How To Play Mama Tried – Cigar Box Guitar & Bass Tablature

How do you learn to play Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried on a 3-string cigar box guitar and 2-string bass? With the clear, concise, and totally-free-to-download tablature in this post!

Mama Tried is a sorrowful story of the heartache a young man can cause his mother, inspired by Haggard’s own several stints in jail. In fact, it was while serving a sentence in San Quentin State Prison that Haggard saw Johnny Cash perform. That event helped set Haggard on his way to becoming a country music pioneer and legend. 

In this post are two sets of tablature for Mama Tried. One is arranged for 3-string cigar box guitars tuned G-D-G, while the other is for 2-string basses tuned G-D, such as the G-Bass by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply.

Here first is the 3-string cigar box guitar tab. Click the link or photo below to gain access.

Mama Tried 3-string cigar box guitar tablature

Next, you have the 2-string bass tab. Again, click on the link or photo to download the free tablature.

Mama Tried 2-string G-Bass Tablature

If you’re uncertain how to read tablature, check out this video that walks you through, step-by-step, how to read tab and use it to play your favorite tunes.