In today’s cigar box guitar lesson, we will learn Blues Jam #2.  One notable difference is that I’ve added some rhythm using a guitar looper pedal and a few other effects like the octave pedal. You don’t need a looper pedal to learn this blues jam – just a steady driving rhythm!

So, grab your 3-string cigar box, tune it to G-D-G, open tuning and plug it into your favourite amp with a bit of fuzz.

If you are more interested in fingerstyle or slide playing, I suggest you check out this CBG blues jam #1 here.

If you are a complete cigar box guitar newbie, check out my primer beginner lesson for cigar box guitar here.

Alright, crank er’ up and let’s dive in or just skip to the youtube video below!

An 18 Bar Blues?

Yes, you read that correctly! Who ever heard of an 18 bar blues?

They are rare, for sure. I did a quick search and only found a few examples of an 18-bar blues, so we are in new territory. Now, I do not have a valid reason why this jam ended up in 18 bars other than it just happened, and I was too lazy to change it to the more common 16 bar blues.

Anyways, here is the chord progression:

And here are the chords I used in cigar box guitar blues jam#2:

Guitar Looper Blues Shuffle Rhythm

As mentioned, I used a guitar looper pedal to lay down a basic blues shuffle pattern. I have to say this really makes it easier to improvise! If you do have a looper pedal and want to try the rhythm, check out the cigar box tab:

Notice there is a steady down-up strumming with an accent on the 2nd and 4th beat. If you look at the video, I hit all the strings on the accented note to make it sound like a snare drum. Keep your wrist loose as it is relatively quick.

Let’s now have a look at the main riff.

Main Blues Riff #1

So, the basic riff is a cross between “Spirit in the Sky” and “La Grange.”  Again, not sure why but hey, it works.

I added the octave pedal one octave lower with a cut-off range of D.  I found this filled out the bottom end, which is sometimes lacking on the 3-string CBG. Also, with the added rhythm loop, this started to feel more like a one-man band.

To play the riff, you will need to hold your third finger down on the G (5th fret – 2nd string) while playing the G chord. Strum all the strings keeping your wrist loose going down and up while accenting the little added hammer-ons and pull-offs.   

It may seem basic, but there are enough subtleties to make it more of a challenge.   Here’s the basic riff:

Start slow and keep the strumming hand constantly moving down and up. If your strumming hand stops, you are likely doing it wrong. 

Cigar Box Blues Jam #2 Video

Cigar Box Guitar – Blues Jam #2 – Tab

Ok, here is the tab for the first 18 bars of the blues jam #2:

Need More Cigar Box Blues?

If you have the time, feel free to work out the solo from the video; otherwise, just try to improvise a bit using the G blues scale while referring to the main blues riff as I did. Here’s the 3-string cigar box guitar G blues scale excerpt from my book Blues Overload:

One of the most fun things you can do with your cigar box is to learn the basic 12 bar blues in the key of G.  It can be as simple as 3 chords with a single finger or as complicated as you wish. As a refresher, here is a basic 12-bar blues in G from Blues Overload:

Now, once you have the blues chord progression down, try adding a few riffs using the G blues scale above. Just start by adding a few notes here and there but be strict with your rhythm. For more blues, check out all my cigar box guitar books here.

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