20 Best Dobro Book Reviews 2022 (Best Books To Learn Dobro)

Best Dobro Book

Best Dobro Book

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, I receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Much of the knowledge we know, understand, and know about are all taught with the aid of books that contain manifold of information in every known field. The same is found with how people, especially music enthusiasts learn, practice, and take time to read, hear audiobooks and watch videos of professionals and teachers that are experienced in other to grow and become successful.

Dobro is a unique piece of musical instrument and the ability to play around with lots of features and functionality depends on how well you know and understand its operation, tricks, and techniques. Because of the need for such knowledge, some valuable Dobro books were written to demystify every area of Dobro operations and usage.

Read Also: Professional Dobro

What are the Best Dobro Books to Buy?

2) Joe Stoebenau: Teach Yourself to Play Dobro

  • Step-By-Step Instructions & Illustrations
  • Online Audio
  • Slide Technique
  • Ideal for Beginner Players

1) David Hamburger: The Dobro WorkBook

  • Licks, Technique & Improvisation
  • Standard Notation & Tab
  • 98 Full Demo Tracks
  • Playback Function

3) Steve
Toth:
Dobro
Roots

  • CD of 15 Tunes Played On 15 Various Prewar Dobros
  • Photographic Tour for Period 1929 - 1942
  • Interesting to Behold

Interested to Learn Dobro Online? Check These Websites!

Below are the factors buyers should watch out for before buying a Dobro book. These factors are listed below;

a. Specificity

One of the best and most important aspects of buying a Dobro book is to shop and buy items using precision and specificity. Before you buy any kind of Dobro book, be sure of what it teaches so you won’t be buying a wrong book form yourself.

b. Video/Audio Option

The use of printed wood in a book is great and functional in educating billion. For Dobro, the need for an e-book is to learn various techniques of playing like a professional. However, the use of audio and video is extremely helpful and increases the time of any student to learn and understand. You should buy a book that comes with compact discs so you can hear from if the learning through reading is getting boring. The use of instructional videos is better.

c. Name of Writer

The cover of a Dobro book will always show the author of a book and from experience with other books, the author has written. This will offer you much confidence that you will get good content of Dobro information.

Related: Dobro Guitar Case, Dobro Guitar String

20 Best Dobro Book Reviews

1. David Hamburger: The Dobro WorkBook

This Dobro book is one of the best instructional materials and paperback that you can trust to get on with the learning of how to play the Dobro instrument. It is loaded with the requisite information, tricks, improvisations, and techniques of playing and producing thrilling sounds from any type of Dobro guitar instrument at any social gathering, event, or occasion.

This book is written by David Hamburger, published on the 1st day of October 1998 by Hal Leonard and made to teach and inculcate licks and tricks of lap-size resophonic slide guitars. The teaching also covers the scales and songs like Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, picking techniques, syncopations, double stops which all can be played on separate keys and chords.

It contains about 98 full demo tracks readers can practice with even as there is an alternative for people that may not find it easy to read the book. There is an audio version of this Dobro book and it could be accessed online and downloaded.

2. Joe Stoebenau: Teach Yourself to Play Dobro

The book comes as a nice and very explanatory guide to training and practicing from the stage of a novice to a professional Dobro player. It contains many required and needed tricks, techniques, and instructions that can easily guide anyone into understanding the complete and full concept of Dobro and it’s playing at any party, event, concert, and occasion.

The right-hand technique or method, the rolls, pickings even as it teaches readers about harmonics like Cascade harmonics, slants and palm harmonics. It also contains a good number of classic tunes and sounds that are of Dobro styles and methods.

Teach Yourself to Play Dobro book was written by Joe Stoebenau and published on July 1st, 2003. It contains 96 pages of instructions and guides on how best anyone can learn Dobro even as it also comes as an audiobook that can be accessed on the internet for download.

3. Steve Toth: Dobro Roots

Dobro Roots book contains the necessary documents of a variety of Dobro or resonator guitars which were produced during the 1929 period to 1942. It has a very hard and durable cover which is of beautiful and colorful looks and appearance. It is a book that holds and keeps the history of Dobro instruments made over the highlighted years and periods and with a photographic tour that makes it interesting to look and behold.

All Dobro made during the 1929 to 1942 period reflected in this book even as it offers a compact disc of 15 different tunes that offers genuine and actual sounds. The book comes as 216 pages, written by Steve Toth, and has a weight of about 2.2 pounds.

4. Stacy Philips: The Dobro Book

Here comes a book made to teach amateur and beginners about the best and most effective methods, techniques, and tricks to play the Dobro instrument. It is written by one of the most popular and illustrious professional Dobro players, Stacy Philips. The book was published on January 1st, 1992.

