The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
The 3-string cigar box guitar tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song Blowin’ in the Wind, written and performed by Bob Dylan. This is one of the best known of Dylan’s songs, and is a bona-fide folk anthem. It also has a nice easy-to-play melody and chord structure. Continue reading “Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan – 3-string Open G GDG – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the bass line for the classic folk-rock song “Blowin’ In The Wind“, by Bob Dylan. Continue reading “Blowin’ In The Wind By Bob Dylan | 2-String Bass Tablature”
For anyone who grew up watching old Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Cartoons featuring Foghorn Leghorn, this song will be instantly recognizable. Continue reading “Camptown Races – 3-string Open G “GDG” – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
Here are four arrangements of the beautiful “Flower of Scotland” song, one of the unofficial national anthems of Scotland. Written in the 1960’s by Roy Williamson of The Corries, this song quickly found a place in the hearts of Scottish people and their descendants all around the world. Presented in two keys (G and D), both as the basic melody and also with harmony, you’re sure to be showing your Scottish Pride in no time with this easy-to-read tablature.
Click the image above, or here, to view/download the tablature PDF
Learn how to play the bass line for Home On The Range on your 2-string bass with the free, downloadable PDF tablature in this post. Continue reading “Home On The Range 2-String G-Bass Tablature”
When most people think of cigar box guitars, they do not think of traditional Irish tunes… but it turns out that a lot of Irish tunes are fairly simple melodies and are quite well suited to playing on a 3-string cigar box guitar. So here are 3 of my favorite Irish polkas (the term polka refers to the time signature and rhythm of the piece, not any German origin), which I used to play when I was in an Irish band. You may recognize the second tune as the popular Irish/kids song “The Rattlin Bog/Bog Down in the Valley-o”, and the third one from the Irish party scene of James Cameron’s hugely popular movie The Titanic. Continue reading “Irish Tune Set: 3 Polkas – 3-string Open G GDG – Chords & Tablature for Cigar Box Guitars”
Red River Valley is one of the top cowboy songs of all time, and also one of the first songs learned by any aspiring guitar player who went through the classic Mel Bay Guitar Method Volume 1 instruction book. More info about the song can be found in the Wiki article here.
This version of it has been arranged and tabbed by Glenn Watt. Glenn gives us three versions of the song – the basic melody line, and then the tabbed version with the chords, and finally a “double stop” version that provides an interesting take on a two-part harmony.
You can view the printable tablature sheets by clicking on the link or images below. You can also watch the video below where Glenn shows you how he plays (and sings!) the song on his 3-string cigar box guitar tuned to Open G “GDG”.
Here is a piece of Cigar Box Guitar tablature by Glenn Watt for the song “Scotland The Brave”, which while not the official national anthem of Scotland is still near and dear to the hearts of most Scots. Though it does have words, we present it here as an instrumental piece since that is how it is most often heard when played by pipe and drum bands.
Click here for a printable PDF tab of Scotland the Brave. You can also view a short video of Glenn playing this tablature on his cigar box guitar below.
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic Americana folk song Take Me Home Country Roads, famously performed and recorded by John Denver. This tablature is arranged for 3-string Open G “GDG” tuning.
Click on the image above to download the printable PDF document.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, your one-stop shop for all things Cigar Box Guitar: Instruments, Kits, Parts, Gear & More.
If you need some help with this style of tablature, here’s a video where Glenn Watt shows you how to read it
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the fun traditional Irish song “The Rattlin’ Bog”, also known as “Bog Down In the Valley-O”. This one is popular with kids and is a St. Patrick’s Day favorite.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF: The Rattlin Bog
Here’s the great old Irish pub/drinking song “The Wild Rover“, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day singalongs or any other gathering of Irish (or honorary Irish) folks all year round. The tablature sheet linked below will show you the melody, chord accompaniment and words and have you picking away and singing in a rich brogue in no time.
The exact origins and meaning of this song are contested (it may even have been an anti-drinking song of the temperance movement), but these days it is considered to be THE quintessential Irish drinking song. It has been recorded by pretty much every Irish band and performer ever… including The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Dubliners, The Irish Rover, The Pogues, The Dropkick Murphys and many more. Just a note – to play this in the style of the Dropkick Murphys, you’ll need a lot of distortion and at least a fifth of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF: The Wild Rover Cigar Box Guitar Tablature
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic folk rock song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot.
The Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior with all hands lost on November 10, 1975 and 39 years later to the day we post the tab for you here. The melody line is nice and simple, but good luck memorizing all of those verses!
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald PDF
The 3-string cigar box guitar tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song This Land is Your Land, written and recorded by Woodie Guthrie. It has also been recorded by a number of other musicians over the years, including Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen. Written in 1940 and first recorded in 1944, this song has become one of the best known and most-loved of the American folk anthems.
The printable tablature sheet linked below contains both the simple melody-only version as well as a more advanced version that includes some chords.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it!
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF: This Land is Your Land – Woodie Guthrie – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature
“Turkey in the Straw” is an American folk song that originated during the early 1800’s and is perhaps one of the most well-known tunes played on a fiddle.
Here we present the well-known verse for Cigar Box Guitars tuned to Open GDG. It can also be adapted to other 1-5-1 tunings as well.
Click on the tab below for the downloadable PDF!
