First published in February 1850 and written by Stephen Foster, Camptown Races is an easy and fun song to play on your dulcimer or one-string Canjo.
Shane Speal’s Famous Blues Licks and Turnarounds for Cigar Box Guitar
Adding in your own spin on a well-recognized Blues riff can certainly help take your Cigar Box Guitars to a new level and may even present more compelling evidence that whomever is hearing it NEEDS that cigar box guitar in their life.
Shane Speal presents a series of 5 how-to play videos designed to teach you some of the most common blues riffs for your Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
World War 1 Era Photos of Homemade Instruments (and More!)
The following album is a collection of photos dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them were taken in Europe around World War 1.
It is certainly a great example of how “Tough Times Make Great Music”.
Exploring “Open A” AEA tuning on your Cigar Box Guitar
Open A (AEA) tuning is not as commonly used as other 1-5-1 tunings, but it still has it’s place as an option for those that want to try something different with their Cigar Box Guitars.
This article will give you a good grounding on the type and size of strings you will need for this tuning, as well as some sound bites on what you can expect from each string.
Click Here to learn more about choosing strings for this tuning!
“Honky Tonk Women” The Rolling Stones – Open G GDG – FREE PDF Tab
A classic Rock Anthem written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1969, “Honky Tonk Women” was a smash hit by the Rolling Stones that translates very well to an Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
Anatomy of a Guitar Tuner by Glenn Watt
Tuning machines are an important part of a cigar box guitar. They help keep the string at the right tension, so that it stays in tune while playing.
In this article, Glenn lays out three key points in an effort to help educate builders on how a tuner works:
- the anatomy of a tuner
- how you identify which direction a tuner is oriented
- why the orientation of a tuner is important
Installing Fret Markers on your Cigar Box Guitar Fretboard
Fret markers can add a bit of functional aesthetics to a Cigar Box Guitar and can really stand out.
In this video, Glenn Watt gives you step-by-step instructions on how to install fret markers on your next Fretboard!
“Royals” by Lorde – Tablature for 3-string Cigar Box Guitars
Cigar Box Guitars are very versatile instruments and can be utilized to play a wide variety of music styles. Below you will find a link to a tab for one of 2013’s smash hits, “Royals” from New Zealand artist Lorde.
This truly showcases the incredible adaptability of these magnificent instruments.
Why to Consider Fretting Your Next Build
The process of fretting has long been somewhat of an intimidating prospect. Recently the topic has gained a lot more attention and fretted Cigar Box Guitars are being created in workshops all around the world.
This article by Ben “Gitty” Baker shares some of the basics concepts of fretting and presents some compelling points on what fretting can do for your instruments.
“What is a Chord?” With Ben “Gitty” Baker and Glenn Watt
In this instructional video from Cigar Box Nation TV, Ben “Gitty” Baker and Glenn Watt of C. B. Gitty get right down to the foundations of chords for 3-string GDG Cigar Box Guitars.
They cover what makes a chord, how read them from diagrams and how to play them!
Back to Basics: What are Chords?
In this instructional broadcast, Ben and Glenn will get right down to the foundations of playing 3-string Cigar Box Guitars, talking about Chords. What they are, how to play them, how to read chord forms and diagrams, and more. Tune in at Noon (U. S. Eastern Time) and join in with your questions and comments. Or just play along!
Posted by Cigar Box Nation on Friday, April 7, 2017
Picking the Right Strings for your Cigar Box Guitar
Picking the right string set for your Cigar Box Guitar can sometimes be a bit of a stalling point during the building of a cigar box guitar.
In this knowledge base entry, we cover 3 key points to consider when choosing the right strings for your new guitar:
- String Weight
- Number of Strings
- String Winding Type – Acoustic or Electric
Click here or the image above to learn more about choosing strings.
This Train is Bound for Glory – 4-String Open G Chords and Tabs
Considered one of the precursors for Rock n’ Roll,”This Train” is an old gospel tune that was first recorded in 1922.
This arrangement was transcribed with tablature intended for 4-string Open G (GDGB) Cigar Box Guitar. It also includes the Chords, which can be easily translated to the instrument of your choice.
Click here to learn more and get a FREE PDF copy!