How to Play CBG

How To Play Cigar Box Guitar

Lessons by Shane Speal, LJ, Keni Lee Burgess & Knotlenny

There are no rules to cigar box guitar building as well as cigar box playing. However, we have put together many lessons to get you started as a performer of these wonderful instruments.

Even if you have no musical experience whatsoever, YOU CAN PLAY THE CBGs YOU BUILD! Being able to play even a little bit on the instruments you make helps show people around you what they can do, and helps spread the word about the CBG revolution!

The Essential Lessons:

• Shane Speal's 28-part (and growing!) collection of instructional CBG videos is the best place to start learning how to play your CBG!

• CBG Playing for Dummies by LJ
  • This is a multi-part series of how-to videos designed for the absolute beginner with no knowledge of standard guitar or music theory.
  • Part 1 - Setup
  • Part 2 - First Song: Bad to the Bone
  • Part 3 - Second Longer Song
  • For more, check out LJ's Youtube Channel
• INTERACTIVE GROUP: How to Play Bottleneck Slide Cigar Box Guitar discussion group led by Keni Lee Burgess
• FUN VIDEO: Knotlenny's great 3-String Cigar Box Guitar 101 video lesson
• Keni Lee's Free Lessons Blog, an ongoing series including chords for 4-string CBGs and more.
• C. B. Gitty's Article How to Pick the Right Strings (and Tuning) for your Cigar Box Guitar
• A Cigar Box Guitar Builder's Guide to Stringing and Tuning by Keni Lee Burgess
  

More Great Lessons:

• Solutions for Aspiring Musicians with Disabled Hands by Keni Lee Burgess
• "The Mojo Bag" episode 1: Practical and Abstract Musical Information for Cigar Box Guitar Builders by Keni Lee Burgess

For more detailed lessons, we recommend Keni Lee Burgess' "How To Play 3-String cigar Box Guitar" DVD. It is available at his eBay store (link).

About the Authors...

Shane Speal is the founder of Cigar Box Nation and the King of the Cigar Box Guitar. His work to spread the word about CBGs has brought countless new builders and players into the fold, and his how-to-play lessons have taught many folks how to get started playing their homemade instruments.

Keni Lee Burgess is a New York City subway platform performer, and music teacher. His lessons cover a wide range of techniques and theories. Keni Lee also has a great DVD that is highly recommended for anyone wanting to master these instruments.Singer/Songwriter;

Knotlenny (aka Kevin Sprague) was bitten by the cigar box guitar bug in 2004. Since that time he has performed with a number of primitive instruments and lays claim to being the design originator of the license-plate resonator cbg. Knotlenny organized the first Cigar Box Guitar fest in upstate NY, 'Fingerlakes Fest', which was held in Canandaigua, NY in 2008.