gordo1100 - Posted - 10/27/2022:  17:28:05

Hello all.
I just ordered a dobro. I have never had one in my hands before.

I have been playing banjo for approx 5 years.

Where should I go to start my journey?

You Tube??? Zoom lessons ?


I have never played guitar before.

Any advice would be great!

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 10/27/2022:  17:50:22

Before we proceed with advice, we need to know what style you will be playing: lap style with a steel bar in your left hand? Or will it be "Spanish" style, as in "regular guitar" - either fretted with your fingers and/or yes with a bottleneck slide? 

The main thrust of this forum is lap style, but all are welcome. We've had threads here where the lap style players are giving advice to newbies and about 10 posts into it we find out that the person is actually playing Spanish style, but didn't specify that  at the beginning. 

You have a  new guitar - it would also help to let us know what it is - brand, model, etc. 

Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 10/27/2022 17:57:58

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 10/27/2022:  17:56:19

Here is something good to know - there is a ton of information in the archives. The hangout has been around over 14 years, and we've been down this road many times.

On the left side of your screen is a search box with a magnifying glass icon. I typed in "beginner" earlier and enough topics came up to keep me busy reading until midnight. It's a good idea to make the search function your friend. 

gordo1100 - Posted - 10/27/2022:  18:20:34

Yes, sorry I left out some information, I am very excited.
I am looking to play lap steel, square neck with a bar. I am a Bluegrass fanatic.
My favorite players are “Uncle Josh, Mike Auldridge and of course Jerry Douglas

I have not received the Dobro yet but it’s a cheapie Antares that I got for $100.
Funds are extremely tight right now but I couldn’t wait!

gordo1100 - Posted - 10/27/2022:  18:21:46

And thanks! I will check out the archives right now.

FrederickPatterson - Posted - 10/28/2022:  03:20:01

Dobrojoe.com has a lot of free lesson material. The site runs on donations.

wlgiii - Posted - 10/28/2022:  07:17:42

"Just got a dobro. Need help." should be a bumper sticker.

Oboe Cadobro - Posted - 10/28/2022:  07:29:45

quote:

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Originally posted by gordo1100

Where should I go to start my journey?

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You've come to the right place. Use the Search function of this site to find topics you enjoy and you'll find 200 hours of reading to get you started.

tomkatb - Posted - 10/28/2022:  07:41:54

I went with lessons with Troy.

Be sure to send dobro Joe money now and then. He puts out good stuff!

gordo1100 - Posted - 10/28/2022:  10:55:46

I would not be at all embarrassed to have that on a bumper sticker.

As a banjo player so I have been seeing help for years. ????

gadobro - Posted - 10/29/2022:  05:21:30

When I was starting out on bluegrass banjo I found the Janet Davis book (You Can Teach Yourself Banjo) very helpful. She has a dobro book as well (You Can Teach Yourself Dobro) that is also excellent.

Bev King has some classic books (Country & Bluegrass Dobro, 36 Songs for Resonator Guitar, 20 Hymns for Resonator Guitar).that she sells on eBay.

Dobro Joe's transcriptions are great.

For the classic Josh Graves backup stuff, Dan Huckabee has an audio lesson set that's terrific. It was originally 4 CDs but I think you can download it from Elderly. Also, check out the old instructional tapes Josh did himself that have been uploaded to YouTube.

HighLonesomeF5 - Posted - 11/05/2022:  13:29:36

quote:

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Originally posted by wlgiii

"Just got a dobro. Need help." should be a bumper sticker.

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How about "I play dobro.  Need help!"

gordo1100 - Posted - 11/05/2022:  16:09:01

I just hope there is not a Dobro form of the dreaded disease “B.A.S”……….

Banjo acquisition syndrome

Terry Harris - Posted - 11/05/2022:  19:18:24

Oh, You are just starting down the rabbit hole. Just wait!

tomkatb - Posted - 11/05/2022:  19:35:03

B A S for dobro, well, sort of.

I talked about another one. The DW gave me the old “I counted them”. You need to sell something!

She missed two.

wlgiii - Posted - 11/07/2022:  08:36:20

There is indeed HAS (Hawaiian Acquisition Syndrome, to use the historic term)- spider/dobro, tricone, non-reso, Weissenborn, optional biscuit, optional Schireson, lap steel, console steel, pedal steel. And that's for one tuning. Once the secondary, tertiary, etc. tunings come into play...

WGale - Posted - 11/07/2022:  09:51:02

I'm at 6 and eyeballing #7, The (blue) grass is always greener on the other side.

gordo1100 - Posted - 11/07/2022:  10:30:32

Oh Goody!

Wife will be very pleased.

wlgiii - Posted - 11/07/2022:  10:38:30

Get a cheap model and tinker with it incessantly. Your wife will eventually lose patience and say "Get The National/Scheerhorn...Already!!!" That worked for me. But be careful is your wife is also a musician. When you get an upgrade, she gets an upgrade. That happens with me.

