Delta blues improvisation on cigar box guitar

[hollandampsguy]

man that's cool ...!! thank you

[IamPapaAlpha]

Formidable! Vraiment.

[blobyist]

Consider me subbed.

[slorollintrain208]

sick!

[mastercfromhalo3]

this is friggin AWESOME

[Miruulul]

Once I asked you for tips on Delta Blues musicians and you gave me some. Thank you. You introduced me to music that goes straight into my heart.

[smojomusic]

@Miruulul thankyou for your kind comment - nice to know I have helpes someone find some pleasure.

[Miruulul]

@smojomusic Have you ever thought about writing music? I know I would listen to your songs.

[smojomusic]

wish i could answer that but sorry i can't, you'd just have to trawl through putting in similar search terms. glad you enjoyed it though.

[sprawlmessiah]

Answer this question of mine: Where in youtube can i listen to this kind of music please?!!! I can't get enough of this!!!

[Bongbreackers31]

Total geil!!! Voll großes Kino!!!

[cjoey39]

So cool!! This stuff goes right to your core!! Joey Vaughan "World Blues Attack"

[Sztomi00]

How can be only 3 string as fuckin great? Love it

[pixiefirefighter]

We're going west.

[nm9287]

I was wondering what stings you used for this guitar and the tuning? This is a really great video..your guitar has a really nice tone to it :D

[smojomusic]

@nm9287 thanks tuning was open E - EBE strings probably bottom three from a set of 10s, nothing special just whatever I could get cheap.

[skyreep1]

I have one (4 string) that I scored at Merlefest last year and I have a 6 string takamine, but I'm really no good with either of them, can you tell me where I should start if I wanna learn the blues? Your skills are amazing. I love Delta blues, Traditional blues, but that's like a very interesting mississippi swamp blues. What are your influences?

[smojomusic]

@skyreep1 have a look on here for a guy called deltabluestips. He has some great lessons. Also Keni Lee Burgess for CBG lesssons. Influences - John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin Hopkins, Bo Diddley, M. Fred Mcdowell, Ry Cooder, Son House, early Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green) Stevie Ray Vaughan, the list is endless. Just listen to any of these great blues players black or white to get a feel of the blues, learn the Emin Pantatonic scale start experimenting to find some of those simple licks

[skyreep1]

Where did you learn to make that bad boy? I've been really interested in building one myself but I'm not really sure how.

[smojomusic]

@skyreep1 I bought one, took it apart and copied it. Then developed my own better ways of making them. Do a search on Google - Makezine produced plans for a simple CBG but there are lots of people out there that will advise you too. Check out my older psosts on my blog. I can't post the link but google smojo cigarbox guitars and you'll find it. Thanks

[smojomusic]

Thanks folks. Crossroads? Somewhere in Yorkshire England.

[irkedd]

three strings and a cigar box.

totally badass.

[kudlow39]

cool man....

[KrisWiggly]

I want to buy you a beer

[smojomusic]

@KrisWiggly make it a big one - thanks

[TheUNLededZeppelin]

@smojomusic

so, how where the crossroads? because it seems like you got a pretty good deal for you skills

[maggottron333]

I feel like John Wayne just said "Let's ride!" and we suddenly starting riding through the desert on horseback.

[hevytrain12]

Cool sound. Nice looking guitar

[Speekerful]

Nobody on a box guitar has ever made me feel like i'm hiking through the desert in 1855 with nothing but a pocket knife, 44 magnum and a hat. This was amazing.

[3Alba3]

awesome

[heybulldog13]

this is where the heart of america lies..inside the swamps of cajun country. i can smell fried gator

[Gabeothasicomono]

damn I wish I had some ninja cowboys to fight.. :/

[10chickenwings]

Nice guitar, I just bought on from RMKT guitars, I like your little jam pretty cool what kind of amp are you using.

[zippywaite]

This was awesome, man. I just had to sing to it haha.

That little thing has a great sound.

[alexis221woodworks]

good old delta...love it

[victorvarvatos]

great man! cool sound!!! did you build by yourself?

[JoeCribbUk]

Great playing. Thanks for that.

[9DragonMaster]

12 people can go fuck themselves....

[stride7860]

very western sounding, really cool

[olsongirl5]

Sound wise reminds me a bit of the dulcimer. I have some fun dulcimer stuff on my channel olsongirl5

[smojomusic]

william - piezo played through Trademark 60 amp with a bit of OD and reverb

[williamthomasmi10]

Piezo or wound pup? Gotta be a wound, right?

