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Topic: Reso Gigs? |
Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 6:04 am |
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| Do any of you who play dobro too, regularly play acoustic gigs other than bluegrass? Such as cafes, coffee houses and the like? Solo, or with groups. If so, what has been the reaction and what is the demand for this sound? |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 7:25 am
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I do the "new acoustic", singer/songwriter, "Americana" gig in addition to my bluegrass.
I suppose it's like any other gig. In some venues you build a following and the dobro is a critical element in the band's music.
In other venues it's just a weird looking guitar and people are too busy with their lives to notice.
Occasionally someone will ask "is that what Jerry Douglas plays?"
That's a good thing I suppose.
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 7:50 am
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| I do solo, duo, trio, quartet, 10 piece gigs. Anything from weddings to corporate to concerts. Not bluegrass though. Classical, flamenco, tango, latin jazz, hawiian |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 8:15 am thanks fellas
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....yeah, those are the kinds of performances I'm interested in. And do you commonly use the standard G tuning for these type gigs?
Yes Howard, it is definitely a good thing. |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 8:21 am
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for jazzy duo and larger: GBEGBD
Solo: DGDGBD, DADGAD, DADF#AD, GBDGBD and GBEGBD
I work wth multiple guitars rather than waste time re-tuning
It really depends on your choice of content. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 8:47 am
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Thanks, that was one of the areas of interest AJ. I have a couple other acoustics that I sometimes tune to open D, G or others, but I just like the G tuning on the spider cone and have been working on learning the neck well enough to play most types of music with it. Constant retuning takes some practice, lots of tweaking and is hard on strings.
Interested in what others do and exploring if the idea to use that tuning in all styles is a practical one, the way that many of us approach the pedal steel. |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 9:22 am
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In my area I'm getting session calls for dobro.
All rootsy singer/songwriter stuff. No Bluegrass.
They love the sound.
Example: "Georgetown Will Always Be Home" by Niel Cotton http://joeyace.com/audio/gtown.mp3
As for live gigs, on dobro - almost none .
Standard open G is my tuning of choice, but if I was doing solo gigs I'd use open D, because it covers a lower range. (or have two guitars, one for each). |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 10:05 am
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i do the occassional 'backing a singer/songwriter on dobro' gig and really like the concept. also have done several dobro sessions recently. sometimes a session wants dobro and steel. i'm not a great dobro player, but love what the tone does for a song. plus, i'm all for any dobro only gig that i can ride my motorcycle to!
i find that once a studio engineer/owner/producer hears a steel player who happens to bring a dobro one day, it opens up the engineers ideas for creativity of what he has to offer his clients...this has sno-balled into more dobro sessions.
and really...i never know what i'm going to play from one measure to the next and i have to remember anew every song where the minor chord locations are....look out jerry douglas!! |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 12:04 pm
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Jerry,
Most of what I do is out of standard G tuning. Occasionally I may tune to Gmin or min/maj (split the triads). There may be some other occasional tunings I'll use on my G tuned guitar.
I also play 8 string G6 on almost very gig these days. I'll rarely drag along a drop D tuned six string.
fwiw
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 6:31 pm
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I live too close to Jim Heffernan, he gets all the Dobro calls!  |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 17 Jun 2009 9:41 pm
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| Same tunings as Howard kinda, a Guernsey 8-string tuned G13 and a Bear Goldtone Maple Deluxe tuned G with the dropped-D. Man I would love me a Bear maple 8! |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 2:52 am
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I just watched a PBS special. It was Uwe and Jens, the Kruger Brothers with the Murray State Symphonic Wind Ensemble. They did mostly original music with banjo, bass and flattop. Terrific melodic banjo work that was tonally pleasing as well. [Some vocal arrangements, acoustic music with archtop a/e bass] but not bluegrassy. Some portions included the symphony.
I think something like that would be nice on the dobro.
I really like the fringe things that Jerry Douglas does too.
Nothing against bluegrass. I like that also, but I like hearing the soft warm color of the dobro in calmer music as well.
A bit closer to bluegrass yet not really...Allison Kraus with JD on New Favorite and Ghost in This House. Of course it's Jerry, but still the song styles lend themselves well to pulling lots of emotion out of those strings.
