In the video above I play an old fashioned 3 string homemade cigarbox guitar. Many of the legends
of Blues and Country music got their start in on a simple homemade cigar box guitar. It's why their
music was so distinctive and it's a sound that can not be made on a 6 string guitar.
If you listen closely to the sound of a cigar box guitar you'll immediately hear many familiar sounds
that have seeped into modern American music. The origins of these tonal qualities are not found on
regular 6 string guitars. The reason is, early American Folk music is derived from the banjo (4string)
whereas modern 6 string music is tuned and derived from the Spanish guitar. For Blues music, a
Diddley-Bo or one sting slide guitar was the major part of it's origin, and the fact that it was fretless
and played with a slide is the reason simple Blues "call and response" licks played on them can
recreate authentic primitive sounds as you would have heard in the 1880's.
The main reason it's so difficult to get a vintage sound from guitars with 6 strings is that the octaves
repeat on the following string. During play, even when you don't pluck certain strings as you play and
move up and down the neck, the notes compete with the open strings. When playing a cigar box
guitar with less strings and by moving up and down on the same string, it gives you a longer vibrato
which is key for that trademark "bluesy" sound. It is easier to express on 3 or 4 strings. With a
platform of less strings you can achieve that "slack" sound that provides the dissonance that is
distinctly "folksy" or "early American" without using European 6 string (Spanish) guitar scales, chords
and voicings.
Yes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and all those guitar-slingers sound great, and
yes their music is found in the "Blues" section of the music store, but they are not really playing
anything that would be truly defined as "The Blues."
Long before the "Blues Revival", in simpler times and in poverty there was the cigar box guitar.
Playing one will take your tone back to a time way before electricity and long before the Resonator
was even invented, back to the rural South and the roots of the Delta Blues.
As for me, I really like that primitive, gritty, homespun sound and that's why I follow tradition and build
mostly 3 and 4 string guitars. That truly vintage sound will never happen on something bought in the
store, it will sound way too sanitary, generic and precise....there's nothing wrong with a great store
bought or 6 string guitar, it just all depends on the music a you are trying to create.
If you would like to play vintage or early Delta Blues, the "airiness" that you hear comes from the
music's simplicity. Cigar box guitar is mostly just slide 'n play ....plus, for the guitarist, what more could
be easier than playing simple slide guitar with a pluck here and there??? It's basically one finger
guitar - Just connect the dots up and down the strings as you play, add a dash of slide here and
there and presto you've got that sound you've been after all those years but just could never find it no
matter what store bought guitar you've used before.
That is the key and link to the Delta Blues that has long been forgotten in the mass market guitar
world.
of Blues and Country music got their start in on a simple homemade cigar box guitar. It's why their
music was so distinctive and it's a sound that can not be made on a 6 string guitar.
If you listen closely to the sound of a cigar box guitar you'll immediately hear many familiar sounds
that have seeped into modern American music. The origins of these tonal qualities are not found on
regular 6 string guitars. The reason is, early American Folk music is derived from the banjo (4string)
whereas modern 6 string music is tuned and derived from the Spanish guitar. For Blues music, a
Diddley-Bo or one sting slide guitar was the major part of it's origin, and the fact that it was fretless
and played with a slide is the reason simple Blues "call and response" licks played on them can
recreate authentic primitive sounds as you would have heard in the 1880's.
The main reason it's so difficult to get a vintage sound from guitars with 6 strings is that the octaves
repeat on the following string. During play, even when you don't pluck certain strings as you play and
move up and down the neck, the notes compete with the open strings. When playing a cigar box
guitar with less strings and by moving up and down on the same string, it gives you a longer vibrato
which is key for that trademark "bluesy" sound. It is easier to express on 3 or 4 strings. With a
platform of less strings you can achieve that "slack" sound that provides the dissonance that is
distinctly "folksy" or "early American" without using European 6 string (Spanish) guitar scales, chords
and voicings.
Yes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and all those guitar-slingers sound great, and
yes their music is found in the "Blues" section of the music store, but they are not really playing
anything that would be truly defined as "The Blues."
