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 carolinacc rated 3 months ago - Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Libba Cotten (January 5, 1895 - June 29, 1987) was an American blues and folk musician.
PhotobucketSelf-taught and having no knowledge of conventional guitar tunings (e.g. standard 'EADGBE' tuning or any established open tunings), Cotten developed her own...
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2 Reviews
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- dtanner89 rated 5 months ago
- Great old song from a little-known but very influential and special woman.
- carolinacc rated 3 months ago
- Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Libba Cotten (January 5, 1895 - June 29, 1987) was an American blues and folk musician.
PhotobucketSelf-taught and having no knowledge of conventional guitar tunings (e.g. standard 'EADGBE' tuning or any established open tunings), Cotten developed her own original style. Her unique approach to left-handed guitar playing involved keeping the guitar in standard tuning but to hold it upside down. This position required her to play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature, alternating bass style is known as Cotten picking.
Elizabeth Cotten began writing music while toying around with her older brother's banjo. She was left handed so she played the banjo backwards. Later, when she transferred her songs to the guitar, a unique style was formed, since on the Banjo the uppermost string is not a bass string, as on the guitar, but a short high pitched string, called a drone string. This required her to adopt a unique style for the guitar, which she first played with all finger down strokes like a banjo. Later this evolved into a unique style of finger picking, and her signature, alternating bass style is known as Cotten Picking.
Regardless, her unmistakably original chords, melodies and finger picking techniques would go on to influence many other musicians.
Thanks Albion704 http://albion704.stumbleupon.com
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