Chords for Bum Ditty Strum for Cigar Box Guitar
Tempo:
119.5 bpm
Chords used:
G
Bm
B
Ab
Bb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[G]
Okay, the bum ditty, four or three string cigar box guitar.
[Bm]
It's the same rhythm as the Klaueheimer banjo bum ditty, but we don't have the fifth string
to get the ditty part.
[B] We're going to use the first string to help us do that.
[Bb] So I'm tuned [G] to D, G, and B, so we're in open G.
You could be tuned to A, D, F sharp.
A lot of people use that, [Gb] as long as it's [Ab] that [G] 5-1-3 tuning relationship.
But here we're D, G, and B.
Alright, let's break it down into its parts.
First part is a down pick on the middle string for our bum.
That's also a quarter note.
Second one is the strumming down on all three strings, the did, or an eighth note.
[Bm] And then we pick up on the first string for the D for another [G] eighth note.
So that works out to bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, or one, two, and three, four,
and one, two, and three, four, and.
So, that's going to take some practice.
Feel slow.
Keep it steady.
Don't go any faster than you can without making any mistakes.
Work your way up.
You'll want it to be coming completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
And then you can start doing other things.
But for now, [G] bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum.
Alright, a couple [Bm] things I do to help me out is, first of all, it's probably something a
lot of us do, but I put my wrist right on the edge of the box.
And I keep it anchored there.
And what that does is it helps me keep my hand, my pick, in a good position relative
to the strings.
If I'm off the box, when I start playing up to speed, I lose where I'm at.
I can't find the strings.
So find a nice comfortable spot to put your wrist and [G] keep it there.
Always know where you are.
The second thing [B] is this up pick.
You don't really want to wail on it.
[G] Same thing for the strum.
We're just brushing them as you go by.
The emphasis is on the bum.
You don't want that.
I [B] find it annoying when that string is just constantly ringing out [Bm] and repeating.
The other thing that does, that up pick does, is if I were to omit that and just do bum,
strum, bum, strum, bum, strum, bum, strum.
My hand always ends up down here.
So I'm racing to get back up to go back down.
[B] So this is kind of a timing mechanism.
And it gets my hand back in the proper position to strike [G] back down.
And right there, ready to go back down.
Okay.
Once you get that going and you're comfortable, you practice that quite a bit, got a nice
steady rhythm going, you can start to alternate your bass notes between the middle string
and the third string.
That's going to give you every country song ever written.
It's going to give you a [Ab] bluegrassy, folky, old-timey.
It just works for a lot [Bm] of different things.
Very simple rhythm.
But the trick is to keep that steady rhythm going.
At first, you're probably going to have to look at your picking hand and your [G] strings
to make sure you're hitting everything right.
But you don't want to do that too long.
You don't want to have to constantly be looking because once you start playing up to speed,
it's going to mess you up.
It's like too much information to process.
So let's get that completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
You don't have to look.
You don't have to wonder what your hand is doing.
It's always doing the same exact thing.
So once we get to that point, we can start adding in [Bm] some left hand, some chords,
some hammers, some pull-offs, things like that.
Adding some melody and you'll end up with a complete accompanying device
with three strings and a cigar box.
It gives you the rhythm and then you can add in some [B] melody.
And it [Bm] sounds a lot more sophisticated than it really is.
So I think it sounds cool.
I hope somebody can pick something up off of this and we'll see
Okay, the bum ditty, four or three string cigar box guitar.
[Bm]
It's the same rhythm as the Klaueheimer banjo bum ditty, but we don't have the fifth string
to get the ditty part.
[B] We're going to use the first string to help us do that.
[Bb] So I'm tuned [G] to D, G, and B, so we're in open G.
You could be tuned to A, D, F sharp.
A lot of people use that, [Gb] as long as it's [Ab] that [G] 5-1-3 tuning relationship.
But here we're D, G, and B.
Alright, let's break it down into its parts.
First part is a down pick on the middle string for our bum.
That's also a quarter note.
Second one is the strumming down on all three strings, the did, or an eighth note.
[Bm] And then we pick up on the first string for the D for another [G] eighth note.
So that works out to bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, or one, two, and three, four,
and one, two, and three, four, and.
So, that's going to take some practice.
Feel slow.
Keep it steady.
Don't go any faster than you can without making any mistakes.
Work your way up.
You'll want it to be coming completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
And then you can start doing other things.
But for now, [G] bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum.
Alright, a couple [Bm] things I do to help me out is, first of all, it's probably something a
lot of us do, but I put my wrist right on the edge of the box.
And I keep it anchored there.