It is a book that truly explains and illustrates the techniques and tricks of the Dobro instrument from a professional perspective Stacy, a professional Dobro player himself. He teaches and effectively exposes the hidden tricks of great players like Pete Kirby Cliff Carlisle, Leon McAuliffe, and many other great and popular Dobro professional players.

This book comes with 94 pages of instructions playing for songs like Country, Blues, Hawaiian, western swing, and much more. This Stacy Philips book also contains over 100 musical exercises with a discography but major drawback remains the unavailability of audiobook option.

5. Janet Davis: You Can Teach Yourself Dobro

This Dobro book teaches and introduces beginners and amateurs to the basic and advanced techniques, tricks, and operations of a Dobro instrument. This book is written by Janet Davis and it centers on the step by step study and lessons that touch on styles such as bluegrass, old-time, country, blues, Hawaiian, and many other kinds.

It is a paperback that was written tablature and formatted for G tuning. The best part of this instructional guide, material, and book on Dobro self-learning is the availability of the audio version that contains major music required for learning and practice.

Additionally, it comes with a video that can be downloaded or streamed on the internet. The video shows practical and simple ways that are explicitly clear to anyone willing to learn and play Dobro professionally. The book was published on the 13th of November, 2015 and as such, it has modern features and guides to playing the Dobro instrument.

6. David Ellis: Dobro Primer Book for Beginners

Just as many know that a Dobro instrument is also known as a resonator guitar, many that desire to learn how to play it well as professionals may find it hard to get trained. Here comes a nice and very informative Dobro book for beginners, amateurs, and people with absolutely no experience at all to draw inspiration from.

This book is written by David Ellis and published on the 2nd day of February 2018. It is no doubt a book on Dobro which is modern and contains all that a beginner needs and requires to start well and grow up with basic and cogent techniques, tricks and methods.

Comes as a 60 pages book, it is loaded with about 13 famous bluegrass songs. This book features an innovative addition that includes the use of audiobooks and video file availability. The videos are made to actually make the beginners' guide look easy to do and grow thereby.

7. Doug Cox: Backup Dobro Exploring the Fretboard

The lessons of Dobro is never limited to the act of successfully playing exciting and thrilling sounds and tones with the instrument but it extends to knowing, understanding and identifying the time to play as a backup professional in any kind of occasions such as a musical concert, parties, shows and studio practice plays.

In this book, you will learn from the basic templates to the advanced part of playing as a backup Dobro professional, be sure of when to enter into the rhythm, or fade off from it. There are many and diverse tricks with which professionals use even as it remains a secret to many players until Doug Cox reveals them in this book as its author.

This book comes as a kindle format that could be read using the Amazon Kindle platform. This book presents a lasting and sustainable opportunity to become useful at any band by learning the art of backup play. Backup play expertise could make you inevitable in a band and this book can help learn it.

8. Janet Davis: Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Dobro

Here comes another Dobro book was written by Janet Davies and published on the 1st day of June 1996 by Mel Bay publishers. It teaches basic, fundamental, and advanced lessons about classic resonator guitar which is presently and currently coming up as an inevitable instrument at parties, events, musical concerts, and occasions.

Janet Davies is a common name as a phenomena resonator guitar player who has over the years taught a lot of students on the best playing practices, techniques, tricks, and methods of becoming successful and established professional as touching resonator guitar. A book contains lesson single note and chord while also inculcating the idea of lovely sound and songs such as bluegrass, old-time country, blues, fiddle tunes, folk songs, Hawaiian, and many other ones.

Readers able to learn on how to play Dobro from a wild and diverse learning perspective. The unavailability of audiobook and video file support is however a drawback for buyers.

9. Fred Sokolow: Dobro Guitar - The Essential Guitar Patterns

The Dobro book written by Fred Sokolow and it contains a variety of tricks, techniques, and operations as regards different types of resonator guitars. The lessons, teachings, and education on how best to play and produce massively thrilling and refreshing sounds and tunes from any kind of Dobro instrument are embedded in this book and explicitly explained to offer the best understanding.

Moveable scale pattern, common licks, and outstanding methods to play Dobro or resonator guitar professionally is featured in the book and that is why a beginner may need it to hasten his development progress. It offers so many diagrams and pictures that help and aid readers to easily understand each of the techniques and tricks even as it gives access to readers who love the audiobook. This is a roadmap for Dobro players which contains 56 pages, a weight of 10 ounces, and a size dimension of 9 by 0.2 by 12 inches.

