Dobro Lessons for Beginners
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The Dobro is a resonator guitar; it was invented in the United States. At the time of invention and official naming in 1928, the Dobro was distinctively different from the regular guitar because of its concave shaped resonator, and higher pitched sounds many people like to hear. Generally, the Dobro has six strings; it is played in a vertical position either standing or from a seated position.
Many people who enjoy listening to music can tell when a Dobro is used in the instrumentals for songs. The musical instrument is becoming increasingly popular, and music students or other individuals have become very interested in adding the Dobro to the list of musical instruments they can play. Fortunately, there are good online Dobro lessons for beginners.
As an expert Dobro player, you can find a place in bands, or become a solo performer in line with your aspirations as a musician. The Dobro lessons for beginners are also helpful to students who may be preparing for music exams. Regarding auditions to become accepted in bands, the Dobro lessons for beginners basically cover the essential areas new learners will need to know before the auditions.
The Dobro lessons start from scratch. Students who may be having their first experience with the musical instrument are taught lessons such as how to hold the Dobro, the right posture to assume while playing the musical instrument, tuning the Dobro and playing notes to match simple songs as a beginner.
To help new learners cope with the practice sessions added to online Dobro lessons for beginners, the music teachers include simple but short exercises that help to improve endurance and confidence while playing the Dobro. For example, students are given practical exercises that last for only a few minutes daily. Over time, the learned skills and constant practice makes it easy for students to sustain longer practice sessions while playing the Dobro.
Dobro lessons for beginners are also designed to make it easy for all students to participate regardless of age or occupation. For example, some of the online Dobro courses for beginners add animated videos to make the lessons more engaging and easy to comprehend.
We have found some essential Dobro lessons for beginners that are currently available online.
5 Best Dobro Lessons for Beginners Review
1) Artistworks: Andy Hall’s Dobro lessons for beginners
The online learning package offered in this Dobro course features hundreds of learning resources for all students. This course will be particularly helpful to students who are searching for a learning program that offers materials they can use as a reference even after the Dobro course for beginners is completed. The lessons are basically presented as instructional videos which feature the music teacher demonstrating and explaining different aspects of playing the Dobro.
In this course, students are offered an opportunity to learn how to play the Dobro at their own pace. The schedule for lessons is structured in a way to allow busy people learn all about the Dobro online without disrupting their daily routines.
The learning structure is also set as a group class. Students can benefit from this form of group learning because the music teacher has made it possible for students to upload recorded videos of their practice sessions. These videos are uploaded to the community forum where other students can watch and learn more tricks to help them improve their skills with the Dobro. Also, there is a video exchange program which allows students to submit their practice videos to the lead music teacher for an assessment. Students who participate in this exercise receive feedback from the music teacher about their progress and areas they can improve.
The lessons in this Dobro course for beginners are coordinated by Andy Hall. He is a music graduate from the Berklee College of Music, Boston. With a music career of over twenty years, Andy has played the Dobro alongside popular musicians such as Dolly Parton, Zack Brown, Rodney Crowell and others. At the end of this course students are expected to know all about the related music theory, how to use backtracks, and the essential first steps in producing the right tunes with the Dobro.
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2) Truefire.com: The Dobro Handbook- Lessons for beginners
Dobro fans who want to learn how to play the musical instrument through an easy process will find the learning materials in this Dobro handbook supportive. The lessons in this program have been particularly designed for beginners. They include an introduction to music theory and some essential exercises to help new learners understand the basics of playing a Dobro. This course is also suitable for students who need to learn how to play the Dobro for academic reasons, or others who are interested in the musical instrument for personal gains.
The beginner’s lessons cover areas such as how to hold and pick the strings on the Dobro, the left and right-hand techniques, learning the basic tips regarding improvisation with the Dobro, understanding the concept behind developing arpeggios, and there are exercises that help beginners practice the double stops until they master this technique.
The lessons in this Dobro program for beginners are presented as instructional videos. Each video lasts for about fifteen minutes, during which time the students can study the music teacher demonstrate how to play the Dobro and the different techniques that apply. Learning by watching these videos is effective because they have been created and shot from different angles. This means students can view the actions of the music teacher in different ways to understand how they have been able to perform the different techniques.
There are also lessons to help students become familiar with the different Dobro terminology which every student must know before advancing to more elaborate lessons.
This course has been created by Jimmy Heffernan. He is a popular Dobro music teacher, music producer, performer, and an expert with resonator guitars. At the end of this course, students are expected to understand how to apply the fretboard while playing the Dobro. They will also have a good idea of how to use the keys, the different positions and standard fingerpicking methods for the Dobro.
