MEL BAY'S COMPLETE

DOBRO® PLAYER
By
Stacy
Phillips

"DOBRO" is a registered trademark owned by OriginalMusicalInstrwnent

Company, a division of Gibson Guitar Corporation. "DOBRO" refers to a
particular brand of guitar.

CD CONTENTS*
Discl Disc 2
1 la, lb{:26} 117•, 117b, 119 {:361 179. 180o-180d [:441 35 252, 1:331
2 6.1. ll {:331 120(:161 2 181, 182, 183 [:441 255, 256 1:31)
3 12 &13 1:231 38 122 {:231 1861:37) 37 260•260d [1:10)
4 14 P61 Holneof tho Risl"'S..n{:501 4 1871:<12) 38 2611:461
5 15&16 {:151 124 {:461 118, 191 (:19) 39 Swin1 91.., ,1(:431
6 17. 18, 19 {:341 41 125(:411 192, 193, 194 (:33) 40 Swin1Bl1.1e5 12 (:411
7 20. 21. 22 {:381 130a-130d {:50) 1 195. 199. 201 [:37) 41 Cycio Solo ti [:50)
8 45 {:341 134134<1 (:37) 202, 204 {:32) 42 Cyclo Solo,2 (:56}
48 {:281 44 138. 140 1:251 205, 206. 208 1:301 43 Deeo Elm Swtn111:331
10 531-631 {:521 1421:391 209 [:43) 44 263 {1:30)
11 54a-54e {:351 143 (:381 1 2101:431 45 264 [:341
12 55"'55e {:481 47 1461:421 2 2111:'3} 46 26511:29)
3 57 & 61 {:251 1471:14) 212. 215 {I:00! 47 2661:491
4 622c {:321 9 1491:291 4 216 [:39) 270(:291
15 3e p;21 1531:451 217 (:36) 49 2721:411
16 64 {:241 1 154, 155 1:30) 218, 220 1:381 214 {:43}
17 65 {:301 1561:51} 17 223, 224 {:54) 51 275•275d 1:351
18 10 {:37) 157 {:31) 8 225a & 225b 1:181 5 276 ¡,221
19 71 {:361 1581:461 19 226 (:331 278, 2791:261
72 {:351 159 {:401 227 [:251 281, 283 1:401
21 80, 81, 82 {1:261 56 160, 161 {:201 2 228 {:241 5 286, 287 {:331
2 85 {:231 1621:17) 229, 230 P31 288, 290, 291, 29311:011
3 87 {:27) 58 1641:341 231, 232 1:56) 57 295, 296 (:551
4 88 {:321 59 1651:361 4 235 [:271 299, 302 [:421
5 91.-941>{:391 1661:17) 5 236a & 236b 1:30) 59 305. 306 (1:03!
95{:261 1 l67•161d, 16811:091 6 238 [:40) r...,....., D<..1:561
7 91 {:421 169>-169b 1:31) 2401:361 61 ..k>bow 1:46)
8 98(:401 3 Eric Clapton Slyle Blues (2:151 8 241. 242 {:461 62 Rootrnln (:241
100, 101 {:321 170 (:37} 243, 24511:16) Deep Elm Blues 1:531
102, 103 {:221 5 )1] {:40) Brina: lt on Down lo My Hovse (:50} 64 Jolm Hen'l' 1:241
1 104, 106 {:241 1721:321 246 [:211 65 Blofl [:561
32 101 {:431 7 1751:23) 241 {:161
248, 249 (1:02)
66 ...."ª"""" [:18)
112 {1:23) 176 {l:Oll 67 Stonk>ü371
114114<{:291 117o-117c (:221 25la, 251b 1:28) st. Loui5 Blu85 (1:16)
5 ll6>-116c {:341 o 17S.178c 1:261

