Napolian Strickland, was a fife and drum blues artist, and songwriter, and vocalist specializing in country blues, specifically North Mississippi hill country blues. He also played guitar, drums, harmonica, fife, and all manner of percussion instrum
Read more…Last week, I had the chance to meet Randy Cato, a real life Limberjack performer. Randy was conducting a children's workshop featuring these percussive dancers at the Susquehanna Folk Festival in Lewisberry, PA.
He had some fantastic handmade Limbe
Read more…The 9th Annual Pennsylvania Cigar Box Guitar Fest returns to York PA on August 24th and 25th. It is sponsored by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply. Here's everything you need to know:
Friday, August 24th - TWO EVENTS - TWO LOCATIONS: Pre-Fest Jam + Shane
Read more…From the Youtube channel, Look Mum No Computer by artist, Sam Battle comes the insane Flamethrower Organ. The instrument, similar to the historic Pyrophone features actual flames scorching through pipe organ pipes made of copper.
The second vide
Read more…Swamp Witch Guitars built me this tribute to my friend, Wesseh Freeman. Hear me tune it to "Wesseh Tuning." Swamp Witch used actual photos of Wesseh's oil can guitar to create the artwork on this cock-necked 3 stringer.
Find Swamp Witch here on C
Read more…Several months ago, I posted this photo from the 1890's in a Cigar Box Nation email with the challenge for somebody to make a similar instrument. The young man in the photo was from Savannah, GA and is playing a crude violin.
Read more…LET'S MANGLE THE OPEN G TUNING AGAIN!!! Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH. This is a G major tuning, a tin pan alley version of the blues tuning. If you're in Open G, simply retune the middle string down to a B. That's it
Read more…You guys wanted the funk? Well, I got da funk! Here's my favorite little funk riffs on 3-string, Open G cigar box guitar.
Make sure you're only sliding on the two high strings. Let that low string ring out like Bootsy Collins.
By the way, here's
Read more…Have you been playing the same licks over and over again? Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH again. This is the G7 tuning, a jazzy version of the blues tuning. If you're in Open G, simply retune the high string down to an F
Read more…The floor was shaking as the kids stomped, clapped and sang along to my cigar box guitar. I was asked to present the instrument and its history to the 4th graders of Foose Elementary School in Harrisburg PA from a grant by the Susquehanna Folk Music
In our first live simulcast to Youtube, Ben Gitty and Glenn talk about BIG BOX GUITARS: guitars build from larger wooden boxes and crates. Plus there's Watt Corner, What's the Deal With Speal, a "Live from the Workbench Segment", Drum Talk and more
Read more…The story of this freak instrument started with a bad purchase I made on eBay. The seller listed this strange wooden piece as the body of an Appalachian banjo from the 1800’s. As a collector of antique DIY instruments, I couldn’t pass up the $30 “
Read more…In my upcoming book, Poor Man's Guitar, I explore the building techniques and history behind many antique homemade guitars in my collection. One very interesting instrument in the book is a syrup can guitar (circa. 1930's, Portland OR) that has cop
Read more…Instrument builder, Don Peddle first debuted this video back in 2011 and features his tabletop, double strung harp. It has 17 strings each side and uses a cigar box for the soundbox. It also has built in piezo pickups.
Peddle ran Random Sound Music
Read more…The Cigar Box Nation editors are in Shane's shop, talk about Reverend Peyton, showing off Shane's very first cigar box guitar and do a little jamming.
Originally shown in several parts during the March 30, 2018 episode of the Gitty Gang Show. This is
Read more…I truly believe every house needs a dulcimer or canjo! They're simple instruments that anybody can play, plus they have such a distinctive Americana sound.
Did you know that you can turn an average dulcimer into a blues machine? In this video, I sh
Read more…RAGA NOVA: It's been six years since I filmed this little improv video below. As I recall, it was early morning and I wanted to hear something quiet. I went down in my studio and picked up this guitar specifically because it didn't have a standar
Read more…"What you play on your left hand is what you know. What you play on your right hand is who you are."
Taught by Shane Speal. Speal's book, Poor Man's Guitar will be released October 2018 by Fox Chapel Publishing. More info at www.PoorMansGuitar.com
Read more…Cigar Box Nation is proud to announce the Cigar Box Guitar Festival in Victoria, Australia this Saturday 12th May! Full info on their official Facebook page.
Old Hepburn Hotel, in Hepburn Springs hosts the 2018 Cigar Box Guitar Festival in the min
Read more…Researched and archived by Shane Speal. Speal's book, Poor Man's Guitar will be released October 2018 by Fox Chapel Publishing. More info at www.PoorMansGuitar.com.
In the 1970s, a fanzine called Resophonic Echoes appeared, celebrating all thing
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