She grew up in a strict, religious family and girls weren't supposed to play guitars. So she'd sneak her brother's guitar out from under the bed and practice when no one was around. However, she was left-handed, and so learned to play a regularly-strung guitar upside-down. That's why the chords and progressions she produced were so different from anything else that was being played at the time. A pure definition of the word "unique."
@trimbandit96364 жыл бұрын
Dick Dale approves
@direfranchement4 жыл бұрын
Actually it wasn't a guitar that she she snuck, but a banjo. She bought her own guitar later, but first learned to play her brother's banjo.
@jonathabotbot8237 Жыл бұрын
i can see that she knows the chords very well. if you look closely, you can see a C Chord clearly, on the other video of her i saw A minor
@davidmccaffery79775 ай бұрын
Jimi Hendrix played a right handed guitar ( he also was left handed) a developed a unique sound
@christinamiller33634 ай бұрын
She simply restrung her own left handed guitar.....and rocked it all the way home...🤘💕
@justingsteele9 жыл бұрын
This is the talent that should have recognition in the Rock Hall of Fame. Humble and with grace, a beautiful, talented human being. Thanks to those who made the effort to post these videos.
@TheGuitologist9 жыл бұрын
Justin G. Steele Screw the rock HOF. Music shouldn't have or need gatekeepers of approval.
@rillloudmother4 жыл бұрын
why lump this in with rock when it is clearly not rock?
@googleisretarded76183 жыл бұрын
It's not rock, though.
@jenniferisbell96293 жыл бұрын
I agree on it all. She is very talented..
@davisworth51142 жыл бұрын
Why sully her reputation, she's not a rocker, she's an American original.
@drombit9 жыл бұрын
A beautiful woman and great musician.
@guitarHero18858 жыл бұрын
brilliant!!!! one of the BEST guitarists EVER. why she not listed in guitar press top 100s? and who are the 4 dislikes? wtf?
@Ridger19788 жыл бұрын
+guitarHero1885 4 dislikes are Justin Bieber fans!
@guitarHero18858 жыл бұрын
or closely related! no accounting for taste.
@Ridger19788 жыл бұрын
Very True!
@flintdinkersnatch52978 жыл бұрын
+guitarHero1885 They haters.
@jamesrobbie19818 жыл бұрын
Five now - Poi Dogs who think they invented slack tuning
@akroatis11 жыл бұрын
I love the black-and-white grainy footage, it adds to the charm of the music.
@KamoHaze8 жыл бұрын
I concur.
@maroudakiles29832 жыл бұрын
Mon dieu, je ne peux m'empêcher de toujours revenir à cette musique hypnotique. Une force tranquille.
@bustov753 жыл бұрын
No fancy, no show, a simple woman with an incredible talent!!!!!! God bless you!!!!
@thenormalyears2 жыл бұрын
her guitar playing I would categorize as very fancy but I dont mean that in a bad way obviously but she does flex in her own ways during the songs
@MichaelKingsfordGray Жыл бұрын
All gods are fictional.
@bandicoot54128 жыл бұрын
She gets that special sound, that comes from that special place, love and peace, thank you!
@DawnDavis-lz3rj2 ай бұрын
What a beautiful Soul she was! It would have been special to see her live! But it is special to see and hear her here, too! Thanks for posting! 🙂🤎❤️🤎🌼
@mikeksiazek9 жыл бұрын
Beautiful. We need more music like this. Not that modern day cacophony. Marvelous musicians like her and Gary Davis are rare.
@deaner17229 жыл бұрын
agreed, we need to get back to the instruments.. sick of all the electronic/ computerized music that the kids love these days.. I feel like the average 14-15 yr old kid wouldn't appreciate her.
@contactkeithstack9 жыл бұрын
+deaner1722 alright Grandpa (or grandma?). Don't you have a bridge (or bingo) video to be commenting on? Maybe expressing how sick you are of Uno and/or Trouble the board game! (maybe I"m showing my own age?) How these are no talent games based on luck?? (All the while your old games being just as fun and emotive as the new games?)...
