Category: General News

Originally released as a single in 1963, “Blowin’ in the Wind” is possibly one of Dylan’s best known songs.

It has been covered by a number of artists ranging from Peter, Paul and Mary to the legendary Dolly Parton, and appears as the Ultimate Question in the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Featuring the melody line, as well as a combination with chords, you’ll be singing and playing this classic in no time.

Click here for the free PDF download, brought to you by the Southbound Strings Company!

If you haven’t yet heard of of the power duo Hymn for Her You’re in for a treat!

Along with number of well-known Cigar Box Guitar artists, Hymn For Her will be performing this weekend at the 13th Annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival in Huntsville, Alabama this Saturday!

Click here for more information about the longest running Cigar Box Guitar Festival!

Written in 1972 by Townes van Zandt, this country song has been covered by a number of artists over the last few decades.

One-hand Dan Russell produced this excellent video lesson for your Cigar Box Ukulele, and breaks down the strumming pattern. With only 3 easy chords with included diagrams, you’ll be playing this tune in no time!

Click here for the FREE video lesson with chord diagrams!

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices” – President Harry S. Truman

As we take a moment to reflect on the lives of the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price in the service of their country, we share with you this Cigar Box Guitar tab created by Glenn Watt.

First penned as a poem by Francis Scott Key in the during the War of 1812, “The Star Spangled Banner” became the National Anthem of the United States of America in 1931. It has since meant a great deal to the US and her citizens.

Click here for the FREE PDF downloads as well as a how-to video by Glenn on how to read this tablature

A long weekend is right around the corner, and it makes for the perfect excuse to learn a new song.

Ben “Uke” Rouse, of the UK, took the stage with this incredible rendition of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. The tablature is a bit of a departure from the usual format you see here, but the up side is that it can be adapted to any 1-5-1 tuning, including DAD and CGC.

Click Here to find out more about Ben and get the FREE PDF download of the Tab!

 

This beautiful piece was composed by Jay Ungar as a lament to the end of

the Ashokan Fiddle & Dance camp, an annual event in Upstate New York.

Covered by numerous artists over the years, perhaps it’s best-known usage was as the main theme song of Ken Burn’s popular PBS Documentary “The Civil War”.

This piece translates very well to the 3-String GDG Cigar Box Guitar and is sure to become a fireside picking favorite.

Click here for the FREE PDF download and a bonus MP3 sample of Ashokan Farewell

Glenn Watt sets out to explore why GDG tuning has become the KING of Cigar Box Guitar tunings!

Click here for the full article!

There are many ways to make a neck for your Cigar Box Guitar and in turn different headstocks.

Glenn Watt (with visual aides by Farley Andresen) wrote a fantastic how-to that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to create a straight headstock.

Click the link below to find out how you can a straight headstock for your next Cigar Box Guitar

Have you made one of these before? How do YOU make your headstock? Let us know in the comments!

Just in time for the weekend, we bring you, perhaps, one of the easiest instruments you can make in a short time.

In the following clip from the 2008 documentary “It Might Get Loud”by Davis Guggenheim, Jack builds a one-string Diddley Bow in a little over a minute. With just a few nails, a coke bottle, and a single coil pickup, Jack illustrates very nicely what those of us in the know have said all along:

“Who says you need to buy a guitar?”

Written and recorded by Johnny Cash in 1958, “I Still Miss Someone” is a tune about longing and heartache.

One-Hand Dan Russell brings a how-to video, with included chord diagrams, on how you can play this on your Cigar Box Ukulele!

Click here for the Video Lesson from One-Hand Dan!

Lap steels have seen a bit of a new life among Cigar Box Guitar and homemade music enthusiasts. C. B. Gitty has put out an affordable, easy-to-build kit that can be built in an afternoon, out of a scrap piece of 2×4 timber!

But what if you have already built one of these fine instruments from the kit above, and are looking for a little bit more of a challenge?

Sent in to us in 2016 by “Hubcap John” Hayward, these plans were originally printed in Practical Wireless Magazine, a UK-based Amateur Radio Magazine back in 1965.

These schematics lay out the ground work from dimensions to wiring diagrams, that you can follow to build an electric Hawaiian-Style Lap Steel Guitar!

Click the image below to download these FREE PDF Plans!

The Twelve-Bar Blues is an important chord progression that has served as the basic melody for thousands of Rock and Blues songs over the years.

When considering where to begin with learning the basics for blues on your Cigar Box Guitar, one of the best places to start is learning this chord progression.

It can even be adapted for other open-chord tunings!

Click here for a free PDF Tab download and a bonus how-to play companion video by Ben “Gitty” Baker.