Blister in the Sun is one of the classic alternative rock anthems. First released in 1983 on the self-titled album by the Violent Femmes, it remained popular through the 1990’s and still is heard today. The opening riff is one of this song is one of the most recognizable in rock and roll, right up there with Smoke on the Water.
Another great thing about this song is that on the 3-string cigar box guitar tuned to Open G GDG, it can all be played on one string! An alternative arrangement could take it lower to make use of the second and third strings, but we leave that up to you. It is a very simple melody line, so have some fun with it!
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
This song is a feel-good rock and roll classic, first recorded by The Foundations in 1980 and covered a number of times since. This version of it has been arranged and tabbed by Glenn Watt. Glenn gives us two versions of the song – the basic melody line, and then the tabbed version with the chords.
You can view the printable tablature sheets by clicking on the link or images below. You can also watch the video below where Glenn shows you how he plays (and sings!) the song on his 3-string cigar box guitar tuned to Open G “GDG”.
The 3-string cigar box guitar tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song Carolina in my Mind, written and performed by James Taylor. This is one of James’ greatest hits, instantly recognizable from just the first few notes. Like a lot of James Taylor’s songs, the melody line is fairly straightforward but the chord progression can be a little complex.
The printable tablature sheet linked below contains both the simple melody-only version as well as a more advanced version that includes some chords.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it!
The tablature in the PDF link below shows you how to play the melody and chords for the song Hallelujah, written and performed by Leonard Cohen. This is one of the best known of Cohen’s songs, and has been covered many times. It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful modern songs, and like many of the most powerful songs it has a quite simple melody line that is pretty easy to play on a cigar box guitar.
The printable tablature sheet linked below contains both the simple melody-only version as well as a more advanced version that includes some chords. You can also view the video below where Gitty shows you how to play it.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it!
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF:
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song Honky Tonk Women, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded by The Rolling Stones. This is a classic rock and roll anthem through and through – from the starting cowbell solo to the unforgettable lyrics to every one of the instantly recognizable guitar licks throughout.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it!
Gitty also recorded an MP3 of himself playing this song, if you want to get an idea of how it sounds:
This amazing version of Led Zeppelin’s iconic rock anthem “Kashmir” was arranged, performed and recorded by Ben “Uke” Rouse of the UK. Ben hit the Cigar Box Guitar scene fairly recently (he started playing one just a couple of days before making this video), but he has been a professional ukulele and mandolin player for years, and as you can see he has taken right to the CBG! See his FaceBook page here. Also check out his YouTube channel and website: www.benukulele.com.
The tablature below shows you how to play one of Led Zeppelin’s most popular and enduring songs, Kashmir. what Ben is playing in the video above. This tablature may look more complicated than a lot of what we post, but don’t be scared! It shows both the standard notation (the musical notes) and the tablature. If the music notes don’t mean anything to you, just ignore them and focus on the tablature.
Though the tab shows a 4th string present on the guitar, you can just ignore that too and focus on the top three strings/lines. This tab can be played on any Open tuning 1-5-1 instrument (GDG, CGC, DAD, etc).
Click the image above to view the printable tablature sheet.
This tablature is shared here with the permission of the creator, and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights to the original song Kashmir are the property of the respective copyright holders. This tablature is presented here for educational purposes only.
The 3-string cigar box guitar tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song Let it Be, written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles. This song was recorded and released right at the end of The Beatles’ time together as a band, and it is one of their most enduring and beloved songs. It also has a nice easy-to-play melody and chord structure.
The printable tablature sheet linked below contains both the simple melody-only version as well as a more advanced version that includes some chords.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it!
The tablature in the PDF link below shows you how to play the melody and chords for the popular song Royals, written and performed by Lorde. This is the biggest hit the young performer has had, and it comes out surprisingly good on a 3-string cigar box guitar.
The printable tablature sheet linked below contains both the simple melody-only version as well as a more advanced version that includes some chords.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here.
We also have a video by Glenn Watt that shows you how to read and play this style of 3-string CBG tablature: click here to view it.
Click this link or the image below to view the printable PDF:
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”.
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).
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic folk rock song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot.
The Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior with all hands lost on November 10, 1975 and 39 years later to the day we post the tab for you here. The melody line is nice and simple, but good luck memorizing all of those verses!
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
Blister in the Sun is one of the classic alternative rock anthems. First released in 1983 on the self-titled album by the Violent Femmes, it remained popular through the 1990’s and still is heard today. The opening riff is one of this song is one of the most recognizable in rock and roll, right up there with Smoke on the Water.
