Friday, September 9, 2016
I usually don't do introductions in internet forums, but I have an unusual enough path to *this* , that this seems appropate .
Firstly, I have no background in "normal" guitar, and I won't/ can't . I did play trumpet back in the day in school, but not since. So far knowing how to read real music seems to be more of a hindrance than help in dealing with stringed things. In the (mumble) decades since , I had no interest in music beyond listening and appreciating . Until ...
Last fall I had a hand injury to my left hand. Good surgeon, great therapist, and I have exceeded expectations for tendon putting back together, passed duty physical , and can do most normal things.
But I don't like the idea of I *can't* do something. Got hit by the lightening bolt of inspiration that I would be able to hold a slide with left hand. Looked into things, discovered that a Lap Steel was highly versatile for many styles of music, and inherently cool, retro, and unusual. So I ordered a Rogue.
But even with reading all the instructions and books, I couldn't intuitively figure out what to do, and was stumped, and put it on pause.
Then I had inspiration. Somewhat nearby was a small time music store , specializing in bluegrass instruments. ( The owner played with various bluegrass and country artists way, way back in the day, and now has a two day a week music store after retiring from his day job.) He had the small sign offering lessons for all instruments. Dobro techniques overlapped. He explained that while guitar and harmonicia were his professional instruments, he could certainly start me on the basics of Dobro.
And I really liked Dobro, enough that I shortly bought a Regal RD-40. My current plan is to focus on Dobro to gain a level of mediocrity, and then expand sideways into lap steel.
I am realistic that I don't expect to be particularily good, and flashy breaks aren't in my future. I will probably be looking at basicaly playing rhythm with some dobro accents. But I just want to have fun , and be able to do somthing generally recognizable as music.
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