The "T Shape" Blues Lick for Cigar Box Guitar - by Shane Speal

[@lorettasiegrist9334]

I just bought your book,'Making Poor Man's GUITARS'. Love the Freddie King interview. This book is hard to put down. Thank you for writing this book. Plus all your helpful videos and information. I've made several CBG'S so far. It's the best addiction I've had in years. Plus...I'm not a perfectionist. Visually they're not pretty. But I'm after a what you provide. The funky sound if you will. I love the blues and have since a very young age. Keep on providing this need. Thanks again.

[@capnpete1154]

I bought a Gitty CBG kit and it was easy and fun to put together. Initially I was not happy with the sound. Then I ordered your signature CBG strings. OMG it was like getting a whole new guitar! The sound is incredible! Sounds just like what you're playing on the videos! Well, the sound is the same, I don't sound that good, yet. Thanks so much for all your help and instruction.

[@guitarsbybart7894]

I just discovered this even though it is an older post. This lick is great for finger picking too. I am throwing it in a couple of songs I play. And yeah, you have to feel it.

[@Bojammer]

Cool sound Shane Love the T shape

[@robertstarkey376]

I love the sound of that Cigar Box Guitar

[@ronellis3857]

I absolutely love your analogy " learn it with your head, learn it with your crotch "! Makes perfect sense!

[@AntonyAllen]

Bought my first cbg this weekend. Already loving it thanks to you. Loved this as my first lick. Already chorded up . Thanks so much

[@JonJohnsDad]

Great Advice Shane and a cool lil riff for sure

[@ShaneSpeal]

Thanks!!!

[@stephendemont104]

You truly are the king. Thanks for the crotch tip never really thought of it like that.

[@rickwieland7920]

Thanks for the fast reply. I'm practicing the " T lick " it's definitely cool and fun.

[@LuthorKilljoy]

Love listening to you and thanks for all the great tips

[@rickwieland7920]

This is a great lesson, as always, appreciate your sharing helpful tips with all of us. Your awesome !

[@mcopado]

I just saw your email about updating videos. I just pulled this one out again last night to tackle it and I noticed something, and I realized an issue I was having then and last night. Your audio actually drops out when you're actually taking us through it slowly. Around the 3:10 mark and for some reason I was having trouble getting the riff because at that speed or demo, was actually where I was getting it. So if you're considering re-doing this one, some that finally helped me nail it last night that you didn't really over, was pick pattern. I was finally able to get it when I figured out the pattern that worked for me, which was up down. Down for the slide from 2-3 (3rd string) up for Open 3, Down for middle 3 slide to 5 Up at 5th fret, down at 3rd middle, up at open 3rd middle, down at low 3rd, up at open low 3rd. I noticed in the demo that you appear to be going down strokes for everything? Not sure if you play it that way normally, or just for the demo. But it helped me get some "crotch action" and just move through the lick when I figured out the stroke pattern (see what I did there?) on the pick side. Figuring that out was a big help just now. Since you can do 2 cameras now, think about giving us that detail to, how you're stroking with your right hand, on the notes. Just a thought from a dummy like me who sometimes needs the tiny thing to catch on. LOL

[@ShaneSpeal]

I was probably getting a phone call when the sound cut out! I'll definitely re-cut this one

[@mcopado]

@@ShaneSpeal This is the first lick in all this time of trying to lean, that I've been able to nail!!!! It seems like whenever I try to lean a set riff, no matter the teacher, my head always gets in the way, and i get frustrated I can sit down a noodle fine, but to actually try to learn something in a book or video something happens and I get blocked and give up and go back to messing around. It's like a disconnect and I freeze. It actually reminds me of taking Spanish classes in school I'm Spanish, but parents rarely spoke it all that often (that Immigrant thing) but I can understand a decent amount, read some and speak a little bit, but whenever I tried to take it in school a little bit of pressure like getting asked a question and having to answer it's like a dear in the headlights thing, I go into freeze mode. This is the first riff where I was able really to get it broken down enough (finally being able to count how many actual notes you're hitting AND figure out the up and down pattern of the pick hand) was what helped. I think I figured out with my learning style I need, a really slow break down of both sides and an over all count of the totals steps (oh yeah I need steps lol.) Anyway, thanks this is a good lesson and it became a good lesson for me to help me figure out how need to break these things down. I think how you say here you see it as shapes is similar to how I must grasp it, shapes and steps. Now maybe I can transpose that idea into other riffs and videos I like. Sorry for the ramble this is actually kind of an exciting breakthrough for me! I think I may have broken through a wall with this stuff finally.