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 o
C 1996 BY MEL BAY PUBLICATIONS, INC., PACIFIC, MO 63069.
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 Contents
Aclmowledgments ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Reading the Tablature .......................................................................................................................................... 6
A Survey of Techniques for Resonator Guitarists . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .·......................16
String Damping ...... Hammering On ...... Pulling Off ...... Forward Slants ...... Reverse Slants ......
Harmonics ...... Pulling the Strings ...... Sorne Bar Control Exercises ...... Vibrato ...... Fingering

Elements of Variation and Improvisation for Resonator Guitarists .................................................................... 31

Position Playing ...... Playing in First Position ...... Nuances of Sliding and Approaching a Note . .....
Thinking Chordally ...... "Moonglow" ...... A Sampling of Three-Note Chords ...... The Problem of Major
Second Intervals and Chromatic Licks in G Tuning ...... Rhythmic Phrasing ...... Sorne General Thoughts
about Improvising

The Sweet and the Simple (Scalar Manipulation and the Melodic Line) ...................................................... 58
"Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" ...... "I Never Will Marry" ...... "Tennessee Waltz" ......
Mike Auldridge-Style "House of the Rising Sun"

Blues, Boogie and Acoustic Rock....................................................................................................................... 75

"Frankie and Johnnie" ...... Blue Pentatonic Solos ...... Albert King-Style Solos ...... Bottleneck Guitar
Style Solo ...... Backing Up a Vocalist ...... Rhythm Grooves ...... Eric Clapton-Style Blues Solo

Bluegrass and Open String Licks ..................................................................................................................... 102

"Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" (Bluegrass Style) ...... Bluegrass Breakdown Licks ...... "Roll in My Sweet Baby's
Arms" ...... "Dark Hollow" ...... "Over the Waterfall" ...... Buck Graves-Style Solos ......
"Don't Let Your Deal Go Down"

A Resonator Guitar Approaches Jazz (Gingerly) ........................................................................................... 128

"Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" (Swing Style} ...... "Corrine, Corrina" Swing Blues ...... "Bring It on Down to My
House" ...... II-V-1 Jazz Licks ...... Modem Jazz Blues ...... Leon McAuliffe-Style Swing Blues ......
Bob Dunn-Style Solos ...... "Shine on Harvest Moon" ...... "Deep Elm Swing" ...... Comping

Hawaiian Roots, Retunings and the Pedal Prodiga! Grandchild .................................................................. 150
A Primer of Hawaiian-Style Licks ...... B Minor Tuning . ..... Modal Tuning ...... G add 2 (G9) tuning ......
G6 Tuning ...... Mike Auldridge's "Eight String Swing" ...... Pedal-Steel Licks Transferred to Resonator Guitar

Playing in Minor Keys ....................................................................................................................................... 166

The Dorian, Aeolian and Harmonic Minor Scales ...... "Saint James Infirmary" . . .... G Minor Tuning ......
David Grisman's "Opus 57" in G Minor and G Modal Tunings

A Garland of Tunes and Resonator Guitarists ................................................................................................ 175

Shot Jackson-Style "Fort Worth Drag" ...... Gene Wooten-Style "Rainbow" . ..... Rob Ickes-Style "Deep
Elm Blues" ...... Stacy Phillips-Style "Leather Britches" ...... Stacy Phillips-Style "Panhandle Rag" ......
Jerry Douglas-Style "Panhandle Rag" ...... Jerry Douglas-Style "John Henry" . ..... Jerry Douglas-Style
"Sally Ann" ...... Jerry Douglas-Style "Saint Anne's Reel" ...... Jerry Douglas-Style Swing Blues ......
Genial Hawaiians-Style "Saint Louis Blues"

The Interviews ................................................................................................................................................... 199

Mike Auldridge ...... Bob Brozman ...... Cindy Cashdollar . ..... Gene Wooten .... .. Buck Graves ......
Archduke of the Dobro ...... Jim Bennett ...... Jerry Douglas