@RASTAxSKATE8 жыл бұрын
+deaner1722 not true I love this style of music and I'm only 15. kids just listen to that bull shit cause other kids think it's cool and all kids want is to be cool. on a personal level this stuff hits me right in the heart man.
@mikeksiazek8 жыл бұрын
+contactkeithstack grandpa? hah hah. take lessons Sonny boy. maybe one day you'll be a somebody.
@eugemurts59037 жыл бұрын
Michael K open your mind
@charlespineda16856 жыл бұрын
She is literally playing the guitar upside down. Southpaws stand up!
@JeffaHensley4 жыл бұрын
charles pineda Great, but you don’t have to say “literally” all the time.
@houseofpills4 жыл бұрын
@@JeffaHensley YOUR MOM
@thatpickingguy3 жыл бұрын
@@houseofpills GOTTEEEMM!!!!
@kennethbartholow27323 жыл бұрын
@@JeffaHensley did you hear him? He said YOUR MOM
@hubertsumlin9697 Жыл бұрын
I saw that! All that fingerpicking, completely "backwards". Amazing.
@vanessaecampbell2 жыл бұрын
Whoa! Never so clear a blend of heart and mind with her instrument. She makes it sound like two instruments!!!
@bloozer666 Жыл бұрын
This is some ahead of it's time guitar work for sure... Such a cool chick ❤
@nicolen.96425 жыл бұрын
We are grateful to the people who share these moments. Elizabeth Cotten is a gem, what legacy!! 👍
@MrCanigou5 жыл бұрын
This music radiates love, that's why it feels so good to hear
@googleisretarded76183 жыл бұрын
So true. It's like fresh baked buns from your grandma.
@TheEpicImpaler4 жыл бұрын
I think what makes her sound so distinct from the rest is that her downstrokes sound like upstrokes and viceversa.
@bungieflute3 жыл бұрын
is that knuckles up or down?
@longtalltexan84195 жыл бұрын
No words to honor this beautiful soul.
@darrincobb67144 жыл бұрын
Thank you for bringing this talented blues woman to light.
@gcheves11 жыл бұрын
In terms of color, blues is an adaptation of African rhythms. In other words, the music came to America with the Africans and evolved. The whites who play blues learned from Black people. It only stands to reason that the most influential blues artist would be black.
@kingjacobi93703 жыл бұрын
The guitar was introduced to the us by Spaniards bro don’t make it about color
@partyinternational44068 жыл бұрын
Dear Elizabeth... Cotton. Thank You.
@Westcope7 жыл бұрын
She is Killing it!
@foobird584 жыл бұрын
Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (née Nevills) (January 5, 1893 - June 29, 1987)[1] was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter. A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. She played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it upside down, as she was left-handed.[2] This position meant that she would play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking".[3]
@OsbornIOW4 жыл бұрын
I like to try and play guitar. So when you try and play makes you appreciate seeing Elizabeth play so beautifully and calmly . Imagine having a mum or grandma like that :)
@yemaozimao5 жыл бұрын
Brilliant playing a guitar left handed strung right handed,Hats of to Lizzy,What a gem.
@zarroukfrederic528 жыл бұрын
thank you cotten beautiful prestation
@guitar1977man12 жыл бұрын
Am I the only one who has turned the computer upside down and watched her play? Then it makes sense what she did and she did it well!
@noah1228042 жыл бұрын
Lefty here, she's left handed playing a right handed (upside down) guitar :)
@mylifeasmalu2 жыл бұрын
no, i can see what's she doing without turning my monitor
@LaZaritasjourney7 жыл бұрын
WOW! Great musician! Great guitar player! Yes, I agree with Justin G. Steele when he wrote, "Thanks to those who made the effort to post these videos!" Yes, thnx! I appreciate it and I appreciate you!!!! I also thank those filmmakers, producers who did these amazing recordings of these wonderful, amazing musicians way back when! Thnx for sharing! 'Keep*On*A*Rocking*N*A*Rolling!' :)
@TheeDavidDee5 күн бұрын
Simply sublime and angelic
@warpnin311 жыл бұрын
let's collect some money to send the two people that don't like this video to an ear doctor
@vincent55424 жыл бұрын
I don t want want to waste money on These people at all
@jamesreedmusic42244 жыл бұрын
A head doctor. They're crazy
@mariaapoleika61213 жыл бұрын
maybe they have vision problems and missed the thumb?
