The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the popular song Wagon Wheel, as performed by The Old Crow Medicine Show and Darius Rucker (and also by just about every cover band, karaoke and open mike performer to ever grab a microphone).
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!
Wayfaring Stranger as presented in this tablature has been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Emmy Lou Harris, Joan Baez and more. It was also performed by Jack White in the movie Cold Mountain. It is a sad and plaintive tally of life’s troubles, but with a hopeful refrain that looks ahead to rewards in the next life.
While it is possible to play this in a lower register without needing to move up the fretboard so much, we present this higher version here because it seems to sound better when played on a CBG.
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!
You can also view the video below to have Ben “C. B. Gitty” Baker show you how to play this tablature.
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic Christmas song We Three Kings of Orient Are.
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!
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the classic Christmas song We Wish You a Merry Christmas. According to Wikipedia, carolers in England were singing this 400 or so years ago, so this one has pedigree!
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!
Today we bring you free tablature for the popular Civil War tune, “Johnny Comes Marching Home” for Cigar Box Guitars tuned to Open G (GDG). This arrangement can also be adapted to other popular 1-5-1 tunings.
An Irish-American bandleader from the Union Army named Patrick Gilmore first penned the lyrics for this classic during the height the American Civil War. It was written as a musical voice for the general sentiments of longing and heartache of a population who wanted nothing more than to see their relatives and friends return from the war.
At the time he used a pen name, a popular trend among composers of the era to enhance the romanticism of their musical compositions. Indeed, the piece was popular on both sides of the war, and was even popular in England. Like many songs of the era, the melody borrowed heavily from another source. Gilmore was said to have heard a soldier humming a tune during the early days of the war and he tweaked it to suit his purposes. Maintaining popularity well into the 1900’s, the melody is also used as the base for the popular Irish Tune “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye”, notably performed by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers and more recently by The Dropkick Murphys.
Below are two tabs for this classic. The first presents just the melody and the second presents chords that help enhance the song.
This great old spiritual song was first recorded in 1938 by Louis Armstrong and has been sung and recorded countless times since then. It is very easy to play on the canjo! View the full text of this entry by clicking the “Read More” link below for the formatted canjo tab…
Arrangement courtesy of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, intended for playing on American Canjo Company™ brand one-string canjos with dulcimer-style fretting, with fret numberings as shown below. The open unfretted string is notated as “0″.
When the Saints Go Marching In (Version 1 – Low)
0 2 3 4 0 2 3 4 0 2 3 4 2 0 2 1
Oh when the saints go marching in, oh when the saints go marching in
2 2 1 0 0 2 4 4 4 3 2 3 4 2 1 1 0
Oh lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!
When the Saints Go Marching In (Version 2 – High)
3 5 6 8 3 5 6 8 3 5 6 8 5 3 5 4
Oh when the saints go marching in, oh when the saints go marching in
5 5 4 3 3 5 8 8 8 6 5 6 8 5 4 4 3
Oh lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!
To learn more about this classic spiritual song, and to find more verses, check out this Wikipedia article.
Arrangement by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
Copyright 2014 by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
Arrangement courtesy of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, intended for playing on American Canjo Company™ brand one-string canjos with dulcimer-style fretting, with fret numberings as shown below. The open unfretted string is notated as “0″.
Whiskey in the Jar
0 2 4 4 4 5 4 2 4 5 5 5 7 5 2
A-a-s I was going over the Cork and Kerry Mountains,
4 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 5 4 4 8 4 5 4
I met with Captain Farrell and his money he was countin'.
2 4 4 4 5 4 2 2 4 5 5 5 7 5 2
I first produced my pistol and I then produced me rapier,
2 4 5 5 7 8 8 7 5 4 4 8 4 5 4
Sayin' stand and deliver for you are a bold deceiver.
Chorus
2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 3 4
Rasha-ring and um dur and um da, whack for the daddy-o
5 5 4 5 7 8 5 4 2 1 2 0
Whack for the daddy-o there's whiskey in the jar.
Additional Verses
Well I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny,
I put it in my pockets and I took it home to Jenny.
She sighed and she swore that she never would betray me,
But the devil take the women, for they never can be easy.
Chorus
I went unto my chamber, all for to take a slumber
I dreamed of gold and jewels, and for sure it was no wonder.
But Jenny took me charges and she filled them up with water,
And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter.
Chorus
It was early in the morning, just before I rose to travel,
up stepped a band of footmen, and likewise Captain Farrell.
I first produced me pistols for she'd stolen away me rapier,
but I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken.
Chorus
They put me into prison without a judge or jury,
For robbin' Captain Farrell in the mornin' so early.