The Resonator Guitar Shopping Mali .............................................................................................................. 226

Discography and Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 228
Basic Music Theory for Resonator Guitarists ................................................................................................. 231
Fade Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .' ............................................................................................................ 244

2
 A cknowledgments
Sean Coane, Jeff DeMayo and Peter Menta for access to their record collections
Chris Davis far his fanatic proofreading
Paul Howard and Dave Hamburger far ideas for rock riffs
Sorne examples of rock riffs were loosely adapted from Andy Aldort's columns in Guitar Magazine
Dick Blattenberger far helping to track down photos
Mike Auldridge far tabbing his solo on "Eight String Swing"
Rob Ickes for help with tabbing Jerry Douglas' and his own solos
Jeff DeMayo for help with interpreting pedal steel licks
Johnny "Angry Red" Weltz for invamable assistance with the Archduke of the Dobro interview
Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Jim Bennett, and Rob Ickes for allowing short excerpts of their
playing on the accompanying recording
Paul Howard for his guitar and vocal work on the accompanying recording
Georgia Sheron for the cover photo
Ali the musicians who took the time to be interviewed and the resonator-guitar fans
who contributed photos

lntroduction
lt's 1 2:00 midnight as Saturday shades into Sunday in an apartment in the South Bronx i n New York City, across the
street from Yankee Stadiu m. lf 1 sit in a particular position on the floor and hold my pocket transistor radio just so,
1 can hear the final strains of the WWVA, Wheeling, West Virginia "World's Original" Jamboree. Then it's on to "Live
from Campbell's General Store i n Oxford, Pennsylvania!" for an hour of musical heaven with Alex, Ola Selle and the
New River Gang. Amid pitches for ten-pou nd sacks of pinto beans, navy beans, snap beans, kidney beans, and other
of life's necessities there is raw, unadulterated, old-time bluegrass featuring Sonny Miller on fiddle, Ted Lundy on banjo
and occasional wailing solos and backup by Deacon Bru mfield on resonator guitar. Whenever Deacon steps up to the
microphone Ola Belle Reed lets go with a whoop of glee. Outside the Flatt and Scruggs Foggy M ountainjamboree album
that has a few cuts with Buck Graves, this is my resonator guitar input. 1 still have no idea of what it looks like or how
it is played but the instrument has captu red my imagination.

A few years later 1 am playing resonator guitar at a workshop at the Smithsonian Folk Festival in Washington, D.C. In
the middle of "Wabash Cannonball" there is a pounding on the side of the wooden stage, followed in close order by
a familiar wail. On the way from her own performance, Ola Belle hears my imitation of the Deacon and cannot resist.
Such is the stuff of musical fantasy realized.

In the mid-1970s I wrote The Dobro® Bóok, that has become the standard teaching text for
resonator slide guitar. Complete Dobro® Playeris designed to be a continuation of and supplement to that
effort. Acoustic steel guitar is currently experiencing something of a popularity boom, so it seems an
opportune moment to share sorne of the things 1 have learned about this instrument overthe past 20
years. This book is aimed at six-string steel guitarists, and both acoustic and electric players should be
able to leam a great deal. However, it is slanted towards acoustic resonator guitars as exemplified by
DOBRO® brand resonator guitars. DOBRO® is a registered trademark owned by the Original Musical
Instrument Co. division of Gibson Guitar Corp. Because of their obsessive proprietary interest in this
copyright, I will be substituting various euphemisms which, for our purposes, can be thought of as
synonymous. They inelude resonator guitars, resophonic guitars, ampliphonic guitars, steel guitars, /ap steels
(though the latter usually implies electric, non-pedal steels), and Hawaiian guitars. When 1 do use
DOBRO®, 1 am specifically referring to an instrument manufactured by the O.M.I. Company.