10. Stacy Philips: Dobro Case Chord Book

This is an informative and instructive book on the Dobro case chord. It was written by Stacy Philips and published by the 1st of January, 1992 by Music Sales America. The Dobro book includes a basic to advance teaching and study on chord play for beginners who wish to learn about the conventional, traditional, and modern techniques of playing Dobro professionally.

Specially loaded Dobro book on chords and it is made to look handy and portable to take around for practice, event, and concert. Stacy Philips is a popular, illustrious, and established writer on Dobro topics and as such, many amateur players can learn and build up professional skills, tricks and operations through studying and reading this book.

The only drawback of this Dobro book is the inability of readers to use audio or video files for further and practical learning which can ensure and guarantee better understanding.

11. Stacy Philips, Curtis Burch: The Great Dobro Sessions

Being great in life with regards to profession and life does require standing over the shoulders of great people. Such is the usefulness of this book for any Dobro player who wishes to become a successful player with great, impressive, and outstanding techniques, tricks and operations.

This book features the ideas and beliefs of 9 top resonators that all worked together to produce a Grammy award album. The lessons are made available in tablature and commentary form even as it contains Features Jerry Douglas, Buck Graves, Mike Auldridge, Curtis Burch, Sally Van Meter, and many more. It is a collection of lessons written and compiled by Stacy Philips even though it is a work that contains inputs of 9 professionals.

Curtis Burch then edited this book and published by Mel Bay publications on the 4th of October, 1996. The weight of this Dobro book is about 9 ounces while it has a size dimension of about 8.5 by 0.3 by 11 inches.

12. Stacy Philips: Mel Bay's Complete Dobro Player

If you ever need a complete, sustainable, and comprehensive Dobro handbook written by one of the most talented soloists, then you probably need to get this book by Stacy Philip which published on the 16th day of September 2015. This book does contain the important basic and fundamental teachings of playing Dobro but also took the author many years to compile a whole lot of experience from his illustrious and successful stint at playing the Dobro instrument for decades.

This book is a complete guide to every kind of lesson anyone may be hitching to know and become a professional Dobro player. Notes, keys, chords and the underlying relationships between them all are well and explicitly explained in this book even as it includes the experience of top players of Dobro which were interviewed and asked sensitive questions about the playing the instrument. It is a book with an online audiobook download that may be used by people that do not love a lot of reading.

13. Dix Bruce: Parking Lot Picker's Songbook

This book is for Dobro players that want to learn how to play and produce sounds for various kinds of music which may be required in some exclusive events and occasion. It contains about 200 great bluegrass, Old-time, country, and even those of gospel standards.

The melodious sounds are produced by standard use of chords and notes to perfectly blend with the music lyrics. Every reader of this book will be able to understand and play Dobro instruments to music or songs which are written down or recorded as an audio. Readers also learn the basics, fundamentals, and advanced lessons of step by step instructions and guides about transposing songs or music into any Dobro key.

This book has an audio version that is readily available online for download and streaming. Written by Dix Bruce and published by Mel Bay publishers on the 4th of June, 2015 and has 304 pages, a weight of about 2 pounds and a size dimension of 9.5 by 1 by 12 inches.

14. Lee "Drew" Andrews: Dobro Christmas Songbook

This book is for Dobro players that want and desire to be outstanding and impressive while playing to various kinds of Christmas music and songs at the yuletide seasons and periods. This Dobro songbook was written by Lee ‘Drew’ Andrew and published on the 5th day if November 2015. It features about 28 different popular and famous Christmas songs while the lessons to specifically play perfectly into each are learned.

The use of resonator guitar, its chord, its symbols, chord diagrams including strum patterns and rhythmic techniques are explicitly explained to provide classical teaching. All songs are well arranged on standard tablature and notation for the Dobro instrument.

This book might used with Mandolins Christmas songbook and that of the Ukulele songbook for Christmas and many other ones for Banjos. This book contains just 32 pages and it is therefore light in weight of 2.5 ounces, 8.5 by 0.1 by 11 inches size dimension.

15. Tom Swatzell, Ken Eidson: Gospel Dobro Book/CD

This is a book and compact disc that offers the perfect and unaltered opportunities to resonator guitar players that need to play to various and different types of gospel music and tunes. This book is written by Tom Swatzell, edited by Ken Eldson and published by Mel Bay Publishers on the 19th day of October 2000.

It has a good and flawless collection of about 56 favorite and much-desired gospel music and songs that are required at Christian parties, events, church concerts, and occasions. The arrangement of the songs is done in the notation and tablature of G tuning. A book of 88 pages specifically written to help beginners and professionals of Dobro with playing and producing nice and great sounds to Christian and gospel music.

