I have written this piece for beginners using just frets 0, 2, 3, 5 and 6 on a 3- string guitar tuned to G D G. If your guitar is tuned to another open fifths tuning, such as D A D or E B E you can use the tabs but you will be playing in a different key.
How To Play The G Minor Blues Scale On A Cigar Box Guitar Tuned To G D G
The G minor blues scale is the same as the G minor pentatonic but with an added flattened fifth:
| NOTE NUMBER | 1 | 3b | 4 | 5b | 5 | 7b |
| G MINOR PENATATONIC SCALE | G | Bb | C | – | D | F |
| G MINOR BLUES SCALE | G | Bb | C | Db | D | F |
Here are the fret numbers you need to know for playing the scale on the outer two strings of a Cigar Box Guitar tuned to G D G:
| FRET NUMBER | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| G MINOR BLUES SCALE | G | Bb | C | Db | D | F |
For a more detailed look at the minor pentatonic scale, see this article: Minor Pentatonic Scales For 3-String Cigar Box Guitar
Winter Blues is a piece I have written in G minor. Although it is based mainly on the G minor blues scale, I have also added a second fret A.
Introduction To Triplets For Beginner Cigar Box Guitarists
This piece includes something called triplets. These are 3 notes that are played in the space of 2 notes. That sounds more complicated than it is and once you get used to playing them they are really not that difficult.
This line of music contains triplets:
Related Chords in G minor For Cigar Box Guitar in G D G Tuning
The original key is Gm and if you want to play the chords, you will need to either use 1- finger power chords G, C, D and Db (found on the open strings, 5th fret, 7th fret and 6th fret) or the minor chords which are in the same positions but with an added finger on the top ( or bottom) string:
| Chord | G Power | C Power | Db Power | D Power |
| Fret number | 0 ( open strings) | 5 | 6 | 7 |
How To Play Minor Chords On The Cigar Box Guitar: Adding One Finger To A Power Chord
I have written an article and recorded a video on the easiest way to play minor chords on a 3-string Cigar Box Guitar:
How Do I Play Minor Chords On A Cigar Box Guitar?
YouTube Lesson For Winter Blues
I have a video lesson for this piece coming soon on my YouTube channel where I go through the music slowly. At the end of the video is a backing track for you to play along with.
PDF Download For Winter Blues
Here is your free download of the music and TAB for my original piece. It is provided free for your own personal use.
Other Original Blues Pieces Written By Me
I have been writing some blues pieces for beginners, some easier than others.
You can find some of them here:
Fingerpicking Blues Chord Progression For Cigar Box Guitar
Cigar Box Guitar Playing For Guitar Builders: Hints and Tips For Absolute Beginners