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 Second bar Third bar Fourth bar

1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4
I CHORD IV CHORD I CHORD I CHORD
I’m gon’ get up in the I believe I’ll dust my .... ....
mornin’ broom

Fifth bar Sixth bar Seventh bar Eighth bar

1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4
IV CHORD IV CHORD I CHORD I CHORD
I’m gon’ get up in the I believe I’ll dust my
mornin’ broom
.... ....

Ninth bar Tenth bar Eleventh bar Twelfth bar

1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4
V CHORD IV CHORD I CHORD V CHORD
Now my frien’s can
I quit the best girl in
lovin’ get my room .... ....

Some chords to get you started :

Most Blues (and many folk and pop songs) 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 use
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 G D G B G D G B G D G B

(The I chord in the key of G) Play open strings

3rd Fret 3rd Fret

G BAR (OPEN STRINGS )

G G7

NOTES OF CHORD G D G B G G B D G F B D

C CHORDS G D G B G D G B G D G B

(The IV chord in the key of G)

8th Fret 8th Fret

5th Fret

C BAR (FIFTH FRET )

C C7 (No Root)

NOTES OF CHORD C G C E G C E G G Bb E G

D CHORDS G D G B G D G B G D G B

(The V chord in the key of G)

10th Fret 10th Fret

7th Fret

D BAR (SEVENTH FRET )

D D7

NOTES OF CHORD D A D F# X D F# A Don’t Play

C F# A

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 G D G B
Cm6 G D G B
(no root)

8th Fret 8th Fret 8th Fret

X C Eb G X Bb Eb G X A Eb G

Gm G D G B
Gm7 G D G B
Gm6 G D G B

3rd Fret 3rd Fret 3rd

Fret

G G Bb D G F Bb D G E Bb D

Am G D G B
Am7 G D G B
D G D G B
(no root) or C

2nd Fret 2nd Fret

2nd Fret

A E A C G E G C X D A D

F F7
G D G B G D G B Fm7 G D G B

10th Fret 10th Fret 10th Fret

F C F A F C Eb A F C Eb Ab

Same again, MOVEABLE CHORD SHAPES ….

 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 G G D G G D G

Play open strings

or bar 12th fret

3rd Fret 3rd Fret

G BAR (OPEN) G G7

NOTES OF CHORD G D G G G B G F B

C CHORDS G D G G D G G D G

8th Fret 8th Fret

5th Fret

C BAR (FIFTH FRET) C C7 (No Root)

NOTES OF CHORD C G C G C E G Bb E

D CHORDS G D G G D G G D G

10th Fret 10th Fret

7th Fret

D BAR (SEVENTH FRET)

D D7

NOTES OF CHORD D A D X D F# Don’t Play

C F#

Junkbox Guitars
 MORE CHORDS IN 3 STRING OPEN G TUNING #1 - GDG TUNING

Cm G D G
Cm7 G D G
Cm6 G D G
(no root)

8th Fret 8th Fret 8th Fret

X C Eb X Bb Eb X A Eb

Gm G D G
Gm7 G D G
Gm6 G D G

3rd Fret 3rd Fret 3rd Fret

G G Bb G F Bb G E Bb

A or G D G
Am7 G D G
D G D G
(no root) or C
Am (no 3rd)
2nd Fret 2nd Fret 2nd Fret

A E A G E G X D A

F G D G
F7 G D G Fm7 G D G
no 3rd -
same as F7

10th Fret 10th Fret

10th Fret

F C Eb F C Eb
F C F

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 pitch) strings on a regular guitar, with the high E tuned down to 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: this 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 B D D G B D D G B D

Play open strings

3rd Fret X X 3rd Fret X

X X

X X X

G BAR (OPEN STRINGS )

G7 G

(D) G B D G B D F G B D G

C CHORDS D G B D D G B D D G B D

8th Fret X X 8th Fret X

X X

5th Fret X X X

C BAR (FIFTH FRET )

C7 G

(G) C E G C E G Bb C E G C

D CHORDS D G B D D G B D D G B D

10th Fret X X 10th Fret X

X X

X X X

7th Fret

D BAR (SEVENTH FRET )

D7 D

(A) D F# A D F# A C D F# A D

Junkbox Guitars
 A few more chords... in open G(DGBD) tuning #2

C D G B D
C D G B D
Cm D G B D

ADD 9

E G C E E G C D Eb G C Eb

G D G B D
G6/ D G B D
Gm7 D G B D

MAJ 7 (Em7)

3rd
3rd Fret 3rd Fret Fret

G B D F# G B D E G Bb D F

D D G B D
D D G B D
Dm7 D G B D

ADD 9
2nd Fret 2nd Fret
2nd Fret

D A D F# D A D E D A C F

F D G B D
F7 D G B D
F6 / D G B D
(Dm)

F A C F F A C Eb F A C D

Junkbox Guitars