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 11/07/2022:  11:11:32

quote:

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Originally posted by wlgiii

Get a cheap model and tinker with it incessantly. Your wife will eventually lose patience and say "Get The National/Scheerhorn...Already!!!" That worked for me. But be careful is your wife is also a musician. When you get an upgrade, she gets an upgrade. That happens with me.

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Gordo wrote early in the thread that he had a $100 Antares on the way so the cheapo part is covered. I've never seen an Antares - but at 100 bucks you can't go any cheaper. 

Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 11/07/2022 11:14:00

Dobrojan - Posted - 11/07/2022:  13:13:40

I am sure you know the dobro is tuned like a banjo on strings 1 through 4 and the rolls you use for banjo are pretty much the same on dobro. Using the tone bar may be difficult at first. Enjoy!

gordo1100 - Posted - 11/07/2022:  17:58:15

Yup, I have a cheapie.
I will post photos tomorrow.
As far as how it sounds, I could not say. I have nothing to compare it to.

gordo1100 - Posted - 11/08/2022:  13:39:33

Here are some photos.. I hope

 

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 11/09/2022:  14:01:33

Great - time to get started.

I'm not sure what's going on with those letters in terms of a tuning, but if it were me I'd peel those suckers off the fretboard. 

I didn't put much time into analyzing, but it almost looks like a G# tuning and I can't figure out why anyone would do that. 

wlgiii - Posted - 11/09/2022:  14:19:43

- It suited their singer's range better?
- They played along with an off speed tape deck?
- They got confused going from round neck (finger between frets) to squareneck (bar on fret)?
- They played in A tuning with a metal band that tuned down a 1/2 step?

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 11/09/2022:  14:44:09

quote:

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Originally posted by wlgiii

- It suited their singer's range better?

- They played along with an off speed tape deck?

- They got confused going from round neck (finger between frets) to squareneck (bar on fret)?

- They played in A tuning with a metal band that tuned down a 1/2 step?

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I'm sure we could come up with a half dozen other reasons but in the meantime take the damn things off so they're not a distraction!

wlgiii - Posted - 11/09/2022:  15:36:07

Motion seconded- My old 30s Radiotone has one of those decals with all the notes and they've always been a major distraction with a capital D. (Except at the store when I tried it out and said "this is cool, I want this")

gordo1100 - Posted - 11/10/2022:  04:34:34

Got it.

Putting new strings on today.
They will be gone.

Biggfoot44 - Posted - 01/05/2023:  20:23:43

quote:

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Originally posted by wlgiii

"Just got a dobro. Need help." should be a bumper sticker.

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   Actually , that's a good one . Probably be more popular than my other sticker idea of " Kiss Me , I Play Dobro " 

Biggfoot44 - Posted - 01/05/2023:  20:48:06

Good News : With your Banjo background . your right hand will adapt quickly . Lack of Armpit Guitar experience is no impediment .

Good News : You will be playing basic music on dobro much more quick than you ( anyone) could on Banjo or most other fret instrument .

Bad News : Playing at the Mike/ Jerry/ Rob level of skill , it like a rookie banjoist wanting to play like Earl or Bela . You will be making enjoyable music soon , just not at their level for a while .

For free 'tube lessons , Lessons with Troy , and DobroJoe . Opinions on books vary . But I will give endorsement also to Teach Yourself Dobro by Janet .

little ray - Posted - 04/10/2023:  07:44:55

A local friend would help. There are so many questions on your adventure.

Charlie Bernstein - Posted - 06/29/2023:  17:59:33

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkinSonoma

quote:

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Originally posted by wlgiii

Get a cheap model and tinker with it incessantly. Your wife will eventually lose patience and say "Get The National/Scheerhorn...Already!!!" That worked for me. But be careful is your wife is also a musician. When you get an upgrade, she gets an upgrade. That happens with me.

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Gordo wrote early in the thread that he had a $100 Antares on the way so the cheapo part is covered. I've never seen an Antares - but at 100 bucks you can't go any cheaper. 

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There's one that's been posted on Maine's Craigslist for quite a while. Looks like a perfectly good intro-to-dobro axe.

Gordo's doing it right: getting something cheap to see how well he takes to it. Antares instruments don't hurt your eyes, so when he's ready to step up his game, all he'll really have to do is put in getter hardware. That should hold him for a few more years.

Good luck with it, Gordo, and welcome! let us know how it goes.

gordo1100 - Posted - 06/30/2023:  06:47:12

Thanks, but it has been slow going. I actually had an online lesson with Dobro Joe
But I couldn’t make it. Too darn busy with the job and the family.

gordo1100 - Posted - 06/30/2023:  06:47:58

Correction: had a lesson scheduled but couldn’t make it.

Charlie Bernstein - Posted - 07/03/2023:  17:10:44

quote:

---

Originally posted by gordo1100

Thanks, but it has been slow going. I actually had an online lesson with Dobro Joe

But I couldn’t make it. Too darn busy with the job and the family.

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Bad dobro attitude. We can only help if we hear: "Job and family have been slow going. Too darn busy learning dobro."

Get to it!

gordo1100 - Posted - 07/04/2023:  08:32:23

??