[StrangerOnABus]

think I'm in love! ;3

[JoltMetalJosh]

what kind of strings are oyu usin for your piece? i'm new to cbg and would like some input on what king of strings would be good to use.

[smojomusic]

@JoltMetalJosh I think they were acoustic bronze 10s but these days prefer electric strings. Depends what key I'm tuned to. Open E I'd use 4,5,6th strings. Open A I'd use 3,4,5th out of set of 10s

[RcUniverseGuy]

@smojomusic how good do the electric strings sound when its not plugged in?

[smojomusic]

@RcUniverseGuy I prefer them to acoustic bronze for several reasons. Seem to have a brighter sound, stand up to wear and tear when playing slide and usually get an unwound third string which I often use as my top string to give a bit more bite than the wound ones you get for acoustics.

[ocmc32]

sounds like red dead redemption music - or just typical wild west music - at the beginning

quality sound mate

[ocmc32]

sounds like red dead redemption music

[ArcaneFaith]

I LOVE this sort of rough raw bluesy sound and im only just getting into it. Im having trouble finding stuff like this to get for my ipod. Could you suggest any artists/point me in the right direction as to where/who i should listen to to get this sound?? Thanks :)

[smojomusic]

@ArcaneFaith You could start with some classic old blues players like Mississippi Fred McDowell, early Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Blind Willie Johnson, Rev Gary Davis for starters

[MerryGuitar94]

@ArcaneFaith also Seasick Steve :)

[patieGgavalec]

Hey mate..how u tuned it? in GDg? one g in one octave higher?

[zonezs]

1:15 NICEEE RIFFF!!! F*ck! delta rock style man, so simple, so powerfull

[RotorMedic7]

Get up and DANCE! Love it.

[atreyujuggalo666]

this kinda sounds like cut you down by johnny cash to me idk what it is really good reminds me of walking in the french Quarter in new orleans :) very loveley tune

[vaidotas86]

man, this sounds very sweet. I like it :)

[victorvarvatos]

5stars

[smojomusic]

Tuning - I am using low E, low A, middle E on this one. There are many different ones you could use though but this works well for me.

[Zyborg23]

Hello. I have a small question. What tuning should i use for blues songs?

[zedwardson]

Why I am tempted to start to collect the tools and materials to make one (or more) of these?

Gorgeous playing...

[smojomusic]

No sorry I haven't any CDs to send. I have done some quick experimental stuff which you can hear on my cigar box nation page

[dimplasm]

@smojomusic  It's a shame you don't have any CDs to sell. I'd buy it. Really nice.

[qwer59114]

Hello!

Do you have any recordings of yourself playing on a cigar box guitar? If you do, I would be happy to listen to them. This is the sound I've been looking for in music.

[ADOPTmeBITCH]

no more delta for u after the spill, it's BP blues for u now on

[thedoctorphil]

awsome souns dude!!

[ryandude1994]

hi, im planning to make a 3 string cigar box guitar, how much do i have to worry about how high i tune the strings because i wont have a truss rod or anything and i dont want the box breaking from the neck, if you get me?

[smojomusic]

@ryandude1994 no worries - use through-neck design with hardwood lijke oak , mahogany, beech etc. Choose suitable string guage for whatever tuning you decide on eg if tuned to open A use 3,4,5th strings from 10 or 12 guage.

Lots of info on my blog smojo-cigar-box-guitars.blogsp­ot.com

[ryandude1994]

@smojomusic thanks for the information, its helped me a lot

[ryandude1994]

@smojomusic hello again, i wondered if you could help me with one more thing - i want to electrify it by using a transducer but im not sure about the frequency range? could you tell me what frequency range i would need?

[smojomusic]

@ryandude1994 Frequency isn't important in my experience. Most of the frequencies in musical notes are pretty low and the transducer (piezo) rating seems to make no difference.

[bigbill262]

yeah rock that rythum lol

[gunnar1137]

u inspired me to learn to play guitar fuking crazy good man hahaha

[smojomusic]

@gunnar1137 great that's what I like to hear!

[smojomusic]

cjoey - thanks, I just mess around on it maybe half hour a day.

[cjoey39]

Nice improvisation! Great rhythm and timing! I'm sure you play several hours a day! Wonderful!!!! Joey Vaughan "World Blues Attack"

[smojomusic]

thanks - tuning is EBE

[001ewhite]

hey....thats great.....whats your tuning on that?

[Bocephus027]

you use the peizo transducer? Im making a CBG for a friend.

