CHORD FORMS FOR 3 & 4 STRING CIGAR BOX GUITAR Some basic chords in the Key of G:
Special thanks to PBS.org for this description of the Blues
First bar / measure 1-2-3-4 I CHORD I’m gon’ get up in the mornin’
Second bar 1-2-3-4 IV CHORD I believe I’ll dust my broom
Fifth bar 1-2-3-4 IV CHORD I’m gon’ get up in the mornin’
Sixth bar Seventh bar 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 IV CHORD I CHORD I believe I’ll dust my broom
Ninth bar 1-2-3-4 V CHORD I quit the best girl in lovin’
Third bar 1-2-3-4 I CHORD
....
....
Tenth bar Eleventh bar 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 IV CHORD I CHORD Now my frien’s can get my room
....
Fourth bar 1-2-3-4 I CHORD
....
Eighth bar 1-2-3-4 I CHORD
.... Twelfth bar 1-2-3-4 V CHORD
....
Some chords to get you started : Most Blues (and many folk and pop s ongs) are composed using the I (one) , IV (four) and V (five) chords. At first this seems somewhat daunting: what does that mean?? In fact, this number system has been very succesfully used for many years by jazz and blues musicians to be able to understand and learn a song, and by excellent musicians who were nonetheless unskilled in reading music. The advantage of numbering chords is that there is no need to remember numerous chord sequences by name, for different keys. So very simply, in ANY key, chords are numbered from the tonic (the very first note in the scale of the key that you are in) up to the number 7: the 8 is an octave above the starting note. For example, in the Key of G: (notes are) G A B C D E F# G . Count up from G as 1: G=1, A=2, B=3,C=4, D=5, E=6, F# (Fsharp)=7 and G (again) = 8, the octave. So, the I, IV and V Chords are G, C and D. On a cigar box guitar tuned to an open G, all the strings played across the fretboard (no fingering) in the open position are the I chord i.e. G . Barring (holding your finger or a slide) across the 5th fret is the IV chord, C. Barring (holding your finger or a slide) across the 7th fret is the V chord, D . (Barring across the 12th fret gives you the octave of your open postion, so a G chord again. YOUR FUNDAMENTAL CHORDS ARE FOUND AT THE OPEN POSITION, THE 5TH FRET AND THE 7TH FRET, AND AGAIN AT THE 12TH FRET FOR THE OCTAVE. This pattern applies to any key that your guitar might be tuned to: so focus on frets 0,5,7 and 12.
OPEN G TUNING #1 - GDGB TUNING: Use middle 4 strings of regular guitar string set. This is like the middle 4 strings on a regular guitar, with the low A tuned down to a ‘G’. To form chords, you can us e any ‘regular’ guitar chord found on the middle set of strings, while remembering that your A string is now tuned down a tone to G, so either ignore playing or compensate the fingering on that string. It is worth noting that the lowest three strings, the GDG are the same as the most common 3 string CBG tuning, so any chords / fingering on these strings can be played exactly the same on the 3 string guitar.
G CHORDS (The I chord in the key of G)
NOTES OF CHORD C CHORDS
G
D
Play
open
G
B
G
D
3rd
Fret
G
B
G
D
G
B
strings
G
BAR
(OPEN
STRINGS )
G
G
D
G
B
G
G
D
G
B
G
3rd Fret
G7 G
D
B
D
G
F
B
D
G
B
G
D
G
B
(The IV chord in the key of G)
8th
NOTES OF CHORD D CHORDS
5th
Fret
C
BAR
(FIFTH
C
G
G
D
Fret
8th Fret
FRET )
C
C7
C
E
G
C
E
G
G
Bb
E
G
G
B
G
D
G
B
G
D
G
B
C
F#
A
(No Root)
(The V chord in the key of G)
10th
NOTES OF CHORD
7th
Fret
D
BAR
(SEVENTH
D
A
D
FRET )
F#
Fret
10th Fret
D X
D7 D
F#
A
Don’t Play
NOTE HOW ALL THE CHORDS IN A COLUMN ARE THE SAME SHAPE? SO THEY ARE A MOVEABLE CHORD SHAPE, meaning that if you move the chord shape UP one fret,say from G, you will get G# (or Ab), one more again gives you A…. and so on
A few more chords... in open G (GDGB) #1 Cm
G
D
G
B
Cm7 (no root)
8th Fret
X
Gm
G
Eb
D
G
G
X
B
Gm7
3rd Fret
Am
G
Bb
D
D
B
Cm6
G
B
G
Am7 (no root)
Eb
D
X
G
G
B
G
A
F
D
10th
Fret
F
C
G
F
G
C
B
A
F7
A
Gm6
Bb
G
D
G
D
G
B
D
G
B
Eb
D
G
G
B
E
G
Bb
D
D
G
B
2nd Fret
2nd Fret
E
D
3rd Fret
G
or C
G
8th Fret
Bb
G
2nd Fret
F
G
3rd Fret
G
A
D
8th Fret
C
G
G
E
G
D
10th
Fret
F
C
G
G
Eb
X
C
B
Fm7
A
Same again, MOVEABLE CHORD SHAPES ….