And what that does is it helps me keep my hand, my pick, in a good position relative
to the strings.
If I'm off the box, when I start playing up to speed, I lose where I'm at.
I can't find the strings.
So find a nice comfortable spot to put your wrist and [G] keep it there.
Always know where you are.
The second thing [B] is this up pick.
You don't really want to wail on it.
[G] Same thing for the strum.
We're just brushing them as you go by.
The emphasis is on the bum.
You don't want that.
I [B] find it annoying when that string is just constantly ringing out [Bm] and repeating.
The other thing that does, that up pick does, is if I were to omit that and just do bum,
strum, bum, strum, bum, strum, bum, strum.
My hand always ends up down here.
So I'm racing to get back up to go back down.
[B] So this is kind of a timing mechanism.
And it gets my hand back in the proper position to strike [G] back down.
And right there, ready to go back down.
Okay.
Once you get that going and you're comfortable, you practice that quite a bit, got a nice
steady rhythm going, you can start to alternate your bass notes between the middle string
and the third string.
That's going to give you every country song ever written.
It's going to give you a [Ab] bluegrassy, folky, old-timey.
It just works for a lot [Bm] of different things.
Very simple rhythm.
But the trick is to keep that steady rhythm going.
At first, you're probably going to have to look at your picking hand and your [G] strings
to make sure you're hitting everything right.
But you don't want to do that too long.
You don't want to have to constantly be looking because once you start playing up to speed,
it's going to mess you up.
It's like too much information to process.
So let's get that completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
You don't have to look.
You don't have to wonder what your hand is doing.
It's always doing the same exact thing.
So once we get to that point, we can start adding in [Bm] some left hand, some chords,
some hammers, some pull-offs, things like that.
Adding some melody and you'll end up with a complete accompanying device
with three strings and a cigar box.
It gives you the rhythm and then you can add in some [B] melody.
And it [Bm] sounds a lot more sophisticated than it really is.
So I think it sounds cool.
I hope somebody can pick something up off of this and we'll see
Key:
G
Bm
B
Ab
Bb
G
Bm
B
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Okay, the bum ditty, four or three string cigar box guitar.
[Bm] _
It's the same rhythm as the Klaueheimer banjo bum ditty, but we don't have the fifth string
to get the ditty part.
[B] We're going to use the first string to help us do that.
_ [Bb] So I'm tuned [G] to D, G, and B, so we're in open G. _
You could be tuned to A, D, F sharp.
A lot of people use that, [Gb] as long as it's [Ab] that [G] 5-1-3 tuning relationship.
_ But here we're D, _ G, and B.
Alright, let's break it down into its parts.
_ _ First part is a down pick on the middle string for our bum. _ _
That's also a quarter note.
_ Second one is the strumming down on all three strings, the did, _ or an eighth note.
_ [Bm] And then we pick up on the first string for the D for another [G] eighth note.
So that works out to bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, or one, two, and three, four,
and one, two, and three, four, and.
_ _ So, that's going to take some practice.
Feel slow.
_ Keep it steady. _
_ _ Don't go any faster than you can without making any mistakes. _ _
Work your way up.
You'll want it to be coming completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
And then you can start doing other things.
But for now, _ [G] bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum. _ _ _
Alright, a couple [Bm] things I do to help me out is, first of all, it's probably something a
lot of us do, but I put my wrist right on the edge of the box.
_ And I keep it anchored there.
_ And what that does is it helps me keep my hand, my pick, in a good position relative
to the strings.
If I'm off the box, _ when I start playing up to speed, _ I lose where I'm at.
I can't find the strings.
So find a nice comfortable spot to put your wrist and [G] keep it there. _ _ _ _ _ _
Always know where you are.
_ _ The second thing [B] is this up pick.
_ You don't really want to wail on it.
[G] Same thing for the strum. _ _
We're just brushing them as you go by.
_ The emphasis is on the bum. _ _ _ _
You don't want _ _ _ _ _ _ that.
I [B] find it annoying when that string is just constantly ringing out [Bm] and repeating.
_ The other thing that does, that up pick does, is if I were to omit that and just do bum,
strum, bum, strum, bum, strum, bum, strum.
My hand always ends up down here.
So I'm racing to get back up to go back down.
[B] So this is kind of a timing mechanism.
And it gets my hand back in the proper position to strike [G] back down.
_ _ And right there, ready to go back down. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Okay.
Once you get that going _ and you're comfortable, you practice that quite a bit, got a nice
steady rhythm going, you can start to alternate your bass notes between the middle string
and the third string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That's going to give you every country song ever written.