3) Pegheadnation.com: Beginning Dobro with Mike Witcher
This course will be perfect for students who want to learn the lap style of playing the Dobro. The lessons in this course cover the essential procedure for playing the Dobro this way, and they have been simplified for beginners. During this course, students will take about Twenty-four lessons that cover the entire scope of the course. In total, students can study forty-eight instructional videos, and they are offered fifteen practice songs to help improve their skills while playing the Dobro.
Before starting the main course, students are offered a chance to experience the lessons. This opportunity is presented as a sample course which is free. During this course, the participating students have a chance to understand the lessons and how they can adapt the learning structure with their lifestyle.
All students for this course will also be given a standard tablature for the different lessons. There are also tips and instructions on how to use the tablature during the course. After the initial introductory lessons, students are taught the tips and hints on how to start playing the Dobro using the lap style technique. The lessons are aimed at helping students develop this technique and sustain longer, more adequate training sessions independently.
The lessons in this course are presented as video files which have been pre-made by the music teacher. Students have an advantage because they can view the demonstrations of the music teacher in the videos from different camera angles.
Some essential areas covered in this course include understanding how to use the fingerboard, playing the Dobro from a closed position, understanding the concept of improving melody with rolls, the slide, and finger picking techniques, and the best ways to tune the Dobro.
The lead music teacher for this course is named Mike Witcher. He has extensive experience with the resonator guitar which he started playing as early as fourteen years. In over fifteen years, Mike has taught dozens of students and written two books about playing the Dobro.
4) Learning with Pat: Dobro lessons for beginners
This Dobro course for beginners has been created to help students develop an approach to playing the musical instrument based on playing selected songs. The musical approach helps people who are learning about the Dobro for the first time to easily understand the related music theory needed to play the Dobro accurately. The music teacher has taken steps to add interesting features in this course to make the learning experience engaging and helpful to all students who take this Dobro beginners course.
While learning how to play simple songs as beginners, students are introduced to the lap style of playing the Dobro. There are focused sessions added to this course which help students to understand all about the tablature and how it can be used to improve their sounds regarding the musical approach on which this course is based.
The lessons in this course are presented as high-quality video files which feature the music teacher explaining different lessons in clear and easy to understand terms. Students have access to a wide range of play along tracks which can remarkably improve their techniques during the course. The lessons are quite extensive; this means students who create time to take the course will be able to cover a large part of the curriculum quickly.
Students participating in this course are also presented with simple ideas to help develop their repertoire with the Dobro. These initial lessons provide students with crucial knowledge and confidence to participate in the intermediate and advanced Dobro lessons at the end of this beginner course.
Pat, a skilled musician, has worked hard to create these Dobro lessons for beginners. His teaching methods include a step by step approach and visual features which help students stay engaged and interested in the course from beginning to the end.
5) Dobrojoe.com: The Dobro school for beginners
Everyone who wants to learn how to play the Dobro at their own pace should consider this course. The learning curriculum has been simplified for beginners. The curriculum features lessons that teach students how to use the tablature, and apply the concept during the practical lessons.
The first lessons in this Dobro course for beginners teach students how to tune the musical instrument. The students are also taught how to assume the right positions while playing the Dobro for the first time. Other areas students are introduced to include the best blocking methods, how to use the chord charts, understanding the minor chords and their applications when playing the Dobro, and simple tips to accomplish ear training exercises during the course.
Students are also introduced to the basic methods of performing as back-up musicians while playing the Dobro, and the essential guidelines to perform finger blocking. There are also lessons that help students master the essential procedures for the left and right-hand techniques while playing the Dobro.
The lessons for each session start with carefully selected songs which are used for the warm-up practice. In this part of the course, students can practice what they have previously learned before proceeding to other areas of the course.
The lessons in this beginners Dobro course will also be helpful to students who are interested in learning how to play the musical instrument to songs in music genres such as Jazz, Bluegrass, Pop, and Gospel.
The music teacher coordinating this course is Joe Wilson. He has created this Dobro course to help students who have never played the musical instrument before to quickly learn the basics and start playing their favorite songs after a few lessons. Joe has selected a diverse collection of songs to aid the musical development of each student as they practice with the Dobro. The lessons are highly interactive and focused on helping each student become more confident while playing the Dobro in a band or during a solo performance.
Choosing the Best Dobro Lessons for Beginners
It is possible for students to start playing their favorite songs after a few Dobro lessons. However, it is important to sign up for courses that offer songs in your preferred music niche to help you have access to more options for your practice sessions. If you are interested in playing songs in different music genres, then you should choose online Dobro lessons for beginners that teach students diverse techniques for different songs.
It is also helpful to choose online Dobro lessons that have interactive features. For example, it is always helpful when you can directly communicate with the music teacher to learn more about playing the Dobro. Some courses online which have been designed for beginners allow students to exchange practice videos with their music teachers. The direct feedback received from the teachers makes it possible for the students to understand the areas they have made mistakes and how to avoid such errors in the future.