[smojomusic]

@Bocephus027 piezo yes

[Bocephus027]

@smojomusic Damn it sounds good, thanks for replying.

[dansfancity]

nice try if you want to hear some real music look up charlie cowles and jimmy smith

[88sublunaire]

Thanks!it sounds great,really,well done smojo!

[88sublunaire]

it is the neck also selfmade?

[smojomusic]

@88sublunaire yes it is

[arrestable]

Love it. After I seen this I want to build and play one. Can even play but I'm going to give it a shot.

[catnkaboodle]

@arrestable my advice,..... go to cigarboxnationdotcom to learn all sorts of neat idea's to build your own and if you become a free member you could converse with them and they are more then happy to help you.

[catnkaboodle]

I think this is your best clip to introduce people to Cigar Box Guitars. I have been studying them and getting ready to make one. My hubby already made one it's a 3 string and tuned to open G. It sounds real good for his first one.

[smojomusic]

@catnkaboodle thanks, it was one of my first efforts and just done "off the cuff". I am amazed at the number of hits I've had. At the time I figured it would be great if it ever got to a thousand! Pleased hubby's turned out well.

[Tyquaisia]

mad props, man. that was some tasty blues

[JokerishDish]

From 0:00 to 0:45 sound VERY Skip James -ish

:)

[dhaeze]

this sounds amazing !!

[mtbman802]

k so i was wondering 2 things

1: could i make a bass

2: if i make a CBG could i use a classical guitar neck or do i have to make my own??

and if you could send me a how to on how to make it that you be great

[smojomusic]

I made a 2 string bass easy enough, why not have a go. CBG builders rule is "there are no rules". By all means use a ready made neck but most fun comes from making the whole thing. Some fit Fender necks and the whole electrics etc but for me that's a cop out. If you want a perfect sounding, low action fretted neck etc - just by a cheap Strat. The cool thing about simple home CBG's is they look like they shouldn't work - but they do. Sorry can't send plans but check out Cigar Box Nation website.

[a0e0roberts]

Making your own is no big deal. The only big deal is getting the frets in the right location, and if you already have a guitar you're all set.

The current issue of "Make" magazine has everything you need to know about building a cigar box guitar (CBG). But go to cigarboxnation. If you have a question, you can ask and get lots of replies in a few days.

[klingman308]

haha dude that is freaking cool, does a cigar box guitar have a good sound without an amp too?

[smojomusic]

Thanks. coustic sound is OK for practising, not as lous as a standard one and some sound a bit like a banjo.

[chopperharris100]

WOW

[VALKRYE2009]

did you make it a certain scale?

[smojomusic]

Yes - 24 inches

[Keyholder79]

u rock i cannot tell if is the sound of the cigar box or a real guitar

[theMansalad]

@Keyholder79 Don't be fooled! A CBG is a real guitar!

[xXRabbitmanXx]

i wanna build one now :D

[smojomusic]

yeah do it!

[seanbeatsjesus]

whats the tuning on a cigarbox guitar?

[smojomusic]

bottom EBE

[keymankeys1960]

yea man play it

[rwallg]

Nice job. It sounds great.

[ruuuuuubengorefucker]

awesome! :)

[kodiakwarrior]

this is my personal favorite of yours. it has that like I just walked down a country road with a dusty guitar case in one hand and a cigarette in the other with no place to go. Absoulutely love that!

[smojomusic]

thanks everyone - very encouraging

[kylejamesvaughan]

Nice job man. This is pretty damn good...

[electriceric100]

wow man, ive been playing glass slide on a sisx string for a while now

watchin this is making me make my own 3 string and go back to metal slide, fucking sweet

[BRANOFNF]

That was pretty cool man. Well done.

[omgcamlolz]

you remind me of lester corncrake sorta :D

[robertoguns9]

Very Nice!

[GTify]

jacie koleś szcunek zajebiste :P

[TraGung]

around 1:10 he makes a really cool rattle sound.

[vrba95]

How du u make that spesical sound?? Is it the guitar or the speaker?

[smojomusic]

It's both plus playing style using the slide and open chord tuning.

[twistingsisters]

Really nice sound, guitar and playing!

[ankeponken]

super cool have u made that guitar/bas by ur self? it looks cool anyway!!!!! I whant it

[smojomusic]

thanks, yes I made it myself

[merda2222]

is those bass strings?

[smojomusic]

no - strings are 4th, 5th & 6th from a 12 guage set

[KDDB]

Great sound! (H) Keep it jamin' :D

[emilianoj79]

you rock man!

[TCROCKERUSA]

W O W !