D
G
A
D
10th
Fret
F
C
D
G
Eb
B
Ab
3 STRING OPEN G TUNING - GDG TUNING: Use 5th, 4th and 3rd strings of regular guitar string set. This is the most common open G tuning for 3 String cbg and is the tuning most found in Youtube tutorials. It is worth noting that the GDG are the same as the lowest 3 strings on a 4 string CBG, so any chords / fingering on these 3 strings that you already know on a 4 string CBG can be played exactly the same on the 3 string guitar.
G CHORDS
G
D
Play
open
or bar
12th fret
G
G
C CHORDS
G
Fret
3rd Fret
(OPEN)
G
G
D
G
G
G
B
G
F
B
G
D
G
G
D
G
G
D
G
G7
Fret
8th Fret
Fret
BAR
(FIFTH FRET)
C
C
G
C
G
C
E
G
Bb
E
G
D
G
G
D
G
G
D
G
C
F#
7th
C7
(No Root)
C
10th
NOTES OF CHORD
D
BAR
5th
D CHORDS
G
G
8th
NOTES OF CHORD
G
strings
3rd
NOTES OF CHORD
D
Fret
10th Fret
Fret
D
BAR
(SEVENTHFRET)
D
D
A
D
X
D7 D
F#
Don’t Play
Junkbox Guitars
MORE CHORDS IN 3 STRING OPEN G TUNING #1 - GDG TUNING
Cm
G
D
G
Cm7 (no root)
8th Fret
X
Gm
G
Eb
D
X
G
Gm7
3rd Fret
A or Am
G
Bb
Cm6
D
G
G
Am7 (no root)
X
Eb
D
2nd Fret
G
Gm6
F
Bb
G
A
D
10th
Fret
F
C
G
G
F
F7
A
G
D
G
G
D
2nd Fret
E
D
G
Eb
D
G
3rd Fret
G
or C
G
8th Fret
Bb
G
(no 3rd)
F
G
3rd Fret
G
A
D
8th Fret
C
G
G
E
G
Bb
D
G
2nd Fret
E
G
G
D
X
G
Fm7
D
G
A
D
G
no 3rd same as F7
10th
Fret
F
C
Eb
10th
Fret
F
C
Eb
Junkbox Guitars
OPEN G TUNING #2 - DGBD TUNING: Use top 4 strings of regular guitar string set. This is like banjo tuning. This is like the top (highest pit ch) strings on a regular guitar, with the high E tuned down t o a ‘D’. To form chords, you can use any ‘regular’ guitar chord, using the top 4 strings, and RAISE the note played on your high E (now actually a ‘D’) by two frets - see right column of chords below. Kind of cool, because now your fingering for a barred G chord, for example, as played on a regular guitar now sounds a G7 chord on your cigar box guitar! Lots of very cool sounding chords can be formed with this tuning ( I really like the C add 9 shown on following page) NOTE: t his tuning can easily be changed to an Open D - just drop your G to an F#, and your B string to an A - giving you DF#AD
G CHORDS
D
G
Play
open
B
D
D
G
B
D
D
Fret
X
X
3rd
X
Fret
X
D
X
X
X
G7
G
X
G
BAR
(OPEN
(D)
G
B
D
G
B
D
F
G
B
D
G
D
G
B
D
D
G
B
D
D
G
B
D
Fret
X
X
8th
Fret
X
STRINGS )
8th
X
D CHORDS
B
strings
3rd
C CHORDS
G
X
5th
Fret
C
BAR
(FIFTH
(G)
C
E
G
C
E
G
Bb
C
E
G
C
D
G
B
D
D
G
B
D
D
G
B
D
Fret
X
X
10th
Fret
X
FRET )
X
X
C7
G
10th
X
7th
Fret
D
BAR
(SEVENTH
(A)
D
F#
FRET )
A
X
X
X
D7
D
D
F#
X
A
C
D
X
F#
A
D
Junkbox Guitars
A few more chords... in open G(DGBD) tuning #2 C
D
E
G MAJ 7
G
G
D
B
C
G
D
C ADD 9
E
B
D
E
D
G 6 /
G
G
B
C
D
G
3rd
Fret
D
Cm
Eb
D
B
D
D
Gm7
G
G
D
B
C
G
D
Eb
B
D
Em7
3rd
G
D
Fret
B
D
D
G
F#
B
D
G
D ADD 9
F
A
D
F
D
D
G
G
E
B
D
Dm7
D
G
A
B
C
D
F#
D
F
F7
A
D
F
Bb
D
D
G
F
B
D
2nd Fret
2nd Fret
2nd Fret
D
B
3rd Fret
D
G
A
B
C
D
E
D
Eb
F6 / Dm
A
D
F
C
G
A
F
B
C
D
D
Junkbox Guitars
