In the effort of helping demystify the subject, Ben “Gitty” Baker presents a compilation of his 4-part Fretting series that serves as a step-by-step guide to fretting Cigar Box Guitars and more! Continue reading “C. B. Gitty’s Cigar Box Guitar Fretting How-to Video”
knowledge-base
Call Me The Breeze by J. J. Cale (performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd) – 3-string 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 Southern Rock song Call Me The Breeze, written by J. J. Cale and famously performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd. This tablature is arranged for 3-string Open G “GDG” tuning. Continue reading “Call Me The Breeze by J. J. Cale (performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd) – 3-string Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
Camptown Races – 3-string Open G “GDG” – Cigar Box Guitar 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”
Camptown Races – Traditional
View the full text of this entry by clicking the “Read More” link below for the formatted canjo tab…
Learn how to play “Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster on your One-String canjo! Continue reading “Camptown Races – Traditional”
Camptown Races By Stephen Foster 2-String Bass Tablature
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the old American minstrel tune “Camptown Races“, written by Stephen Foster.
Continue reading “Camptown Races By Stephen Foster 2-String Bass Tablature”
Canray Fontenot: From Cigar Box Fiddle to Creole Legend
Written by Shane Speal, www.shanespeal.com
“So, we took some cigar boxes…In those days, cigar boxes were made of wood. So, we worked at it and finally made ourselves a fiddle. For our strings, we had no real strings … we took strands off the screen door. We made fiddles out of that stuff, and then we started practicing. [I visited my neighbor] to see how he tuned his fiddle. He would sound a string, and then I would try mine, but I couldn’t go as high as his fiddle; every time I tried to match his pitch, I’d break a string…. But then when he would break a string, I would take the longest end. Then my fiddle sounded pretty good. And that’s how I learned. It’s just a matter of having music on your mind.”
– Canray Fontenot
Quoted from his National Endowment for the Arts Honor
I first came across the name Canray Fontenot from the dedication page of book, Fiddle Fever by Sharon Arms Doucet. In the book, a young Cajun boy named Felix comes of age when he falls in love with music and Continue reading “Canray Fontenot: From Cigar Box Fiddle to Creole Legend”
Carolina in my Mind by James Taylor – 3-string Open G GDG – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature
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 Carolina in my Mind, written and performed by James Taylor. This is one of James’ greatest hits, instantly recognizable from just the first few notes. Like a lot of James Taylor’s songs, the melody line is fairly straightforward but the chord progression can be a little complex. Continue reading “Carolina in my Mind by James Taylor – 3-string Open G GDG – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
Carrickfergus – Tablature for Open GDG Cigar Box Guitars
The 3-string cigar box guitar tablature in the PDF link below will show you how to play the melody for the song Carrickfergus, recorded as “The Kerry Boatman” by Dominic Behan in 1965, though the origins go back even further to the 18th century. Continue reading “Carrickfergus – Tablature for Open GDG Cigar Box Guitars”
CBG Bling: Decorating Ideas for your Cigar Box Guitar
A Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) can range widely when it comes to decoration. The most basic, primitive CBGs have very little decoration; reduced to its most basic form, a CBG is a stick, a box and a couple of strings, without any need for show adornment. While there is definitely nothing wrong with that austere simplicity, many builders enjoy adding some decorative touches to their builds. Many cigar boxes start off as pretty decorative pieces anyway, so it is natural to try to build upon that when creating a handmade instrument from one.
A Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) can range widely when it comes to decoration. The most basic, primitive CBGs have very little decoration; reduced to its most basic form, a CBG is a stick, a box and a couple of strings, without any need for show adornment.
While there is definitely nothing wrong with that austere simplicity, many builders enjoy adding some decorative touches to their builds. Many cigar boxes start off as pretty decorative pieces anyway, so it is natural to try to build upon that when creating a handmade instrument from one.
The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the methods you can use to decorate your builds, and wherever possible to use hardware that is both decorative AND useful – using a decorative Continue reading “CBG Bling: Decorating Ideas for your Cigar Box Guitar”
Celebrity Cigar Box Guitar Gallery
In this gallery is our collection of celebrities holding (and ideally playing) cigar box guitars. If you have any photos like this, please let us know! Click on any of the photos for a larger view and more info.
Chickenbone John (John Wormald)
Musical stlyes: Blues, Folk, Jazz, Originals
Handmade instrument played: cigar box guitar
Englishman John Wormald began playing guitar in his teenage years. While in school he built his first solid body electric guitar. From there, although it would take some time to grow, John’s luthiery and performances would take on a storied life. Continue reading “Chickenbone John (John Wormald)”
Christmas Eve with Uncle Enos (with Cigar Box Banjo Plans) – by Daniel C. Beard – Circa 1884
This story first appeared in The Book Buyer: A Summary of American and Foreign Literature in 1884-1885. It was written by Daniel Carter Beard, who also founded the Boy Scouts of America. It tells the story of a Christmas Eve where the boys Tom, Dick and Harry discover that their beloved Uncle Enos has built himself a banjo out of a cigar box and broomstick. Continue reading “Christmas Eve with Uncle Enos (with Cigar Box Banjo Plans) – by Daniel C. Beard – Circa 1884”
Cigar Box Cello and Violin built by Children – from “Creative Music for Children” 1922
This excerpt from the book “Creative Music for Children”, written by Satis Narrona Coleman and published in 1922, describes the author’s work with teaching music and musical instruments to children. In this section she describes how the children crafted their own instruments, including a cello and violin, from various materials including cigar boxes.
The following excerpt is from the book “Creative Music for Children”, published in 1922, and describes the author’s work with teaching music and musical instruments to children. In this section she describes how the children crafted their own instruments, including a cello and violin, from various materials including cigar boxes. Continue reading “Cigar Box Cello and Violin built by Children – from “Creative Music for Children” 1922″
Cigar Box Guitar Building Tip: Neck Reinforcement with Humbuckers
In the video below, Shane Speal shows his technique of reinforcing internal bracing on neck-through cigar box guitars with extra wood. He also shows how to use a Forstner bit to route out the cavity for a mini humbucker pickup. (Note: the pickup used is a C. B. Gitty Toaster Bucker mini humbucker.) Continue reading “Cigar Box Guitar Building Tip: Neck Reinforcement with Humbuckers”
Cigar Box Guitar Chord Forms for 3-string Open G “GDG”
Here are the chord form sheets for all of the common keys that you might want to play on your cigar box guitar. These are all for 3-string cigar box guitars tuned to Open G “GDG”. Continue reading “Cigar Box Guitar Chord Forms for 3-string Open G “GDG””
Cigar Box Guitar in 1942 Spike Jones Music Video
Shane Speal recently discovered a rare appearance by a cigar box guitar in a vintage film clip, this one from a 1942 music video recorded for the Spike Jones song “Pass the Biscuits Mirandy”. According to the Youtube video post, this short film (which really is a precursor to modern music videos) was called a “Soundie” and was made for playing on special jukeboxes. Continue reading “Cigar Box Guitar in 1942 Spike Jones Music Video”