Long before the "Blues Revival", in simpler times and in poverty there was the cigar box guitar.
Playing one will take your tone back to a time way before electricity and long before the Resonator
was even invented, back to the rural South and the roots of the Delta Blues.
As for me, I really like that primitive, gritty, homespun sound and that's why I follow tradition and build
mostly 3 and 4 string guitars. That truly vintage sound will never happen on something bought in the
store, it will sound way too sanitary, generic and precise....there's nothing wrong with a great store
bought or 6 string guitar, it just all depends on the music a you are trying to create.
If you would like to play vintage or early Delta Blues, the "airiness" that you hear comes from the
music's simplicity. Cigar box guitar is mostly just slide 'n play ....plus, for the guitarist, what more could
be easier than playing simple slide guitar with a pluck here and there??? It's basically one finger
guitar - Just connect the dots up and down the strings as you play, add a dash of slide here and
there and presto you've got that sound you've been after all those years but just could never find it no
matter what store bought guitar you've used before.
That is the key and link to the Delta Blues that has long been forgotten in the mass market guitar
world.
| Stop!!!! Go no further until you watch this short video below. It's a must see, you won't believe it's not butter! |
This is a style of guitar I enjoy building that I call Paw-Paw's Dobro. I have made countless
of these and these rank high on my list of favorite guitars to make. They are almost the
same as another guitar I make allot called the "Delta Field Harp" except that I brace it slightly
different to give it more low end sound that has the high tone scooped out for a louder bass.
of these and these rank high on my list of favorite guitars to make. They are almost the
same as another guitar I make allot called the "Delta Field Harp" except that I brace it slightly
different to give it more low end sound that has the high tone scooped out for a louder bass.
| Here is one above with a Light maple stain. I make them in all shades. I also make them in 3 string. |
| EMAIL ME at: john@reddogguitars.com |
Here in the video below is a really difficult sound to get on a 6 string guitar, but when
you play a cigar box guitar with just a few strings, all the non essential repeating
strings and unused parts are stripped away. Watch this short Hot Rod video and I
know it will flip your boring 6 string store bought guitar world upside down and
completely cure you of mass market hum drum insanity.
Now grab hold of the steering wheel and let's drive off into somewhere dreamy!
you play a cigar box guitar with just a few strings, all the non essential repeating
strings and unused parts are stripped away. Watch this short Hot Rod video and I
know it will flip your boring 6 string store bought guitar world upside down and
completely cure you of mass market hum drum insanity.
Now grab hold of the steering wheel and let's drive off into somewhere dreamy!
That is a sound that can NEVER be made with 6 strings!...go try and report back here
immediately with your tail between your legs!!!!
...but look seriously, not to beat a dead horse some more, but not only is a 3 string guitar
easier to play, but it is funner to play...and most important??? you look 10 times cooler
when you whip out a cigar box guitar with just a few strings and blast the Les Paul snobs
out of the room!
Drop your Strats...leave your Les Paul's in the closet.... and for Heaven's sake, burn your
Chinese made guitars, there is much more to music than the status quo!
immediately with your tail between your legs!!!!
...but look seriously, not to beat a dead horse some more, but not only is a 3 string guitar
easier to play, but it is funner to play...and most important??? you look 10 times cooler
when you whip out a cigar box guitar with just a few strings and blast the Les Paul snobs
out of the room!
Drop your Strats...leave your Les Paul's in the closet.... and for Heaven's sake, burn your
Chinese made guitars, there is much more to music than the status quo!
| Perhaps you want to play something really spooky ??? It's easy with a 3 string guitar made from a cigar box. The Victrola Delta Tramp can take you back to the battle fields long ago, have a peep! |
| Old Sepia Photo circa 1891 "I live for thee" Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and even the great Lightin' Hopkin's; they all played the cigar box guitar. Owning a Resonator was all but a dream in poverty and buying or playing a Martin or Gibson was completely out of the question! |
Everything starts somewhere...well, Bo wasn't
the first to make a square guitar, far from it!
