Box Guitar

There is no shortage of picture books about legendary guitar players. Building a box guitar is the perfect craft to pair with one of these books. It’s a great hands-on teaching aid for a discussion about the parts of a guitar and how a guitar works.

You’ll need these simple materials.

  • Cereal box or similar (Recycle one of your Music Library Boxes like we did!)

  • Paint

  • Scissors

  • Rubber bands of various thickness

  • Tape or Hot Glue

Build the Guitar Body

  1. Paint your box and let it dry completely.

  2. Cut out a medium sized circle (5 to 6 inches in diameter should do the trick) in the middle of the large side of the box. This is your sound hole.

  3. Above the circle use a sharp pencil to poke out 6 holes in a straight line. Don’t make the holes too big because you want the rubber bands to stay in place! Repeat this step at the bottom of the circle making sure to line up the holes.

String the Guitar

  1. Cut six the six rubber bands in half so they are long like “strings.”

  2. Tie a knot at the end of each string that is thick enough to stop the string from going through the holes you poked into the guitar body.

  3. Thread a rubber band from the INSIDE of the cereal box, out one of the holes you made and across the sound hole, to the opposite hole and back INSIDE the box. Secure the rubber band by knotting the other end. You can reinforce the rubber bands by placing a strip of tape over the knots on the inside of the box and/or gluing with hot glue. Please find a grown-up to help you if you decide to use hot glue!

Play the Guitar

  • Which rubber bands make high pitches? Thin or thick ones?

  • Which rubber bands make low pitches? Thin or thick ones?

  • How does the amount of stretch affect the sound of the rubber bands?

  • Try playing your box guitar with the box open. Does it change the sound?

  • If you have a paperclip nearby, use it to pluck the guitar like a pick. Does it sound differently from when you play the guitar with your finger?

Show us your guitar! Tag @musiclibrarybox in your Facebook posts, Instagram reels or TikTok’s
and show us how you rock out on your box guitar!

Activities & ExperimentsShanan Colvinguitar, crafts, instruments, activitiesComment