Cigar+Box+Instruments

Activity: Build an instrument. What are some curricular connections to this activity?

Carolyn here: my good friend Merrilee brought her new computer over so I could show her some things and while we waited for it to do stuff, we came up with the idea of creating cigar box (homemade) instruments. I shared with her the Grant and Lee exhibit and we dreamed of doing Civil War era songs such as Nellie Gray, which has a Westerville connection and is an Underground Railroad song, as part of our work with the exhibit because web sites we were looking at said these instruments were popular at that time. We each determined to make our own and then figure out what we would need to help students make them. Currently this wiki page will have links to resources we may need. Eventually it will have pictures and maybe even a recording... Cheap place for bulk strings: []

They also have picks.

History of Cigar Box instruments: [] []

Civil War soldiers playing a cigar box instrument:

Instructions: Multiple instruments: []

Guitar: [] [] [] Fretboard scale: [] Fretboard calculator: [] media type="youtube" key="MKg20Cg7gUA" height="340" width="560" media type="custom" key="4380645"

Fiddle! [] []

Banjo: [] []

Uke: []

Blues on multiple instruments: media type="youtube" key="GJLcwIEWD9o" height="344" width="425"

Home made instruments and physics: http://www.philtulga.com/HomemadeMusic.html

An advanced home-made instrument: media type="youtube" key="FXdSutr5_8k" height="344" width="425"