In the mid 1860's newspapers from across the
country published "how to's" to make a cigar box
banjo, this Newspaper dates May 18th 1866.
the first to make a square guitar, far from it!
In the mid 1860's newspapers from across the
country published "how to's" to make a cigar box
banjo, this Newspaper dates May 18th 1866.
This cigar box instrument is an early
example of this exact type of
construction.
It is from The National Cigar Box
Guitar Museum and dates to the late
1880's or early 1890's.
example of this exact type of
construction.
It is from The National Cigar Box
Guitar Museum and dates to the late
1880's or early 1890's.
These photos below are a style of guitar I enjoy making in honor of America's past.
They are called simply "1884" guitars. By far and easily my most popular guitar, I
have made these sometimes months in a row and made nothing else, just one after
another.
I have made so many of these over the years that I have lost count. I never get tired
of making them and I really enjoy giving them to people. I have hundreds of photos
of all types of finishes. Here is a few samples. I have made them in dark colors,
light woods, 3 and 4 string, pearl or with black, chrome, and copper...on and
on....These are also great sounding guitars!
They are called simply "1884" guitars. By far and easily my most popular guitar, I
have made these sometimes months in a row and made nothing else, just one after
another.
I have made so many of these over the years that I have lost count. I never get tired
of making them and I really enjoy giving them to people. I have hundreds of photos
of all types of finishes. Here is a few samples. I have made them in dark colors,
light woods, 3 and 4 string, pearl or with black, chrome, and copper...on and
on....These are also great sounding guitars!
They are not the same! Maple, Mahogany, White Oak, Cedar and Hickory are all
popular but they all have different tones, I will try whatever I think will sound good.
popular but they all have different tones, I will try whatever I think will sound good.
I also make them in three string. They really stand out with hardtails!
| Any shade, any style. email me, john@reddogguitars.com these are great guitars! |
Photo c.1890
Ok back to guitars for sale, I don't want to be pushy, this DVD took
months to make in editing and work, I did it to help people who want to learn
about 3 string guitars and cigar box playing, but my job in NOT selling DVDs,
That would stress me out! I build guitars, however if you want to learn to play
cigar box guitar, this DVD is awesome! anyways, lets go to the next page.
Lots of real cool guitars for sale are yet to come.
months to make in editing and work, I did it to help people who want to learn
about 3 string guitars and cigar box playing, but my job in NOT selling DVDs,
That would stress me out! I build guitars, however if you want to learn to play
cigar box guitar, this DVD is awesome! anyways, lets go to the next page.
Lots of real cool guitars for sale are yet to come.
| Anyone can master 3 string cigar box guitar ....yes, I said it, I said the "M" word!!! You CAN master the 3 string guitar in playing BOTH freestyle Delta Blues with and without a slide. It is not difficult, It just takes correct explanation of the techniques, patience and practice. This DVD explains American music the way it was played from the 1880's to the 1930's.
becoming a great 3 string guitar player. |
I will show you ALL of those techniques to play those EXACT styles AND MORE,
this DVD covers from old Delta Blues to modern Slide guitar, and all in between
this DVD covers from old Delta Blues to modern Slide guitar, and all in between
not just those songs above...but different styles that make up American music,
you can freestyle and improvise forever on and make up a 1000 songs,
What's better? learn and copy one song?
Or learn the tools to build a lifetime worth of great songs.
