A great way to master chords on the cigar box guitar is to memorize the most common chord shapes, or “moveable chords.”  Moveable chords allow you to keep your fingers in the same shape and change the chord name by moving to a different fret.

For example, play an A major chord with a barre on the second fret as shown in the diagram below.  Now, move the same chord down to the fifth fret to play a C chord.

You will quickly realize moving the same shape is easy.  All you have to do is study where the root for each chord is and the letter names on the fingerboard.

Let’s have a look at the 4-string cigar box guitar fingerboard below. Find the A and the D on the 4th string. 

 

4-String Cigar Box Guitar Fretboard

cigar-box-guitar-moveable-chords-major

The root of the chord is the note that gives the chord its name – so, the root of a C chord is C. The root, or C in this case, is found on each of the four strings.  I recommend learning the notes on the fourth string to start, then moving on to the third string.

Fortunately, we have two strings tuned to a G in GDGB tuning, so when you learn the notes on the fourth string, you are also learning the notes on the second string.

With time and practice, you can learn the note names on the cigar box guitar and expand your chord knowledge exponentially by memorizing chord shapes. 

Here are 11 of the most common moveable chord shapes (major-minor-augmented-diminished).  Transpose each chord or move the chord up the neck into all 12 keys in music.  So that’s 11 x 12  or 132 chords!

 

Cigar Box Guitar Moveable Chords:

cigar-box-guitar-moveable-chords-major-minor
For more cigar box guitar chords check out my new book:  The Complete 4-String Chord Book For Cigar Box Guitar.

 

The Complete 4-String Cigar Box Guitar Chord Book

The Complete Cigar Box Guitar Chord Book is the most extensive library of chords ever assembled for the 4-string cigar box guitar.  With over 2000 chords, chord progressions, strumming patterns and exercises included.  Chords are shown with diagrams, tablature, notation, and some photos.  A must-have for all cigar box guitar players.

4-String Cigar Box Guitar Chords in GDGB Tuning

 

The Complete Cigar Box Guitar Chord Book

The Complete Cigar Box Guitar Chord Book is the most extensive library of chords ever assembled for the 3-string cigar box guitar.  With over 2000 chords, chord progressions, strumming patterns and exercises included.  Chords are shown with diagrams, tablature, notation, and some photos.  A must-have for all cigar box guitar players.

3-String Cigar Box Guitar Chords in GDG Tuning

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