[smojomusic]

thanks Ted

[pirrostsakas]

Original !!!

:-)

[bugaddi51]

Hi -well play - greetings from germany -winni

[archambault65]

Man this is awseome and inspirational. Any suggestions on building one? I see the internet has a wealth of ideas. Does the neck wood matter? Pickup?

Love the Delta blues sound, and you're awesome and extremely helpful.

Steve

[smojomusic]

Thanks everyone for great comments. Steve go to Cigar Box Nation for heaps of advice on making one. I prefer hardwood for the necks to give some sustain but many people use soft woods like pine and they still sound great. The rule is "there are no rules". Just have a go and have some fun. You can't lose.

[deni10000]

Hell yeah! 5x

[roughguitars]

Still one if my favourite cbg videos.  Reverb very atmospheric.

[kodiakwarrior]

nice picking

[drmeandme]

i loved that

[DeStijls]

Very good!!!

[agvap]

which tuning do you use?

[smojomusic]

low EBE using strings 4,5&6 from 12 guage

[linx0r2]

PLUGGED Cigar box Guitar LOL AWESOME!

[crespo34]

Great sound! Do you have any 3 string CBG's for sale? Thanks

[smojomusic]

Thanks for you interest, I do but at present am only shipping within the UK sorry. There are a lot of guys in the USA making them though. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding one. Try Ebay.

[MattDJ2]

Or make one your self! its really easy!

[booniesville]

I like the deeper tone of E-B-E.

[rhythmtandemplayer]

Great!

More great innovation at RHYTHMTANDEM.

[kindvideo2]

Love that sound...

[ThomasBerry]

My god! It sounds glorious ....

[smojomusic]

Yes built it myself. The box is an ordinary plywood cigar box. The neck is oak. Thanks for your comment.

[sixstrings1966]

Holy cow. thats 2 cool! did you build that your self? If so, how? Whats the body made of. A real wood cigar box? Thanks for the show.

[blazerrips91]

thats sweet really fuckin A guitar playing

[smojomusic]

three strings tuned to low E-B-E

[dawnblueclover]

How many strings are on that? And what is the tuning?

[eliteslayer66]

hey bo

[Th3Turtl3]

kinda reminds me of ry cooder's paris, texas album, anyways great stuff here.

[cereal68]

i bought one of daves cbgs he makes them really well.

[loganky]

That is awesome. Do you have tabs on that? How did you build the guitar? I want to build one for my wife.

[thepiratescott]

cool! I was at the blues fest in Yellow Springs Ohio and saw a cigar box for the first time in the magazine they gave out for free. Inspired me to build one. I got a few vids on my site about the building, and a couple with a little playing. Good vid :)

[TheMaggotChicken]

That.Was. Awesome. Great work.

[miriyaa]

I don't understand too much of music, but you're playing even with a broke finger, you rule!

[EvanAHadley]

he's wearing a slide dude...

[smojomusic]

grin :)

[Thelastpkz]

lol... :p

[BrokenWingman]

Wow this thing does have an amazing tone.

[blownspeakers09]

redneck guitar? wrong. Sounds great. What's the tuning here? Open E?

[smojomusic]

Thanks and yes it's open E (low E-B-octave E)

[BrYanwithaY1986]

That sounds amazing :)

[chargertank]

I would like to buy one.Where can I find one?Thank You

[smojomusic]

I am only shipping mine to the UK but have a look on Ebay, there are plenty of guys in the USA selling.

[saintangelo1]

THIS IS THE REAL MOTHEF***

[chargertank]

I would like to buy that,how much? Thanks Great deep rich sound!!!!

[smojomusic]

Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm but that guitar has gone now. Sorry to disappoint

[boudewijnwinters]

does anybody know how to get these cigar box guitar for like 150 dollars or so?

[smojomusic]

Mine are about that price but I only ship to the UK at present but if you look on EBay you'll see quite a few in your price range

[Glooomp]

I made one for $34! And they aren't too hard to make, either.

[Linesy5]

lol, what are the chances i find ur comment glooomp? these are sick. i'ma make one with my brother.

just need to get me a cigar box.

[wolfbomber]

good stuff..amazin`

[IIOverkill]

WOHO!! thats so cool

[crazycuntryboy]

sounds like the beginning of a movie about a dead Country Singer, it kinda remidns me of Walk the Line. cool dude

[shotgunwalter]

that axe sounds awesome.has that swamp ghost sound...right on

[smojomusic]

Thanks nice to know.

[odamnit]

u r cool