Making a one-string diddley bow will only take you a few minutes, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. Many blues players got their start on this cool instrument.
Materials Needed to Make a Diddley Bow
A one-string diddley bow is basically a very primitive slide guitar. Anyone—and that includes someone who’s never even picked up a hammer—can make one. The general idea is stretching a wire between two screws or nails.
Here are the materials you’ll need for the project:
- A three foot piece of 1”x2” hardwood or even pine.
- 1 bass string from a guitar, banjo, or octave mandolin.
- 2 screws.
- 1 tin can.
- 1 small scrap of wood or dowel.
- 1 Glass bottle.
- 1 wooden stick.
Traditionally, broom wire was used to make a diddley bow, and if you have some, try it out. Musical instrument string wire will stretch less though and already has a loop at one end. Many music stores will let you purchase one string for the purpose.
Instructions for Making a Diddley Bow
Diddley bows certainly don’t have to be fancy, but if you want to dress yours up with paint, stain, wood burning, or a coat of polyurethane, this is easiest to do before you attach screws and wire. The diddley bow pictured was first burned with a vine running down the center, then stained and sealed.
Next, make a mark one inch from each side of the wood. This is where the screws will go.
Find a drill bit with a slightly smaller diameter than your screws and predrill a hole on each of your marks. Use a screw driver to tighten the screws into the holes. If the wire you’ve chosen has a loop at one end already, be sure to hook it over the bottom of the screw before you tighten it to the wood.
Now it’s time to attach the wire. If you’ve used musical instrument wire with a loop end, one side is already hooked around a screw and only one end remains loose. If you’re using regular wire, attach both ends in this way:
- Wrap the wire around the screw four or five times.
- Insert the loose end inside the wrapped loops.
- Pull tight with pliers.
- Use the screw driver to turn the screw a few more times which will tighten the loops even further.
- When attaching the wire, loop it as near to the bottom of the screws as possible. Use wire cutters to clip excess from the end.
Finally, it’s time for the diddley bow's bridge and nut, namely the tin can and scrap of wood. Place these under the wire and push them as snugly to the screws as possible. You can use a hammer to tap the scrap of wood in place.
Finally, pluck or strike the string. If it rings clearly, the diddley bow is finished. If the wire only makes a thump, this means it’s still too loose. More tension can be added by choosing a thicker scrap of wood or larger tin can.
In related articles you can:
- Learn about the history of the diddley bow and some of the blues players who recorded with it,
- Discover techniques for learning to play the diddley bow,
- And read about other monochord zithers, or one-string musical instruments, from around the world.
For a valuable resource, go to One String Willie’s web site on Diddley Bows.
Marcy Paulson - From the moment Marcy Paulson picked up a recorder in fourth grade music class, she was hooked. Since then, her passion for music has ...