It weighs 8 ounces with a size dimension of 8.5 by 0.2 by 11.5 inches. The CD is an alternative way to understand the teaching and lessons which buyers with low reading habits can easily relish.

16. Stacy Philips: Deluxe Dobro TuneBook

Stacy Philips is one of the most prolific and productive soloist Dobro players and writers of instructional guides for beginners. Haven written a lot of books, he offers a good collection of solo for resonator guitars of various types, brands, and models.

This book contains about 90 solos in notation and tablature. The selection of these solos is made by choosing classic and exclusive ones from a list of top American and British fiddle tunes including Celtic, Blues, and Western Swing.

This book is made up of 136 pages, published by Mel Bay on the 17th Day of June 1992. It has a size dimension of 8.5 by 0.3 by 11.5 inches while the weight is 15.4 ounces. It is a specific Dobro book which is based and particular on the use of Dobro to play and produce soloist sounds.

17. Doug Cox: Blues Dobro Book & CD

The practice is a great way to achieving great feats and performance at parties and events. However, practicing with the best set of guides and instructional books is much more important for achieving outstanding and impressive feats. This book was written by Doug Cox and published on the 1st day of August 1998.

For Dobro players who are particular and specific about playing Dobro instrument to blues, rock and roll, bluegrass, jazz, and country songs. This book is a guide that contains and features workable techniques for playing resophonic guitar to various music and songs which are loved and greatly desired in clubhouses, corporate parties, events, concerts, and occasions.

This book is great and also has a compact disc version with which anyone can listen to learn and practice the lessons embedded in it. The book is of 40 pages, weighs about 6.4 ounces, and has a size dimension of 9 by 0.2 by 12 inches.

18. Stacy Philips: Mel Bay's Beginning Dobro Solos

Learning about the use of several styles, patterns, and techniques for solo music and songs is important and every beginner and student of the Dobro instrument. The teaching and lessons that help and aid players to effectively understand how to play the Dobro and also produce the best sound for every type and kind of solo music and songs are found in this book.

It was written by a very prolific and famous soloist and professional Dobro player, Stacy Phillips. He has written a lot of books on various subjects of the Dobro instrument and therefore can be considered an author to trust.

This book contains common solo music like Saint Louis Blues, Home sweet Home, Harvest Moon, Shine On, and many other tunes on the G tuning of a tablature. The book also has an audiobook version that is made accessible to buyers on the internet.

19. Steve Toth: Dobro Classics Plus

Professional resonator guitarists are well prepared to play any kind of classical and thrilling sounds and tones needed for all types of parties, events, musical concerts, and occasions. If anyone wants to learn and understand how well to prepare and be ready for all kinds of jazz, jam and rock sessions which will thrill fan and audience, a book like this is needed to help introduce 20 classic Dobro tunes and teach how to play them perfection.

This book was written by Steve Toth and contains nice tunes like Blackberry Blossom, Gold rush, Salt Creek, Katy Hill, Sally Ann, Sally Goodin, Southwind, Bill Cheatham, and many other tones. This book was published on the 1st day of May 1996, has 48 pages, and weighs up to about 7 ounces even with a size dimension of about 9 by 0.2 by 12 inches. It has a compact disc version that allows for easy access to audio lessons.

20. Ken Eidson, Tom Swatzell: Country Dobro Guitar Styles

This book teaches the lessons and techniques of playing country kind of music and songs. If you love and desire to play favorite country music and songs on the resonator guitar. Ken Eldon wrote this book and edited by Tom Swatzell, who is a popular and famous soloist.

This book contains about 27 solos in notation and tablature format. Country music and songs are famous at night clubs and gatherings, where people have fun and playing a Dobro instrument to it, is awesome.

It also guides readers to know how best to offer thrilling and classic sounds at any point in time for all kinds of country songs. This book was published by Mel Bay publishers on the 14th of October, 2018. It has 73 pages and very portable.

Choosing The Best Dobro Books

In conclusion, the above information on the buying guide and the reviews of some books has provided enough tips on how best to choose the best and most suitable Dobro books to buy. However, a good book must also be well designed, compact without cover fragility.

2) Joe Stoebenau: Teach Yourself to Play Dobro

  • Step-By-Step Instructions & Illustrations
  • Online Audio
  • Slide Technique
  • Ideal for Beginner Players

1) David Hamburger: The Dobro WorkBook

  • Licks, Technique & Improvisation
  • Standard Notation & Tab
  • 98 Full Demo Tracks
  • Playback Function

3) Steve
Toth:
Dobro
Roots

  • CD of 15 Tunes Played On 15 Various Prewar Dobros
  • Photographic Tour for Period 1929 - 1942
  • Interesting to Behold

Leave a Comment