This book endeavors to achieve severa! objectives:

l. To present an in-depth survey of the styles in which well-rounded lap guitarists should be
competent. .Ways of creating and varying authentic-sounding solos in country-folk, blues, bluegrass,
jazz, and Hawaiian Islands styles are illustrated and analyzed. There are also surveys on playing in minor
keys, the use of retunings and the application of pedaI-steel licks to non-pedal guitars.
2. To examine the playing of some of the top lap steelers. Tablatures of solos by Jerry Douglas,
Buck Graves, Mike Auldridge, Bob Dunn, Leon McAuliffe, Bob Kaii, David Lindley, Shot Jackson, Gene
Wooten and others are featured.

3
 Even someone interested in only the most au courant sounds will benefit from an understanding
of sorne masters from the recent past.
First, ali players, knowingly or not, base their styles on the efforts of previous musical
generations. Secondly, many great players arenot as well known as they should be. You may experience
undreamt-of vistas of picking pleasure when you are íntroduced to Bob Dunn or Bob Kaíi.
3. To catalog many of the lícks that are lingua franca in the world of resonator guítars.
Concurrently 1will show how to fit these and your own licks into representative tunes. You should use
these suggestions as springboards for ideas for your own variations. Many of the examples are aimed
at those of you who wish to leam how to ad-lib on a lap guitar.
4. To indicate sorne of the underlying relationships between notes, keys and chords by
introducing sorne basic·music theory as it relates specifically to the six-string steel guitar in G tuning.
At the very least this knowledge can help decrease memorization and ease cornmunication with other
musicians. In the longer view, this knowledge can also point you toward new ways of creating solos.
5. To gain insight into these matters through the eyes of sorne of the top acoustic steel guitarists
in "The Interviews" section of this book.

Deacon Brumfield in 1987 with his guitar of many dots, at Sunset Park,
Pennsylvania, notfarfrom Oxford, thehome of Campbell's General Store.(photo:
Tom "Slideman" Flynn)

6. By demonstrating sorne approaches to playing that are not of the "maínstream," to inspire
readers to develop fresh ways of playing their instrument.

There is no need to go through all thís material in order, but I recommend at least a quick read
through of all the chapters. After familiarizing yourself with the contents you can pick and choose where
to concentrate.
Don't bother to memorize definitions. Leam them by using them. Ifsomething does not make
musical sense come back to it another time. Eventually you will begin "hearing" what is going on. Refer
to introductory books onjazz improvisation for d.eeper expositions of music theory for non-"classical"
musicians.
While there are obvious differences in the styles discussed in this book, there are no ·clear
boundaries between them. Licks float freely among these music species with careless abandon. You can
oft.en play the same lick with just a slight difference in the timing of eighth notes to move from one style
to another. The point is, you should try any motive you Jike in any style you líke (remembering that a

4
minar alteration may be desirable). Sufficiently alter a riff, and a new one is created.

This is a teaching text so 1have taken pains to make my points clear. As a result there is lots of
cross-referencing and even sorne repeating of information, but in different musical settings. You do not
have to read all the footnotes and related discussions in other parts of the book as you go along. Get the
drift of my point, then see what the commentary and related material might be.

When 1 use the term improvisation it refers to making up at least part of a solo as you play.
Variation means making up a solo that differs (perhaps substantially) from the melody beforehand and
then preparing it far a performance. These are my own definitions far the designs of this book and 1 do
not mean to imply a formal distinction between them.

