What instrument do you play

Barbie, your avatar doesn't show unless you are logged on. Apparently you can post even if you aren't logged on.

Started out guitar, picked up mando about fifteen years ago, and in the last several years I have been playing bouzouki, bass, and resonator, a Clinesmith. Just last weekend I was hanging in tight with the slow-jam version of Fireball Mail on the reso. After months and months of lullabyes on the thing the wife's jaw was hanging low. Thanks, BGC!

Barbie, your avatar doesn't show unless you are logged on. Apparently you can post even if you aren't logged on.

Started out guitar, picked up mando about fifteen years ago, and in the last several years I have been playing bouzouki, bass, and resonator, a Clinesmith. Just last weekend I was hanging in tight with the slow-jam version of Fireball Mail on the reso. After months and months of lullabyes on the thing the wife's jaw was hanging low. Thanks, BGC!

Oops. Done that on the dobro a few times too, Ha!

Dobro here. I'm hunting for some advice about how to exploit the B.C. lessons to their fullest—a post somewhere that tells how people approach these resources.

Pablo, I'm a fairly skilled musician. I hacked at a guitar for many years, then picked up a mandolin and started playing professionally. Things took off from there. The BGC lessons are easy (though not fast) for me. I print out the tab and review it. I try to play through the tab a few times, and then I cue up the learning track. I graduate myself up to performance level. If I have my sights set on a particular tune I can generally have it up to slow-jam tempo within a couple of weeks. It takes some pretty intense focus to accomplish this, but I do it pretty reliably. This is good stuff here, and the only substitute is hanging out in the weeds until you can catch up.

Gordon Irwin here. Never played any musical instrument. Bought a Dobro 2 months ago and love it. Have taken 8 private lessons and bought Cindy Cashdollars Instructional CD. Constantly searching the net for anything Dobro and trying all kinds of things but am mostly just practicing the scales. Joined BGC today and so far really like it. Don't understand everything about tabs yet but havin g fun learning.

Phil here. Played guitar on and off for 20 years, tried the banjo along time ago, but seriously got back into it a couple of years back and cannot put it down, hardly touch the guitar now. Very impressed with BC although I struggle with the required speed on tunes, just practise I guess but good to know there are like minded people out there!

Hi, I am Laura, a dobro player from Northern California, up in the Sierras. My husband, a banjo player, bought me a dobro for my birthday 4 1/2 years ago. Since I had never played a stringed instrument, I was too afraid of the thing to even take it out of the case for about 6 months! Then when my younger child went back to college 4 years ago in January, I vowed to start playing, and I haven't really looked back since. It's not at all easy to start learning an instrument in middle age. Even a year ago I think this college would have been too difficult and discouraging/intimidating for me. Right now it is perfect. I don't even attempt the harder versions of the tunes yet. The "easy" ones are enough of a challenge. I think it's interesting how many dobro players are on this forum. Maybe it's because there is relatively a lot less learning material out there available for dobro.

I am really grateful that this site is available. Godwin, as a dobro player totally new to a stringed instrument, I found the Murphy Method dobro video by Mark Panfil to be just what I needed. It doesn't use tab, and he is so patient. I have met Murphy Henry (a wonderful banjo teacher) several times, and each time I tell her that I have her to thank for giving me the gift of being able to play the dobro. (Here is the web address: http://www.murphymethod.com/) I found the Cashdollar DVD too hard to start, but I did use it a year or so later, when I wasn't so overwhelmed by all I had to learn. Good luck. It's a long road of learning, but it sure is worth it - and a lot of fun. I have trouble tearing myself away from my dobro to do anything else these days!

Hell All-
I'm from eastern KY and I pick the banjo. I started playing about ten years ago, but took a bit of a hiatus, for a thousand or so days, somewhere in the middle. I've since renewed my interest and have become fairly committed. I try to practice as much as possible and pick with friends a couple times a week. Like others have said, BGC is a great resource and I'm eating it up. Although something still seems a bit fishy with my tuning for hold whatcha got, I'm super psyched with the site and am looking forward to updates.

Hiya

Chris does specify his tunings at the top of the tab... though it looks standard to me. Mind you I'm not a banjo player.

Does that help?

Andy

[google]I really like this Bluegrass College...It has helped me improve faster than before. I play a Martin D28 guitar, a custom handmade fiddle made by Joe Frazier it has great tone...and an older Alverez f-style Mandolin and a Washburn f-style. I have really learned some good endings for songs that you can use for ending other songs you already know in the same key. You can also modify them alittle and use them to adlib in various other songs in fills. Anyway, I like this stuff...if I had one thing that I would suggest to make it any better, it would be that some of the camera angles do not show the left hand finger on string as good as it could with just a little change in camer angle in the fiddle lessons. Some are perfect angles and some lessons need a better angle. Over all I find bluegrass college to be great for taking your skills to a higher level. Thanks

Fiddle eye fee here, I have plated in orchestras for years now and just joined a bluegrasss band for one year played once a month at a coffe shop and two payed gigs I have been told by my colleges that I have improved an I have some great Ideas .The band is inactive due to the leader is exspecting twins probalbly had them by now and is extra busy .I have been working a little with BGC on the fiddle but I need to play out more.Good to hear from other Bluegrassers that are trimming there lawns

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10/05/2008 19:04:31

"graduate myself up to performance level"

Mrnefarious, I never got back to you to say thanks for your reply. That about describes how I work at them.

Howdy I am John Mc. and i choose the violin !!! i have been taking lesssons for nearly three years! I am still learning and have come to the point of wanting to see if anyone would let me jam with them lolol!! I also am interested in mandolin and some time will start to learn this also Ithink this sis a cool chatter box and will try to post often !!

Hey guys! I also am a dobro player. I havent been a member long,just started so any pointers in a direction to go would be good. I am learning to do alot of blues with my instrument and learning some bluegrass tunes also.
This Bluegrass College so far is new to me but, I am liking it.