The history of DIY instruments

Taylor Lane, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·2 min read

Nov. 2—While enslaved Africans could not bring their possessions with them when they were forcefully brought to the Americas, they did bring their music and cultural heritage.

Much like how the history of the American banjo began with enslaved Africans, so did the history of DIY instruments. Enslaved people built their own guitars and other instruments out of whatever they were able to get their hands on.

DIY instruments have provided an avenue for people, especially in the Southern United States, to create music for centuries when they wouldn't otherwise have access to the means to do so.

These instruments, along with other DIY instruments, allowed jug bands that played folk, jazz, and blues music to rise in prominence throughout the early to mid-20th century. These groups, primarily consisting of Black Americans and poor white Americans, used cigar box instruments, jugs, washtub basses, washboards, jaw harps, and other DIY instruments along with conventional instruments to create music.

Jug bands first recorded music in Louisville, Ky., as early as 1923, but were active long before that. They were a staple of vaudeville and medicine carts. They began performing on riverboats on the Ohio River around 1900 and first appeared at the Kentucky Derby in 1903.

These bands contributed to the development of rock n' roll, bluegrass, and other genres later on during the 19th century.

During the Great Depression, there was a rise in the use of cigar box instruments.

Cigar box instruments date back to as early as the late 19th century, shortly following the American Civil War when tobacco companies began selling their cigars in small wooden cartons, much like the ones we see today in humidor shops.

Newspapers began publishing syndicated plans for a cigar box banjo as early as 1884 when Daniel Carter Beard, co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America, published his plans. In 1890, the plans were reprinted in the American Boys Handibook.

As the 19th century turned to the 20th century, plans for cigar box fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and other instruments were printed in newspapers and magazines.

During WWI, trench soldiers crafted cigar box ukuleles, fiddles, and guitars to help pass the time and raise morale.

Eventually, factories began mass-producing cheaper acoustic guitars and cigar box guitars began fading in popularity. What was once a necessity for poor Americans became a novelty.

Cigar box speciality instruments continued in popularity for a while, including cigar box violins and mandolins. In Appalachia, the need for cigar box instruments continued for much longer than most of the rest of the United States.

Ultimately, if a person has a story to tell, they will find a way to tell it regardless of financial circumstances. DIY instruments allow musicians to produce the song they have in their heart, even if they don't have an ideal financial situation.