@jackfletcher10003 жыл бұрын
I think that they will also claim the Hendrix was the best guitar player EVER, gimme a break.
@panetierjulien1407 жыл бұрын
She just reversed the guitar but not he strings, amazing.
@Strik910 ай бұрын
David Holts " State Of Music" on PBS has a great doc. about her that is a must see!
@rexmundi22378 жыл бұрын
Keep in mind that the audio quality is inevitably rough and probably sounds more out of tune than it really was at time of recording.
@lightcap2412 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for posting this. This music makes people better. God bless you, and God bless Elizabeth Cotten.
@MrReneprimo10 жыл бұрын
Inacreditável... com que leveza e naturalidade essa senhora leva os dedos as cordas, sem esforço, sem expressar dificuldade alguma... com uma facilidade inacreditável! From BRAZIL!!!
@milanpetro27610 жыл бұрын
this lady is amazing this style is everywhere
@prutissbartlow88354 жыл бұрын
At 6 minutes and 18 seconds and sound like the Mario brother s. Theme song. Lol...the true innovator.... Rag time.... Old time country... The birth of nation.... top hats and carriages the queen Victorian age AKA Mary Poppins the 1920s 30s 40s 11
@paulogomes8283 Жыл бұрын
MEU NOSSO DEUS QUE COISA MAIS LINDA DE SE OUVIR ,EITA GLÓRIA AO CRIADOR !!!
@toniarichards13795 жыл бұрын
This is incredible - playing left-hand strung for right-hand
@snerper8 жыл бұрын
Ridger 1978 = What an honour and privilege it would have been to know this lovely lady, she always played guitar upside down like that! The dislikes are on here because the people who put them here are not allowed anything sharper than crayons in the secure home they're in! Probably typed the dislikes on here inbetween drooling uncontrollably and waiting for the nurse to change their soiled underwear for them!
@orion9458 Жыл бұрын
A national treasure. Thank you for uploading
@johnm31526 жыл бұрын
Love you Elizabeth !!
@adilsonferreiramartins49632 жыл бұрын
Oi bom dia? Hoje acordei pela manhã! Decidi abrir as redes , parece meu espírito se comunicou com meus ancestrais! Escute essa Heroína Americana, fera no blus; e muita honra!
@philescionocanty440710 жыл бұрын
this is spectacular, i've never seen or heard anything like this before
@stephensevenpounder544711 жыл бұрын
I have no words,, I thought others on this studio were awesome,,, this woman ,, gots some balls,,,,
@joe4nature19 жыл бұрын
What a great collection of musicians! I listened to those masters when I was much younger. Now I even more appreciate their contributions!
@sarkiesarkie49188 жыл бұрын
what a fantastic tune. every mums expectatation
@SpaceGhost674 жыл бұрын
Sound quality will be restored in the future because this footage will live long after the guitar wizards who can't really play are forgotten. It will be glorious to hear then.
@chrisclaridge654 жыл бұрын
First song I cried , second ,I laughed in wonder....third, just marveled and smiled ...
@ehhep1233 жыл бұрын
I had the pleasure of seeing her play at Folklife Festival in the opera house in Seattle, Washington. I will never forget it. Thank you for posting this. Love that Washington (DC) Blues....
@neerajbenjamin19195 жыл бұрын
her surname is Cotten....her playing is pure silk......
