The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
“Who says you need to buy a guitar?”
In this video clip from Dave Grohl’s “It Might Get Loud” documentary, Jack White builds a diddley bow in a cow pasture. He spends just over a minute doing it, and the last step is to tack on a single coil pickup and plug in to the amp stack he has standing by. He ends with the line quoted above. Why indeed? Continue reading “Jack White builds a Diddley Bow in about 1 minute”
These three printable sheets give you the 3-string cigar box guitar chord forms for playing in the three most common keys: C, G and D. These chord forms are intended for Open G “GDG” 3-string tunings. Continue reading “Jamming Guides for 3-string Cigar Box Guitars: Chords for Keys of C, G and D”
Musical styles: Blues, Hillbilly stomp, Rock, Americana, Originals
Handmade instruments played: cigar box guitars
He didn’t start build cigar box guitars until 2007 but he was bit by the artistic bug much earlier in life. Jason Farthing was drawing his favorite super heroes as a wee lad which is something that ultimately led to his love for the visual arts. That love turned into some of the finest custom painted cigar box guitars one can find. Continue reading “Jason Farthing (The Budrows)”
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic Christmas song Jingle Bells. Continue reading “Jingle Bells – 3-string Open G GDG – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
Learn how to play the bass line to Jingle Bells on your 2-string bass with the free-to-download tablature in this post. Continue reading “Jingle Bells 2-String G-Bass Tablature”
“In elementary school, we had a picture of Bo Diddly in our cafeteria. He was holding a rectangular guitar and the poster said something to the affect of ‘Eat your vegetables’. […] I didn’t see anything like that again until 2000 or so when Microwave Dave played the local W.C. Handy fest with his cbg. […] I had no idea at the time it would totally change my life in the years to come.”
Musical styles: One-man-band Blues Blast, Psycho-Hill Country, Punk, Originals
Handmade instruments played: Lowebow, cigar box guitar, stick guitar
As a young boy, John was introduced to boogie-woogie piano. Years later, and after a short stint with the trumpet, he was given a guitar. John was not one who took well to lessons on either piano or trumpet, and had a only a few on guitar. His growth as a musician really took off by jamming with friends. He grew to play in several bands in various clubs and immersed himself into the Fayetteville, AR punk scene, ultimately opening a music store with his wife in that city. Continue reading “Johnny Lowebow (John Lowe)”
Learn how to play the bass line to Jolly Old Saint Nicholas on your 2-string bass guitar with the totally free-to-download tablature in this post. Continue reading “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas 2-String G-Bass Tablature”
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic Christmas song Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. Continue reading “Jolly Old Staint Nicholas – 3-string Open G GDG – Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
In this video lesson, Dan walks you through how to play the lead and riffs for some good ole Northern Mississippi Hill Country Blues, Junior Kimbrough’s “Nobody But You”. Continue reading “Junior Kimbrough’s “Nobody But You” – lesson from One-Hand Dan Russell”
Musical Styles: Blues, Folk, Roots
Handmade Instruments Played: Cigar Box Guitar, Gas Can Guitar, Diddley Bow, many others
Over the last several years, Justin Johnson has become one of the most recognizable performing musicians of the cigar box guitar and homemade/handmade music movement. A highly accomplished musician, Justin plays a wide variety of handmade instruments created by builders and craftspeople all over the world, frequently switching between different instruments on stage all while weaving a masterful tapestry of sound and spoken word. Continue reading “Justin Johnson”
