knowledge-base – Page 2 – The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!

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Soldering Tutorial

This article covers some of the key basic methods for successful soldering, whether on your Cigar Box Guitar or other electronics project. Filled with photos and good advice that comes from years of experience, this short tutorial will have you successfully soldering in no time.

Topics covered include: the importance of tinning your iron and wires, what good solder joints look like, soldering to a tone/volume pot, soldering to a piezo, and wire aesthetics. If you have been uncertain about your soldering skills, this tutorial is a great place to start improving.

For great deals on potentiometers, piezos, jacks,
hook-up wire and other CBG parts, be sure to check out our C. B.
Gitty Crafter Supply Web Store!

Continue reading “Soldering Tutorial”

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – 3-string Open G GDG – Tablature for Cigar Box Guitars

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is one of the most beautiful and best known American songs. It was made famous by Judy Garland singing it in the film The Wizard of Oz, as has been covered many times since. First published in 1939, the music was composed by Harold Arlen and the words were written by E. Y. Harburg.

It is usually played slowly and plaintively (the way Judy Garland sang it), but people have also done it faster over the years (Glenn does it both ways in the video below). More info about the history of the song can be found in the Wiki article here.

This version of it has been arranged and tabbed by Glenn Watt. Glenn provides two versions of the tablature, a simpler “melody only” version and then the full version with melody and chord accompaniment.

You can view the printable tablature sheets by clicking the images below. You can also watch the video below where Glenn shows you how he plays the song, starting with a slower version and then speeding up into a more jazzy version on his 3-string cigar box guitar tuned to Open G “GDG”.

Melody-only Version

Click the image above to view the print-able tablature sheet.

Melody-with-Chords Version

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Tablature for 3-string Cigar Box Guitar

Click the image above to download the print-able PDF.

The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow“, made famous by Judy Garland in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. This song was written in 1939 and has been recorded by many artists over the years, and now you can play it too! 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.

Stacy Mitchhart

Musical styles: Blues, Jazz, Latin, Rock, R&B

Handmade instrument played: cigar box guitar

Consummate showman and captivating performer Stacy Mitchhart has been rocking Nashville for over twenty years. He’s played from coast to coast with several bands and been leading them since a young age.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Stacy was raised on a diet of soul and jazz. As a child while looking through the paper for movie listings one rainy day, he ran across an ad to learn how to play guitar. Without ado he was soon going to lessons and taking well to the instrument; so well, that by the age of nine he taught his father how to play guitar.

Over the years as a young adult Stacy worked his way up through the Cincinnati blues scene, leading bands and creating a name for himself. By ‘93 he had started his own music label and released his first CD. His career thus far includes 14 CD’s.

In ‘96 he took his talent to Nashville and hasn’t looked back since. Stacy has won the Albert King Award and been inducted into the Canadian Blues Hall of Fame. While in Nashville he has led the house band/headliner at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar for more than 18 years.

Through his work solidifying himself as a must-see blues showman, Stacy has included the use of cigar box guitar in his performances. “The secret is to find the voice of each particular instrument and translate it through your playing,” said Stacy in an interview with Blues.gr.

Even though he has long been sponsored by a major guitar manufacturer, Stacy still understands and appreciates the value and beauty of cigar box guitars. “Homemade instruments are tied directly to the Blues by the nature of their existence. If you don’t have the means to purchase an instrument, you try to make a version of it to play.”

Stacy Mitchhart’s website: http://stacymitchhart.com

Summer of 69 – Video and TAB lesson

Glenn Watt shows you how to play Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” on cigar box guitar using his one finger technique. He has also handwritten the song out in TAB format (posted below the video).

Swing Low Sweet Chariot – 3-string Open G GDG – Tablature for Cigar Box Guitars

Swing Low Sweet Chariot is one of the best known African American spirituals/hymns, reaching back into the 19th century and still sung today. It can be played either as a slow, plaintive hymn or done faster in a more jazzy/bluegrass style if desired. More info about the history of the song can be found in the Wiki article here.

This version of it has been arranged and tabbed by Glenn Watt. Glenn provides both the tablature and words for the song, as well as a video showing his take on how to play it.

You can view the printable tablature sheet by clicking on this link or image below. You can also watch the video below where Glenn shows you how he plays (and sings) the song in a fast bluegrassy style on his 3-string cigar box guitar tuned to Open G “GDG”.