@bungieflute3 жыл бұрын
Har Har MahaDev
@briankenome Жыл бұрын
😂
@ernestoparrajaque4427 Жыл бұрын
Hermosamente fantástica en mi caso tengo la suerte de que mi padre me a enseñado algunos tiemples por la labor diaria no lo practico .pero los tengo en mi memoria y los reconozco donde quiera que los oiga ......
@weegiewarbler11 жыл бұрын
That wasn't the discussion. My initial question was (as a keen follower of this type of guitar style) why I'd never heard of Elizabeth Cotton. Someone supposed it was down to her colour, but I am of the belief it was more because of her gender. My digging around the top 25 Blues guitarists found 25 men - No Women! It was more of an aside that 5 were white and tended to be more recent.
@maggieadams86003 жыл бұрын
I agree, I've only just discovered her and I'm 60! She's so brilliant and singular, I can only put it down to her gender coupled with her brilliance that she's been left in the shadows for so long!
@pupusaslordking5617 Жыл бұрын
i like how lena hugues used to play the spanish fandanfo almost exactly like that
@jorhay13 жыл бұрын
I love the time traveler with the iPhone at 4:56
@davidklein50073 жыл бұрын
Always have preferred east coast raggy blues to delta/country blues.
@PHJimY7 жыл бұрын
Three fingers for Washington Blues and I'm Goin' Away. A different rolling feel.
@budlorry89377 жыл бұрын
Glad I tripped over your channel.....Chock full of talent ....Thank you
@miyamototakahiko11 жыл бұрын
やっぱりエリザベスコットンは最高だよ!!
@weegiewarbler12 жыл бұрын
What I don't understand is why she's not better known? I love guitar picking music, and have dredged through dozens and dozens of GUYS, and this beautiful lady has been hidden away like some sort of secret. I've just spent the last 24 hours digging every where to find her music. I don't understand why she's not right out there.
@carolmikofsky4976 Жыл бұрын
Folkways LP
@lerevolver66886 жыл бұрын
she's so lovely, i wish i knew her or something. she seems so cool
@deaner17229 жыл бұрын
love that Washington blues song she does in this
@MrFloopy999 жыл бұрын
+deaner1722 shit dude nice nugs
@deaner17229 жыл бұрын
Sillycibin thanks bud
@MrFloopy999 жыл бұрын
hah
@grizzlycomrie12 жыл бұрын
What a gem, simple and great style.
@DCShaneTours7 жыл бұрын
My jaw is on the ground. Amazing. That is the way Jimi Hendrix played at first, a right-handed guitar upside-down, and the strings upside down also, he later flipped the strings.
@heathergrube69174 ай бұрын
Thank you for uploading this!
@paulogomes8283 Жыл бұрын
ESSA MULHER ERA UM GENIO FO VIOLÃO !
@kixr113 жыл бұрын
Wow ... glad i found this
@killianmchugh986712 жыл бұрын
there is nothing more than this. this is all we need.
@gmoney21033 жыл бұрын
She's the coolest. I'm amazed out how sick she played.
@oldbluechef12 жыл бұрын
Spent a lovely hour or so at her house with MS John Hurt and Tom Hoskins, who also played left-handed upside-down and backwards. John played a somewhat different "Spanish Flangdang". Middle 1960s. What a sweet lady she was.
@sportsfan1205776 жыл бұрын
Are you serious?
@gennyhaley70145 жыл бұрын
She taught me to make apple pie: Granny Smith apples, lots of butter and cinnamon and lemon juice for the filling, preferably lard or crisco for a light crust--get dough to pea size (she used a fork or pastry cutter) before rolling, don't knead it, just form into ball and roll out. She was quite old when I watched her do this and was cold enough to wear a sweater even in a hot kitchen in Oakland. One talented lady!
@soundstartearlychildhoodmu88764 жыл бұрын
@@gennyhaley7014 What a sweet memory! Somehow I am not at all surprised that this woman can make excellent music AND excellent pie. May we all learn to become like this!