[@thebluesengineer6493]

Good Job! THx for teaching that

[@TheBartman55]

Shane, thanks for all you do for us new folks, have a question,, is there some type of stretching exercises i can do that will help me learning to play cords properly? I feel like a contortionist trying to do them and reach and stretch to reach all the strings… i’m desperate to learn Brother… can you help … please? thanks

[@execjet1]

You are the man. Love your instructional videos. Learn it in your head then let ring in your loins. ha ha ha! So true.

[@jimtalor9537]

Awesome thanks

[@AvidEric]

Thanks a lot for the video, I appreciate the effort!

[@ShaneSpeal]

You're more than welcome! Thanks for the suggestion. I know it was only part of the whole blues lick. I'll cover more licks in future vids.

[@AvidEric]

Again, I'm looking forward to it!

[@carlaproud6906]

Loved it

[@panhandlerguitars2161]

Love your attitude. 😎

[@austinknowlton1783]

Nice lick, thanks for showing us. I have a CGB that I started on, but it's one of those cardboard things from Guitar Center and doesn't sound very good. I'm currently building my first, and it's almost finished. I must admit that I cheat a little learning these licks, I tune my A string on my 6 string guitar down a full step. What do you think of open D tuning? I haven't seen you use it much. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in, you are what inspired me to actually start learning to play the CGB although I had it for awhile, and you provided the inspiration to start building my first one.

[@TheBartman55]

Shane.. thanks for all your videos.. question… are there some type of finger stretching exercises i can do to help me with learning and playing cords properly? I feel like a contortionist and can’t seem to get my fingers to stretch to do cords… help brother ….. help im desperate to learn

[@brevs8387]

Had a friend who always said, "gatta want it!". If you wiped out on a bike or got hurt playing a sport, failed at something he'd repeat that saying. I think that's a less "crude" way of getting your point across (though, I took no offense and didn't think much about it, other than a good lesson). It's all about perspective. 😊

[@anthonymessineo8804]

Awesome 😎👍👍

[@robertjohnson5795]

Hey Shane... awesome videos. Really appreciate the stuff you share. One question I'm always wondering is, how did you finish the neck on this one? Is that maple? Poplar? And it doesn't look like you stained it. Any kind of sealer on there? Thanks.

[@craigpenton6167]

MIGHTY LETTER T, ITS A BEAUTIFUL THING , ,

[@anttihirvi9371]

cool shit! thank you so much for this! do you send stubby slides to finland too?

[@castle5711]

Great lesson, as usual. really helped me decipher things. What do you think of instead of picking the open high & open low strings, how about just a hammer off? Seems a little more haunting/mournful...

[@ShaneSpeal]

What I showed you is just a very BASIC riff with the intention that you all will add your own flourishes...just as you mentioned. :)

[@johnbaas8431]

Swagger!? I don't even KNOW 'er!!

[@mcopado]

CROTCH RHYTHMS RULE!

[@ShaneSpeal]

only way to play...

[@jasongreen5159]

you know that's sorta how my dad told me. learn it with your head then " yeah baby now you f...in!"

[@ShaneSpeal]

yessir

[@rickwieland7920]

Where does the lick go for the next chord?

[@ShaneSpeal]

I usually just chug the next chord at the 5th fret without much fancy shmancy stuff

[@tnysteph]

At about 2:18 you said you learned by ear. You think of shapes. I like that. I play harmonica in a band and I play what I feel is right at the time I am playing it.

[@txbluesguy]

Another good video. Only slightly crude :-)... Definitely swagger...

[@ericshaffer9823]

Coolest dad ever...

[@icebob8555]

Wasn’t it in a movie

[@cocoelyssesofficial]

That was hilarious 🤣😂🤣😂✨❤️✨👌🏽

[@ultraclassic01hd]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.....😎

[@ShaneSpeal]

ultraclassic01hd 🤜🤛

[@RocketRadioShow1]

I'd like to order a 2 x black t shirt

[@ShaneSpeal]

The Rocket Radio Show go to stubbyslide.com to order