Playing A Guitar Upside Down
I was reading a post on one of my favorite blogs, New York Traveler by Mrs. Mecomber. On this particular post, she was posting pictures in reference to the word “surprise.” I happened to notice that in one of her pictures, her children were visiting a museum display featuring the wonderful guitarist, Elizabeth Cotten.
Elizabeth Cotten taught herself to play the guitar. She started learning how to play a string instrument when she borrowed her brother’s banjo. At age 11 she was able to scrape together enough money to purchase a guitar for herself and named her guitar, “Stella.” Cotten developed her own original style. Her approach to left-handed guitar playing involved keeping the guitar in standard tuning but holding 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 has become known as “Cotten picking”.
Since its release, her songs, especially her signature track, “Freight Train”, written when she was 11, have been covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Devendra Banhart, Matt Valentine, Laura Veirs, and Taj Mahal.
The following video shows her unusual style of guitar playing as she performs with Pete Segeer.
In 1984 she won the Grammy Award for “Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording” for her album on Arhoolie Records.
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August 31st, 2009 at 10:50 am
Yay!! I wondered if anyone would notice the Elizabeth Cotten paraphernalia in the background of my photo! She was from Syracuse, NY, near where I grew up. I was raised on her songs and other folks songs, including “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mary Don’t You Weep” and all of Pete Seeger’s stuff. But Libba Cotten’s “Freight Train” was my all-time favorite.
I’m so glad you noticed. It made my day!!
.-= Mrs. Mecomber´s last blog ..Photo Hunt: Surprise! =-.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 am
How cool! I really wanted to learn to play guitar when I was in college, so I spent several hundred dollars on a new Taylor. Sadly it wasn’t my thing as much as I wish I could have taught myself. I think my fingers are just too short, or else I didn’t apply myself enough. I still have it though, and it is beautiful and smells so good.
.-= Laurie´s last blog ..Big Tex Choice Awards =-.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I really admire people who play music with guitar because I am really having a hard time to learn playing it. I have already seen a lot of performers with playing an upside down guitar and they are all fascinating. I would definitely find more about Elizabeth Cotten because her style was really very artistic and the mellow with her music while watching her video inspires me a lot.
.-= Mikaela´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
September 7th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Wow, I have never heard of her. This is fantastic. I will have to show my hubs, he is a folk music fan.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:35 am
It is amazing how she developed such an effective style teaching herself to play.
.-= vein´s last blog ..Um…. =-.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
When I started reading this article, not being a guitar player myself, I thought “so what?”. When you learn it like that instead of the other way around, it’s exactly the same. But then I didn’t yet realize that she had to play the melody with her thumb. Quite amazing!