piece of wire stretched from end to end. The string is made taught with a bridge of some kind, maybe a can, and then fretted with a slide, often a knife, piece of bone or bottleneck.
Lonnie Pitchford, a well known exponent of the Diddley Bow would make his one stringed instruments by attaching a wire to the vertical support of his front porch. Diddley bows were commonly made by poor field workers and share croppers in the Mississippi Delta region.
The sound of the slide and the Diddley bow is very much the sound of the blues. Many of the early blues orginators from the 1920s and 1930s got their start by twanging Diddley Bows. One popular modern day Diddly bow player is Seasick Steve. So if you want a bit of fun with a simple one string folk instrument why not make yourself a Diddley Bow today.