But they couldn't take my fists, so I knocked down the sentry,
And bid a fond farewell t that cold penitentiary.
Chorus
If there's anyone can aid me, it's me brother in the army,
If I can find his station in Cork or in Kilarney.
And if he'll go with me, we'll go rollin' in Kilkenney,
And I'm sure he'll treat me better than me old miss sportin' Jenny.
Chorus
Now there's some take delight in the carriages a' rollin'
And others take delight in the hurlin' and the bowlin'.
But I take delight in the juice of the barley,
And courtin' pretty fair maids in the mornin' so early.
Chorus
To learn more about this traditional Irish song, check out this Wikipedia article.
Arrangement by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
Copyright 2014 by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
With the free tablature in this post, you’ll learn how to play one of the most beloved Christmas tunes, and the world’s best selling single, White Christmas, on your 2-string bass. Continue reading “White Christmas 2-String G-Bass Tablature”
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody for the classic Christmas song White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin and made famous when sung by Bing Crosby in the film of the same name.
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody for the classic Christmas song White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin and made famous when sung by Bing Crosby in the film of the same name.
This tablature is arranged for 4-string cigar box guitars tuned to Open G “GDGB”.
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the well-known children’s song Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
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!
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 “Wings of A Dove”, made famous by Ferlin Husky. This song was written by Bob Ferguson in 1958 and has been recorded by many country greats, including Dolly Parton and George Gones. 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
In this article we will show you the differences between mono and stereo output jacks, and how to wire them for use on your cigar box guitars.
A lot of folks have questions about wiring jacks: how do you tell mono from stereo, which lug is positive and which is negative, and can you use a stereo jack with a mono cable (the answer is YES, you can – see the final paragraphs below for how).
This article covers “phone” style jacks, which are made to be mounted in a panel via a threaded shaft and nut, with the soldering lugs for attaching wires extending off of the back. They also have one or two “prongs” that stick off of the back and make contact with the tip of the plug.
First, let’s take a look at the differences between a mono an a stereo jack. These photos show the popular Neutrik/Rean brand phone jacks, but these principles apply to jacks from other manufacturers as well
So you can see that the stereo jack has one more solder lug and prong than the mono jack does. This is because to have stereo sound, you need both a left and right channel (so that you can hear different things out of the left and right speakers of your stereo) plus the ground. A mono jack only has a single channel plus the ground, for handling mono sounds – like what guitar pickups put out.
Here is a close look at the mono variety of phone jacks. Click on the photo for a higher resolution photo.
Notice that the longer lug, which if you look closely in between the yellow wafers is connected to the long prong that sticks out of the back, is the positive. The shorter lug, which is connected to the “sleeve” part of the jack which touches the “barrel” of the plug, is the ground/negative.
This is the standard style of jack most often used when installing pickups in cigar box guitars. They are also often used as input jacks on mono amplifiers and other audio equipment.
Now for a closer look at the stereo variety. Click on the photo to the right for a higher-resolution version.
The stereo jack has the extra lug and prong mentioned above, but otherwise is very similar to the mono jack. If you hold a stereo jack like the one shown in the photo, then from left to right the lugs should be Positive Left, Negative/Ground and Positive Right.
You can verify this by looking carefully in between the yellow wafers that make up the body of the jack. The lug that connects to the longer prong (#3) is the right channel positive. The lug that connects to the shorter of the two prongs (#1) is the left channel positive. The lug that connects to the sleeve that touches the “barrel” of the plug (#2) is the ground/negative.
Now let’s take a look at how they look wired up.
As always, RED is POSITIVE and BLACK is NEGATIVE/GROUND!
The photo above shows how you would wire both jacks for MONO use. Note that lug #1 on the stereo jack has no wire soldered to it. In this configuration, both the mono and stereo jacks could be used on a cigar box guitar with a standard mono amp cord. Once installed no one would be able to tell that it is actually a stereo jack.
If you wanted to wire the stereo jack for actual stereo usage, you would simply solder on another positive lead to lug #1. Some builders sometimes do this if they have more than one pickup in their guitar that they want to hand off to a special amplifier setup, but that is a more advanced topic we don’t need to get into here.
So that’s about it! We hope this article has helped clear up any confusion you may have had about how mono and stereo jacks work, and how to make use of them.
Want a pickup in your guitar, but not interested in all of the wiring and soldering and shenanigans? Try one of C. B. Gitty’s pre-wired pickup harnesses! Click the image below to see what we’ve got…
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the popular song Wagon Wheel, as performed by The Old Crow Medicine Show and Darius Rucker (and also by just about every cover band, karaoke and open mike performer to ever grab a microphone).
Here is a close look at the mono variety of phone jacks. Click on the photo for a higher resolution photo.