Back on topic though, I'm interested to hear from any steel/dobro pickers who regularly play music that most people wouldn't associate with the resonator guitar. |
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Doug Johnson
From:
Brantford, Ont. Canada
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 4:27 am Reso Gigs
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| Jerry: Most of the work I do is on steel. I do however have the great pleasure of playing with a local legend named Terry Sumsion as part of his trio where I play dobro and electic bass. So the material is mostly his originals redone with dobro instead of steel. We also rearrange some standards to fit our sound. Straight ahead G tuning, altered sometimes depending on the tune. You wouldn't beleive how many people think we are about to play bluegrass as soon as they see the dobro but are very happy with what we do. We like to say we play country music acoustically. We play churches, camp ground festivals and small soft seat theatres for the most part. The trio goes over very well in this format as my other band mate plays stand up bass, acoustic guitar and mandolin so we vary the instrument arrangements. It has really given me a chance to explore something a little different for the dobro since I've had to rethink all my steel parts for the new format. |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 7:08 am
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
I just watched a PBS special. It was Uwe and Jens, the Kruger Brothers with the Murray State Symphonic Wind Ensemble. They did mostly original music with banjo, bass and flattop. Terrific melodic banjo work that was tonally pleasing as well. [Some vocal arrangements, acoustic music with archtop a/e bass] but not bluegrassy. Some portions included the symphony.
I think something like that would be nice on the dobro.
I really like the fringe things that Jerry Douglas does too.
Nothing against bluegrass. I like that also, but I like hearing the soft warm color of the dobro in calmer music as well.
A bit closer to bluegrass yet not really...Allison Kraus with JD on New Favorite and Ghost in This House. Of course it's Jerry, but still the song styles lend themselves well to pulling lots of emotion out of those strings.
Back on topic though, I'm interested to hear from any steel/dobro pickers who regularly play music that most people wouldn't associate with the resonator guitar. |
I've done orchestral work with a 60 piece orchestra and 40 piece choir. I arranged all the music and was featured soloist. it is a huge honor, pleasure, terror but, man it's amazing to be in front of that wall of sound.
Music is a bunch of notes combined and set in to a rhythm. What you deliver it with is only incidental. i swear i have seen a kazoo with orchestra.
Tuning wise ask yourself whether you'll be using only tab. will need to accompany yourself i.e. lower bass sounds or are you going to need to read music on it? I chose a G based tuning since it was closest to standard guitar where i learned how to sight read.
My ideal instrument would have 12 strings and be tuned BDEGBDEGBDF#A
This way you get plenty of high notes and you can get in to the cello range too. The F# can be made F natural if needed. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 10:02 am
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On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do the "2009 Hardee's World Tour" in Portsmouth, Va. It's a hamburger joint which has country music two nights a week. On Tuesdays I play lead guitar and Dobro and on Thursdays I do lead & pedal steel.
Also in my weekend band I play Dobro, lead, steel, & mandolin. It's a lot of fun playing fills and rides on Dobro in other styles of music. I also have a pickup on mine which I can drive a distortion unit to do some slide guitar stuff on the rock tunes if needed......... I have my Dobro on a stand and just play it as needed whatever the song. I think they fit rather nicely in more than just bluegrass. Here's a couple of shots of my rig(s).....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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KENNY KRUPNICK
From:
Columbus, Ohio
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 12:00 pm
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| Jerry, I like your Ibanez guitar in the 2nd picture.Looks like a Les Paul double cutaway. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 3:20 pm
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I've been playing dobro on some of Michael Martin Murphey's gigs since November of last year, when Murph decided to go predominantly acoustic. Before that it was steel guitar. It's mostly cowboy-type music, though we do some of Murph's hits.
I have two Gold Tones, both with Aura Fishman rigs. One is in 'grass G, the other C6 (CEGACE); mostly I use the C6.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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KENNY KRUPNICK
From:
Columbus, Ohio
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 8:34 pm
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| Herb, what string gauges do you use on the C6 dobro tuning? |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 8:59 pm
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Kenny
I'm using ..044, .034, .026, .022w, .018, .014
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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KENNY KRUPNICK
From:
Columbus, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 6:27 am
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| Herb, your C6th tuning is above the standard "G" tuning? I thought it would be below{octave}down. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 6:45 am
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Kenny, that guitar in the second picture is a 1982 IBanez Artist which is one great guitar......JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 7:09 am
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Kenny
Same as lap steel 6-string tuning, or else strings 7 through 2 on standard C6 steel guitar. |
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Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 7:15 am
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| I gig and jam a lot on my reso in B6th/G#7 and do everything but blue grass. My reso is not loud enough to play acousticly with a banjo and a fiddle. Those instruments are too loud for me and there seems to be no laying out in blue grass. If I could amplify myself I'd enjoy playing some blue grass. But in the mean time the 6th tuning sounds great on dobro. Listen to Jerry Byrd play reso with Marty Robins on youtube. |
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KENNY KRUPNICK
From:
Columbus, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 8:36 am
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| Thanks Herb, I'm with ya' now. |
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KENNY KRUPNICK
From:
Columbus, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 8:38 am
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Jerry, I'd hang onto that guitar. The Peavey amp in the 1st picture looks pretty familiar.   |
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