With these lessons, you WILL be able to build your own music,
not just play other peoples songs,
Yes, copying songs from other people is fun, but that is no crowning achievement. Open up
your own world of music, it truly is fun and rewarding at heart. If 3 string cigar box guitar is
what you would like to learn, it's easy, you can do it, thank you for your time, John
| I am proud to say these are Disc mailed in a sturdy Disc mailer. This was not made to get rich, This was a labor of love. I build and sell guitars. This was made to help people. I hardly have grand ideas of selling homemade DVDs spun on my computer to retire on. Any money made on this would be nothing more than diaper money and or juice money for my daughter. These were made and recorded in my house on a simple hand held recorder Studio? nope...my kid's room??? Yes! This was several 100 hours worth of work in recording and editing these are super fun and cutting edge Disc not bells and whistles and fancy wrapping that will have no use. I take pride in that fact, It is made of recycled cardboard and addressed with a magic marker title! This CD is made at home by me, not some high dollar studio. No cellophane, No Plastic shrink wrap, No Plastic covers! watch this video and see why |
| Understanding 3 string guitar How To Play DVD 26.50 USD shipping worldwide $2.15 USD 26.50+2.15=28.65 yes! anywhere in the world same price, 2.15! Shipping in the USA (8 to 12 days) First Class Overseas & Worldwide (14 to 21 days) Stamped "Air-Mail" Questions??? email john@reddogguitars.com |
From Robert Johnson to Mudddy Waters
Simple and clean or Rustic ???
| email me at john@reddogguitars.com |
| If you would like one email me, john@reddogguitars.com |
| email me, john@reddogguitars.com these guitars are alot of fun to play! |
| The truth is, primitive Delta Blues and American Folk music was created by people who could not read or write music, Nor did they know any music theory or even what an A chord was! So, why do you need to learn what an 'A chord' is to play cigar box guitar??? The answer is, you don't. This video shows you how to get that raw Delta Blues sound without headaches, or over thinking it ...all without having to know any chords, theory, or unnecessary garble. All of which what was never meant to be so difficult. It's all about the playing mechanics. Like a puzzle I have easily broken them down, not just the licks and runs BUT THE TOOLS ON HOW TO BUILD THE LICKS AND RUNS!!!!!!! THEY WILL BE YOUR LICKS RIFFS AND RUNS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU COULD DO. This is the most complete how to play 3 sting guitar DVD ever made, It covers all the sounds from Vintage finger plucking & Delta Bottleneck slide and even Raw Electric Blues. Also covered and often overlooked is one of the absolute most important aspects, HOW TO CORRECTLY TUNE a 3 string guitar I will show you how to tune without ever using a tuner, or even knowing the names of the notes. I explain how to set up your guitar to get those primal vintage sounds. How to set up the Amp, also the strings and various sizes with in depth explanation about their tone and tension, Different slides with in depth explanation about their contrast in your playing, and more. I have seen many how to play lessons such as "Mel Bay" Resonator Guitar and Blues videos that were completely false and some were so incorrect that it would be impossible to get a truly vintage American sound by studying them. I am going to be "frank"... if someone trys explaining Blues music in this way, "it's a G...open E.... or D tuing ....or this flat and that sharp," you are heading IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.....THAT is NOT Blues music. If many of the great Bluesmen of last century didn't know a G chord from a Flying Saucer or space-ship part. Then why on earth do you need to know how to make a 'G chord' on a homemade guitar?....just the simple fact of discussing primitive American Folk music and then trying to define it in European keys and phrasing and it's boundaries will completely insure you never understand anything. If you are tired of trying to learn and always frustrated with music theory, Keys, chord arrangements and stuff that really doesn't have anything to do with Delta Blues, slide guitar and 3 string guitar, than you will enjoy this DVD. Enjoy it comfortably watching TV, no need to huddle around a flickering computer screen American Folk music is super easy That's what defines it, the more you try to learn and the harder you try, the less it sounds like Delta Blues, and the more it sounds like contemporary and European music. Look, if some guy did it in a barn a 100 years ago, you can do it too! try this, clear your mind, think of a peaceful time well over a 100 years ago, think of an old barn at the edge of a southern plantation, think of a guy who could not read or write holding his homemade guitar sitting in that barn He's just strummin' away a breezy Sunday afternoon... Now, do you think he knew what a D chord was transposed over the major scale???? Do you even think he knew what in the heck a major scale was???? NO way!!!! OK, so why would you need to know complex chords, scales and keys???? I think the music store "Blues Series Lessons" turned more people away from learning guitar than it ever helped! Alright, your still here?? watch these videos and meet me below when your done. |
| Region "0" NTSC-PAL Plays in all DVD players in The USA, Europe, Austrailia and yes even In the Untied Kingdom, it will play on all TVs |