There is a limit to the information that can be transmitted by tablature notation. There are
shadings within shadings in the application of bar technique. Sorne very concentrated, analytical
listening to your favorite players is a necessity . Even with the additional explanations I give, there are
nuances of timing, accenting, slides, etc., that must be heard. Going through this book will allow you to
recognize what your favorite perfarmers are doing to get those sounds you lave.
The accompanying recording also supplies sorne of the un-notatable playing parameters. 1have
recorded most of the examples at slooow tempos to aid leaming. Under these conditions, and with the
effort to play the tablature exactly as written, my renditions sometimes are a bit stilted, though accurate.
However, 1found it impossible to avoid an occasional lapse like converting a slow slide into a quick one
or vice versa. The amount of slides, hammer-ons, etc., are partially predicated on the speed of the piece,
so you will probably want to change their frequency of use when you perform at a different tempo than
on the recording.
When 1play a solo by the great musicians 1 cite in the book on the accompanying recording, no
attempt is made to copy the subtleties of their style. 1 have enough trouble trying to sound like myself.
You should buy their albums and see them in person to get the whole sound picture. A few examples
in the book are omitted from the recording far coovright reasons.

"Music isfeeling then, not sound ."

-W. Stevens

5
 Reading the Tablature fand some definitions1

"/f orget the greater part of what 1 read,

but ali the same it nourishes my mind. "
-G. C. Lichtenberg

"Reading rots the brain. "

-Anonymous

Unless otherwise indicated, ali the tablatures are in high bass G tuning, from the high, first
string: D-B-G-D-B-G.

1have combined standard rhythm notation with tablature and sorne special steel-guitar symbols
to convey basic information about the music that follows.

Each of the six lines of the tablature represents a string, with the thinnest, highest pitched string
at the top and thickest, lowest pitched string at the bottom of the staff. lt isjust like looking down at your
guitar in playing position. A number on a line indicates the fret and string that should be played. So:

li---ª ª
_1e H 4
means that you should first pick the first string, 3rd fret (abbreviated as S1-F3), then the first string open,
then string 2, fret 10, then Sl-F8/S2-F8 simultaneously and, finally Sl-F5/S3-F4.

The same sort of stems, flags and beams as in standard music notation are attached to the fret
numbers to indicate how long each note should be held. The time signature or meter at the beginning
of the examples tells you their beat structure. The bottom number of 414 time signature means that a
quarter note is one beat long. For our purpose a beat can be considered the length of time it takes to tap
your foot, lift it, and lower it, just up to the point that it hits the floor again. The top number tells you how
many beats there are per measure. 414 meter has four quarter notes per measure. 3/ 4 meter has three
quarter-note beats per measure and in this book always indicates a waltz.

When you see:

11 i
hold that note for the time it takes you to tap your foot once, from foot-on-floor until just befare your
foot taps again. The attached stem indicates one quarter note (and one beat if the denominator of the
meter is 4, which it always is in this book, with just one exception). A circle around a fret number with
a stem attached indicates a halfnote, held for two beats. A four-beat whole note is encircled but without
a stem.

6
 1 i1 i i
)( )(
1 he c:a r10n + + + +
11 1 ,1 i;u, )' ·

cou nt: 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1234

In the first grouping the note is picked four times; in the second, twice, with each note held twice
as long; and, in the Iast, it is picked once. Whether the beam is up or down has no effect on the count.
A quarter note can be divided into two eighth notes, one when the foot is on the floor (sometimes
called a strong beat) and the other when the foot is in the air. The latter is called the offbeat, upbeat
or just "and". Beams and flags are attached to the stems to indicate durations shorter than a quarter
note. When there is a consecutive series of short notes the flags are usually joined to form a beam.

4 -ratron
i F ·
)(

1
)(

1
r 1::u, VV
11
1 he
cou nt: I+ + +

Eighths can be divided into sixteenths, symbolized by a second flag or beam.

:' I: 1 he '!;¡r''"°" T
Í TTTT
cou nt: I+ + +

When a note is dotted, lengthen its duration by half its original value.

11 1 be ""'°" r
)( . )(
+
11 1 be yra t1on
1
· :u. 1

mmi fie '"''"" r9

A second dot adds an additional quarter of the note's original value.

7
 A quarter-note triplet has its three notes evenly spaced within one beat. The first note is played
on the strong beat; the second, just before the upbeat; and the third, just after.

