So, after cobbling together a makeshift Dobro with my Yamaha guitar using a tent spike (yes, you heard it right) to raise the nut, I had a real interesting little jam with a few guitar players last night. I started out playing the banjo but when I picked up the guitar things really started to happen. We worked on a couple of tunes from Old Crow Medicine Show and I was really starting to get the hang of playing slide. 

   Call it an epiphany or whatever but I am beginning to understand the relationships of the various tunings of the guitar, banjo, mando/fiddle etc. and how they work together.

   Learning a new instrument is so much of a challenge but I feel like a kid in a candy store on grand opening day. I am beginning to unlock the Dobro after a life of guitar and about six years on the banjo and it feels real good. There is so much potential soul to be released in the slide and I look forward to unlocking those secrets. But I still love my banjo and wish I could play both!

Mike

I love it when doors open up on a new instrument!  I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable on the banjo after only about a year or so of playing it.  No where to go but up!

On a side note, there are some very strong feelings about terminology when talking about the steel guitar.  Check out this current thread on the steel guitar forum:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=227092&start=0

I just wanted to warn you, you may get some flak for calling it slide guitar.  Good luck with your picking!

Cheers,

James

James,
Thanks for the heads up. I suppose if I called it "resophonic" or "resonator" guitar not many in my circle would know what I was referring to. For the sake of this forum I'll probably just use "Dobro" but to my friends I think slide is the only term they'll understand.

Mike

Here is my .02.  They are in fact guitars. Dobro is a brand name. If someone were to ask me, I play a Resonator guitar, Weissenborn guitar, Electric Lap Steel guitar and an Acoustic Lap Steel guitar. Want to know more? Look it up. hehehe

I am familiar with the blank stare!  I don't think I've ever played a show on Dobro where someone has not asked me what the heck is that thing?!  I love to talk about the dobro though, so if someone asks I take that as an open invitation to bore the socks off of them with as much dobro history as i can muster. 

BTW, I love the tent spike solution.

Hey Will, with my big mouth I would enjoy boring them to death as well

As least you're funny Grizz.  I don't have too much of that except in the looks department