Just Make Music
by Barbara McMahon
Title
Just Make Music
Artist
Barbara McMahon
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Built by my son-in-law Philip, this cigar box electric guitar is his first attempt. It plays beautifully and I'm astounded at the sound. He is waiting for a Cohiba cigar box to make his next one.
The cigar box guitars and fiddles were also important in the rise of jug bands and blues. As most of these performers were black Americans living in poverty, many could not afford a "real" instrument. Using these, along with the washtub bass (similar to the cigar box guitar), jugs, washboards, and harmonica, black musicians performed blues during socializations.
The Great Depression of the 1930s saw a resurgence of homemade musical instruments. Times were hard in the American south and for entertainment sitting on the front porch singing away their blues was a popular pastime. Musical instruments were beyond the means of everybody, but an old cigar box, a piece of broom handle and a couple wires from the screen door and a guitar was born.
A modern revival of these instruments (also known as the Cigar Box Guitar Revolution) has been gathering momentum with an increase in cigar box guitar builders and performers. A loose-knit tour of underground musicians tour the East Coast (US) each summer under the banner "Masters of the Cigar Box Guitar Tour." These musicians include Doctor Oakroot, Johnny Lowebow, Tomi-O and many others. Of the more noteworthy cigar box guitar makers is Shane Speal, the so-called "King of the Cigar Box Guitar."
Modern revival is sometimes due to interest in jugband and the DIY culture, as a cigar box is relatively inexpensive when considering other factors, such as strings and construction time. Many modern cigar box guitar can thus be seen as a type of practice in lutherie, and implement numerous personal touches, such as the addition of pick up and resonator cones into it.
Uploaded
September 15th, 2013
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Comments (2)
Belinda Low
Wow Barbara - Such originality and what a fine instrument he has created! Very creative indeed!
Nadine and Bob Johnston
Thank You for Submitting your Artwork.... Liked the subject, description, technique, composition, and color... So Today it was Published in the Internet publication ARTISTS NEWS.... YOU or Friends Can use Ctl-C to copy the link: http://paper.li/f-1343723559 and Ctl-V to put it into your the Browser Address bar, to view the publication. Then, Tweet, FB, and email, etc a copy of the publication, to just anyone you feel would be interested. Happy Promoting! :-)
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