11
count: 1
II I +

The eighth-note triplet sounds three notes in the space of an eighth note (a half beat), and the
half-note triplet divides two beats into three equal durations.
---3 --

llt:====i==i=Í==========tÍ: ===Ít==:Ít====
+ 2 +

Rests have their own symbols but are counted similarly.

t--
i;!:= !i - ±
- s!ml! 1
-. ±
!
.
count: 1 + 2+ 3 +4 1 +2 3 +4 1 + 2+ 3 + 4+

f'ZlW!u- l ±
l + 7 + 7 +7 +7
11
I+ 2+ 3 + 4 +
I use cut-time meter () as a device to eliminate relatively difficult-to-read passages on up-tempo
tunes in 214 meter that contain many sixteenth notes. This meter always has four quarter notes per
measure, so it looksjust like 4/ 4 time. For this book's purpose doubles the duration of each note and
rest. So while being easier to read, the relative durations remain the same. You might wish to tap your
foot twice as fast. For example, a measure with two quarter-note beats per measure would be changed
in the following manner .

In this book cut time is mostly used on bluegrass breakdowns and fiddle tunes.

At the end of this chapter I will give you sorne practice at deciphering sorne tablature so you can
face the music with confidence. First, here are sorne symbols that deliver other important musical
messages. There is no need for memorization, just refer back here when you meet a stranger. In fact,
when you first work out a piece, ignore all markings except string, fret and duration. Slowly add the
requisite slides and embellishments after you have a basic idea of the melody . All this is made
immeasurably easier with the accompanying recording .

8
 The abbreviation for strings and frets, e.g. "S3-F4" should be read, "third string, 4th fret". "Sl-
F10/S3-F9" indicates that the bar should touch both the first string at the lOth fret and the third string
at the 9th.

A stands for "scale step" so "3" should be read, "third scale step".

A curved slur sign indicates a continuous slide between the indicated notes. So

means to hold Sl-F5 for a quarter note then quickly slide to the next note without picking.

means to pick the first note only and slide to the others after holding each for the specified duration.

-
When a legato 1 symbol is used in conjunctio n with a slide:

it means to play as in the previous example but pick the second note when you arrive.

r r1r
The same slur sign isused to extend the duration of a note when it crosses a bar line or the middle

of a measure 11 f
In these cases the symbol is referred to as a tie sign. In the above illustration Sl-F7 is held
through beats 2 and 3, and Sl-F5 is held from beat 4 up to beat 2 of the next measure.
When the slur sign is not attached to a second note it means to let the first note ring. This is used
to avoid overcrowded notation and is clear in context. For example see #95 and #309 and the
explanation of reading those tablatures at the end of this chapter.
A slur symbol is occasionally used in conjunction with a grace note to stress the elose connection
with the next note, not a slide.For example:

11 w or

9
'(Which usually means to play a series of notes with not even the tiniest pause between them .)

8
 11.-----:,- ¡ t r-
Diagonal lines attached to a note refer to (usually quick) slides of indeterminate length (usually
1 or fewer frets).
,*........ --

The direction of the lines indicates the direction of the slide. The first is up to;the next down to.
The third is downfrom and the last is upfrom .

H and P refer to hammer-ons and pull-offs. These are not always notated and 1 leave it to the
reader to opt far them ar pick each note separately as your conscience dictates.

'f' placed to the right of a note means you should "choke" (i.e. pull) the indicated string behind
the bar so that its pitch is raised a half step (Le. 1 fret). So "5f'' means that though the bar is on the 5th
fret, the string is raised in pitch to the sound of the 6th fret.
'f' t placed to the right of a note means that you should choke it a whole step (i.e. 2 frets' worth) .
So "5tt" means that the bar is on the 5th fret and the note sounds as if it were on the 7th.

* placed to the right of a note means that the note is choked in pitch up to the indicated fret.
This symbol occurs only in conjunction with slanted bar positions. So:

means that when the bar is place correctly on the first and third strings, it touches the second string
midway between frets 4 and 5. That string is choked until the second string sounds the pitch of the
5th fret.