@ukin5556 жыл бұрын
love her... ❤💙💙💓💓
@1244taylor12 жыл бұрын
wow that is brilliant .. so laid back and fun
@cyndygough69108 жыл бұрын
So beautiful
@earniemalumpkiss38465 жыл бұрын
Albert King plays like that too, I always thought that was wicked cool
@laurenceshatkin49508 жыл бұрын
This is essentially the same tune as the "Spanish Fandango" recorded by "Uncle Charlie" on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album, "Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy."
@gennyhaley70145 жыл бұрын
Spanish Fandango was an old "parlor" piece of written music for guitar from the 1800s done in slack key open G tuning. It entered the folk tradition by being such a popular piece that self taught guitar players figured out their own versions of it, such as Ms. Cotten's.
@thelittlekittymesh917 жыл бұрын
This people should be everlasting!!
@philfischer4115 Жыл бұрын
These are the true hits....unbelievable cant stop listening. While it's not the hardest song to play, its the picking style/tone that no one can or will be able to reproduce. Where is this on vinyl???
@gmmaal7161 Жыл бұрын
Spanish Flang Dang (instr.) George Buck (guitar) Washington Blues (instr.) I'm Going Away
@WashingtonJohnson8 жыл бұрын
Playing left handed on a righthanded strung guitar, priceless. Jimi could do both !
@PHJimY7 жыл бұрын
But Jimi didn't perform with a right handed strung guitar. Libba once explained that she had brothers who played, but there was only one guitar in the house and they wouldn't let her restring it, so she turned it upside down.
@WashingtonJohnson7 жыл бұрын
No , but he could do it. l know people who played with him and were also close friends
@GodsVibes8 жыл бұрын
Beautiful
@maggieadams86003 жыл бұрын
Thank Heaven for Elizabeth Cotton!
@danmurphy47245 жыл бұрын
As I listen ....i fall to to floor with shame not able to play
@milanpetro27610 жыл бұрын
what a great player
@tikiart197012 жыл бұрын
Elizabeth Cotton is great! You might also like Hawaiian slack key guitar like George Kahamuko or anything on the dancing cat label.
@weegiewarbler11 жыл бұрын
I'm sure colour was right up there too, but gender knocked her way down the "must play list". I just checked a list of the "top 25 most influential Blues guitarists ever" - all 25 were men, 20 out of 25 were black.
@MrJemoederopeenstokj Жыл бұрын
Just what i needed to soothe my raging mind
@drumier3 жыл бұрын
I've played upside down lefty forever and this looks incomprehensible to me.
@canilserradacanastra5453 Жыл бұрын
So Sweet...
@richdandanell29114 жыл бұрын
This is an absolute treasure .
@johnloud39862 жыл бұрын
Amazing ! so glad to have found this. Thank you
@arjhendrix13 жыл бұрын
thank you
@janetcarroll36277 жыл бұрын
sweetness love u truly..
@jeanmarieLillymar6 жыл бұрын
love this
@bridgetward975211 жыл бұрын
I like rag-time on guitar.
@janethauber612011 жыл бұрын
notice she is a lefty playing a right hand strung guitar. Amazing!
@willemboonen5305 жыл бұрын
Fantastic
@j-pierrelassalle8624 жыл бұрын
🙏🙏🙏! Gauchère. Bravo 👍
@mARTin04114013 жыл бұрын
respect
@andypetrovich21558 жыл бұрын
Fantastic.
@danmurphy47246 жыл бұрын
So pretty. Its upsidown. Look at the strings
@1244taylor11 жыл бұрын
I don't really care if she is black, white or purple , she is one talented lady. a right hand guitar played upside down left.. wow G
@morleyacousticguitarclub603111 жыл бұрын
Other influential Black women blues guitarists? Rosetta Tharpe (the greatest!), Memphis Minnie, Etta Baker......
@gcheves11 жыл бұрын
I think she is not considered a major influence because she didn't play the chitlin' circuit. In my hometown there was guy named Raymond Williams who was as good as anybody and he set up his amp and performed every Sunday afternoon but you won't find his work documented anywhere.