“What is a Chord?” With Ben “Gitty” Baker and Glenn Watt

Click the image above to get downloadable PDFs of 3 different Chord families!

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

3-String Cigar Box Guitar Tunings

Shane Speal shows various ways to retune a 3-string cigar box guitar.

The guitar is strung with A,D,G strings and tuned to GDG to start.

Tunings discussed:

  • G7, the Jazz Tuning – G,D,F (low to high)
  • G6, Hawaiian Tuning – G,D,E (low to high)
  • G add Gb, the New Agey tuning – G,D,Gb (low to high)
  • Dirty D – D,D,A (low to high)

Screening the Sound Holes Gives Your Cigar Box Guitar a Clean Look

screened

There are many different designs and ideas for sound holes in cigar box guitars, but the simple process of adding window screen mesh can greatly clean up the look and give the instrument a Dobro attitude.  Shane Speal shows you the simple process in the video below.

Tools needed:

  • Scroll Saw or coping saw
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Optional: Linseed oil and Q-Tips (see extra tip below video)


EXTRA TIP: Using Q-tips, apply linseed oil to the cut edges of the hole. It darkens and seals the wood. It gets rid of the “cut out” look.