A vertical arrow above a note means it is played slightly sharp, on purpose .

The grace note above is held for the shortest possible time. What little time is usually taken from
the previous beat, though it is a matter of personal taste whether to take it from the following note .

tr means tremolo, a rapid picking of altemate strings. This is discussed in the text.

trill means to hit the two indicated notes as many times as possible in the allotted duration. The
second note is given in parentheses (see "Eric Clapton-Style Blues Solo").

ili------.-_ means a quick, damped strum on the indicated fret. Used for emphasis.
lf there is no "x" in the tab, play an undamped strum.

i 1 --- *_ -
means an especially wide , fast vibrato .

11
 A staccato symbol placed over a note means to damp the sound and leave an audible space

11,
t-rt---
,

between the notes.

----.1i. J_'f ---1f--

The actual timing might be: l1l -

n.h. indicates natural harmonics .

a.h. indicates artificial harmonics.

This sign over a particular fret number means to accent that note:
>

1 6,1 "

( ) Parentheses around a note mean one of two things, made clear in context:
a) a ghost note, i.e., a note at least partially damped, so the sound is there without any
particular pitch
b) the pitch at the beginning or end of a slide, or at a particular passing point in a long
slide, when that pitch is given no duration

MM= isthe metronome marking symbol, i.e.the tempo in terms of how many beats per minute .
When the cut-time speed is very fast I usually use 214 meter, i.e., with two beats per measure, not four.

When specific fingering is recommended , it is placed under the tablature staff. "T" is thumb, "I"
is index finger and "M" is middle finger.

Capital letters above the tablature indicate the chordal accompaniment.

Measure numbers are placed below the staff.

D.C. al Fine is ltalian for "go back to the beginning (r;_apo) and continue until the fine ('end')
symbol".
D.S. al Fine is ltalian for "go back until you see the omate S symbol ( ) then continue untilfine" .

1use both tonic and key to denote the home scale of a tune.
Measure and bar are used interchangeably, although the latter usually refers to the fretting
device we know and love. Presumably the context will make the bar to which l am referring obvious.

******************
10
 Here are a few examples of tablature counted out, with omamentation explained. These
samples, in conjunction with the accompanying recording, should give you confidence to tackle
anything in this book. Getting used to rhythm notation is the hardest thing about reading music. The
key is to start as slowly as necessary to allow you to count in time. Within a couple of weeks you will
be comfortable with this new language. This rhythm notation is almost exactly the same as standard

§. .
rhythm notation and will make leaming the latter a breeze.
j

1 iÍ
1
19 t ;1
j
........_...... Hº 1
1. Here are measures 6-7 o( #72.

count: 1 + 2
i
+
'1-9
3+ 4 + 1+ 2 + 3 +4+

The first four notes are eighths (half beats) and S4-F10 has a duration ofa full beat. S5-Fl 1holds
for a beat and a half, crossing measures.

2. Here is measure 5 of #95

::
1

count: 1 + 2 + 3+

12
A very youthful Buck Graves with Stoney Cooper. Note Stevens
bar. (courtesy: Bobby Wolfe)

13
 The first dyad is held for a beat then, without stopping the strings, the second string is pulled up
1 fret in pitch while the third string stays on the same note for the downbeat of "2". The tie symbols
indicate that these pitches continue to sound when Sl-FlO is picked on the "+" after "2".
After S3-F10/S5-F10 is held for a quarternote, the top three strings are picked on the lOth fret
and immediately slid into a slant position for one beat.

3. Next is measure 5 of the Mike Auldridge-style "House of the Rising Sun".

1 ,--í ...---......
counr: 1 +2+ 3 + 4 +
Begin with a short, quick slide to Sl-F7 and hold it for 212 beats. On the "+" after beat "3" pick
Sl-F7 again and immediately begin a slow slide timed to arrive at F5 in the middle of the eighth note
duration that began on "4". The second half of that eighth note (that is, a sixteenth note) is taken by S2-
F5, followed by a final eighth on Sl-F5.

