Today’s cigar box guitar lesson will look at two country classics. The first is Lefty Frizzell’s “The Long Black Veil,” followed by a song that needs no introduction, “Tennessee Waltz.” Both tunes have found a place in the top 100 country songs of all time and have been performed and recorded by countless artists and gigging musicians.

To buy the sheet music with tablature, chords and lyrics, visit here for the Long Black Veil or here for Tennessee Waltz

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

Playing country on the cigar box guitar is a natural fit for the instrument. The chords are accessible and sound full enough to accompany yourself singing or playing in the band (or the back porch!). 

So let’s start with The Long Black Veil. Many will know the Johnny Cash recording, but we will use the Lefty Frizzell for the lesson and transcription.

Alright, get your twang on and let’s dive in or just skip to the youtube videos below!

The Long Black Veil on Cigar Box Guitar

This tune tends to grow on you after you play it a few times. It is quite a simple melody with a basic chord structure, which may be the best thing about this song.

This is genuinely a 3-chord country song! There are always options on which version of the chord to play. For example, I’ve indicated two ways to play the D chord. In the key of D, all you need is a D, G and A. We’ll add in the dominant 7th chord, A7, to add change it up in the chorus, but still just 3 basic chords.

Here are the chords you will need:

And here is the cigar box guitar chord progression for The Long Black Veil

Perhaps the best part of the song is the story being told. The imagery is not lost on Johnny Cash – the man in black. A man would rather die than let his best friend know he was messing around with his wife. 

I felt the best way to instrumentally play this tune was with the slide. I mean, without singing it, that is!

So grab your slide, and let’s look at the trickier parts. As always, try to keep the slide in line with the fret to play in tune. Take some liberties with the phrasing and add some vibrato for a wailing kind of reference (when the night winds wail). 

Go through these sections slowly with an ear to your tuning. I suggest memorizing the high parts, as the tuning can be a challenge up the neck. After you have the right notes, work on the rhythm and phrasing. 

Ok, hopefully, that went well! Let’s try another song about infidelity!

The Tennessee Waltz on Cigar Box Guitar

With a fantastic melody and chord sequence, the Tennessee Waltz has been recorded by countless artists over the years. This tune, though overplayed, is still one of the great country songs. The melody covers a good range for any singer while the ¾ waltz rhythm sways and fits the tune perfectly.

The original recording has few chords, but I find adding a few of the pretty chords can give the tune some nice colour. The chord progression is lovely with the added major seventh chords

Let’s have a look at the chords and the chord progression in Tennessee Waltz:

The song is based on a 32-bar chord progression: 

The melody leaves a memorable trace and can be played with or without the slide. Listen to the recording to and follow along on the video below:

Because of the strong melody, the tune can work with a simple 3-string cigar box guitar strumming or fingerpicking the chords. I added lap steel to fill in and pad the melody for the country vibe. If the tune is out of your range, consider re-tuning from GDG down to an EBE. Stay tuned for a new book all about cigar box guitar tunings. Subscribe to the email to receive news about new books, arrangements and free cigar box guitar lessons. 

Leave any comments or suggestions for more lessons below. Good luck and happy twangin’

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