Shane Speal's Snake Oil Band harmonica player, Derick Kemper is back in the spotlight with Man At Arms: Reforged, the Youtube blacksmithing show.  Kemper is a master blacksmith who operates Damsel Fly Forge in Fawn Grove PA and is a…

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I'm continuing my series on classic blues songs arranged for cigar box guitar with this fantastic song by the great RL Burnside.  "Nine Days in Jail" was originally released on his album, My Black Name A-Ringin' and has that signature North Mississippi groove to it.

They call him "the king of the cigar box guitar." Shane Speal, an avid cigar smoker, guitar player, woodworker, and author, is not only building some of the best cigar box guitars, he's also serving-up a lesson in American…

I am proud to announce my brand new 3-string signature sets from CBGitty.com.  The strings come in either acoustic or electric and are the same exact gauges I use in every concert.  TUNINGS:  Each string pack also includes my tuning guide, allowing you to take your cigar box guitar from an Open G to jazz, Hawaiian and even dirty blues tunings. 

By Shane Speal.  This article was originally posted in my Guitar World column.

Have you ever bought a guitar slide and had intentions of ripping new leads with it, only to discover when you get home that it’s damn near impossible to use? 

I’ve been there, too. 

Playing slide guitar, well, takes a little dedication in practice, but also in the way you set up your gear, too. 

Here’s a quick rundown of five roadblocks that might be keeping you from sliding: 

Playing badass blues licks ain't hard... Here's an easy lesson to get you grindin' on the back porch. Tuning: GDG. 

Every slide guitarist has a signature tremolo.  Here's how you can start to get yours.  Remember to only wobble half a fret away from your starting note!  Grab a Stubby Slide and watch the video below...

LET'S MANGLE THE OPEN G TUNING AGAIN!!!  Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH.  This is a G major tuning, a tin pan alley version of the blues tuning.  If you're in Open G, simply retune…

Have you been playing the same licks over and over again?  Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH again.  This is the G7 tuning, a jazzy version of the blues tuning.  If you're in Open G,…

This is the exercise you'll need to develop a deep blues fingerpicking style on 3-string cigar box guitar. I break it down into a very simple rhythm. Play it at your own pace, but always play it with rhythm! The better you get, the more this will become part of your musicianship.

Let's do a little chicken pickin' today with my favorite hoedown licks. In this lesson series, I break it down into an exercise that will build up your picking and Stubby Slide chops.  As we go on in the next videos, I show how that simple riff can be morphed into blues and even Appalachian murder ballad styles. Start slow and build up speed over time.

The beauty of cigar box guitars is that you can try any combination of strings and tunings without judgement!

In this video, Shane Speal has his Rumbler cigar box guitar tuned to a low Open D tuning (DAD) and talks about the pursuit of creativity.