4. Measure 9 of #156 is in 12/8 meter, so each eighth note is a beat and there are 12 of them

l u r 5 v =1 u r
per measure. -

count:
I

1 +2+ 3+ 4+ 5+6+ 7 + 8+ 9+
1
10 + 1 1 +
u
12 +
1

Pick S2-Fl 2 just befare "5" and immediately pick the first string and quickly slide to Fl 4 for two
beats. The quarter rest is silent far two beats in 12/8 meter.

5. #229, measure 2 is in cut time, which, for the purposes of this book, can be counted as
4/4 meter.

Just before the third beat give a very fast scrape on the 14th fret beginning on either the fourth,
fifth or sixth strings. The scrape should follow through onto the first string on beat "3" with a quick slide
up to the 16th fret. That whole move should be played loudly and F16 should be cut short.

6. Here are m e a s u re s 9 - 1 O of
.......--...... ........-..
#266.

count: 1+ 2 + 3+ 4 + I+

Pluck the first double stop and slide without picking up to beat"3".On "4" pick S1-F12 and rotate
into a slant position as you slide down a fret. Pick S3-F9 on the following "+", ali the while keeping the
first string ringing. Keep the samebar position, and on the following downbeat pick S1-F11while keeping
the third string ringing.

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 7. Finally here is how to get all the informatíon from measures 1-2 of #309.

A ---.. -..

cou nt: I + ') + 3 + 4+ 1 +2+3+ 4+

Drag a short, quick slide up to a Sl-F11/S3-F9 slant. Pick the 9th fret again on the second beat
and leave Sl-Fl 1 ringing. Both notes endure until the "+" after "3", then pick S1-F9 and let that ring
through as you pick S3-F7 on beat "4". Keep both strings sounding for a ful! beat and as you quickly slide
to Sl-F7/S3-F6. Time the slide to reach the indicated frets on the first beat of measure 2 and pick. Hold
that for three beats. An instant befare beat "4" pick Sl-F11 and then pick S3-F9 on the beat, Jeaving the
first string sounding. Got that?

Here is an aside for your accompanists. On the jazzier tablatu res, the symbol for a "7 chord" (major triads plus the b')
can be treated as shorthand for any embellished dominant (V) chord in this book.2 Knowledgeable accompanists would
automatically add sorne higher partials to any b7 chord. Any type of 9, n
and 13 increases the tension in the chord but
#
does not change its role as a dominant. So G7 could e altered to G9, or G 1 I , or G 1 3(b9) and still funccion as the
V of C. Major and minor chords can be seasoned with 6, ·etc. but they are seldom treated as freely as V's. This is most
easily applicable to the jazz examples. (See "Elements of Variation and lmprovisation," "Music Theory for Resonator
Guitarists" and "A Resonator Guitar Approaches Jazz" for explanations of terms you do not yet understand.)

Table I
THE POSITION OF NOTES ON A STEEL GUITAR FRETBOARD

Fret:
Open 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 etc.

String: 1 o-e-E-F -A -G--A- -B -c-a-o

2 B-C -C# -D -E-E -F -F# -G-G# -A-B-B

3 G-G# -A -B -B -C -C# -D-E-E -F -F# - G

4 D-E -E-F--F#- G -G# -A -B-8 -C -C# -D

5 8-C -C# -D -E -E -F -F# -G -G -A- B-8

6 G-G# -A -B-B-C -C# -D -E -E-F -F#-G

2
In traditional blues, 7 chords do not have a dominant function, i.e. do not necessarily act as the V of the key. Since the blues
scale is not a seven-note major scale it does not abey Western music's rules for chord functions.
13