It's going to give you a [Ab] bluegrassy, folky, old-timey.
It just works for a lot [Bm] of different things.
Very simple rhythm.
But the trick is to keep that steady _ rhythm going. _
At first, you're probably going to have to look at your picking hand and your [G] strings
to make sure you're hitting everything right.
But you don't want to do that too long.
You don't want to have to constantly be looking because once you start playing up to speed,
it's going to mess you up.
It's like too much information to process.
So let's get that completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
You don't have to look.
You don't have to wonder what your hand is doing.
It's always doing the same exact thing.
_ _ So once we get to that point, we can start adding in [Bm] some left hand, some chords,
_ some hammers, some pull-offs, things like that.
Adding some melody and you'll end up with a complete accompanying device
with three strings and a cigar box.
_ _ It gives you the rhythm and then you can add in some _ [B] melody. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And it [Bm] sounds a lot more sophisticated than it really is.
So I think it sounds cool.
_ I hope somebody can pick something up off of this and we'll see
_ _ _ _ _ _ Okay, the bum ditty, four or three string cigar box guitar.
[Bm] _
It's the same rhythm as the Klaueheimer banjo bum ditty, but we don't have the fifth string
to get the ditty part.
[B] We're going to use the first string to help us do that.
_ [Bb] So I'm tuned [G] to D, G, and B, so we're in open G. _
You could be tuned to A, D, F sharp.
A lot of people use that, [Gb] as long as it's [Ab] that [G] 5-1-3 tuning relationship.
_ But here we're D, _ G, and B.
Alright, let's break it down into its parts.
_ _ First part is a down pick on the middle string for our bum. _ _
That's also a quarter note.
_ Second one is the strumming down on all three strings, the did, _ or an eighth note.
_ [Bm] And then we pick up on the first string for the D for another [G] eighth note.
So that works out to bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, or one, two, and three, four,
and one, two, and three, four, and.
_ _ So, that's going to take some practice.
Feel slow.
_ Keep it steady. _
_ _ Don't go any faster than you can without making any mistakes. _ _
Work your way up.
You'll want it to be coming completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
And then you can start doing other things.
But for now, _ [G] bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum, ditty, bum. _ _ _
Alright, a couple [Bm] things I do to help me out is, first of all, it's probably something a
lot of us do, but I put my wrist right on the edge of the box.
_ And I keep it anchored there.
_ And what that does is it helps me keep my hand, my pick, in a good position relative
to the strings.
If I'm off the box, _ when I start playing up to speed, _ I lose where I'm at.
I can't find the strings.
So find a nice comfortable spot to put your wrist and [G] keep it there. _ _ _ _ _ _
Always know where you are.
_ _ The second thing [B] is this up pick.
_ You don't really want to wail on it.
[G] Same thing for the strum. _ _
We're just brushing them as you go by.
_ The emphasis is on the bum. _ _ _ _
You don't want _ _ _ _ _ _ that.
I [B] find it annoying when that string is just constantly ringing out [Bm] and repeating.
_ The other thing that does, that up pick does, is if I were to omit that and just do bum,
strum, bum, strum, bum, strum, bum, strum.
My hand always ends up down here.
So I'm racing to get back up to go back down.
[B] So this is kind of a timing mechanism.
And it gets my hand back in the proper position to strike [G] back down.
_ _ And right there, ready to go back down. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Okay.
Once you get that going _ and you're comfortable, you practice that quite a bit, got a nice
steady rhythm going, you can start to alternate your bass notes between the middle string
and the third string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That's going to give you every country song ever written.
It's going to give you a [Ab] bluegrassy, folky, old-timey.
It just works for a lot [Bm] of different things.
Very simple rhythm.
But the trick is to keep that steady _ rhythm going. _
At first, you're probably going to have to look at your picking hand and your [G] strings
to make sure you're hitting everything right.
But you don't want to do that too long.
You don't want to have to constantly be looking because once you start playing up to speed,
it's going to mess you up.
It's like too much information to process.
So let's get that completely ingrained so you don't have to think about it.
You don't have to look.
You don't have to wonder what your hand is doing.
It's always doing the same exact thing.
_ _ So once we get to that point, we can start adding in [Bm] some left hand, some chords,
_ some hammers, some pull-offs, things like that.
Adding some melody and you'll end up with a complete accompanying device
with three strings and a cigar box.
_ _ It gives you the rhythm and then you can add in some _ [B] melody. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And it [Bm] sounds a lot more sophisticated than it really is.
So I think it sounds cool.
_ I hope somebody can pick something up off of this and we'll see