Relative Minors on Dobro

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Newbie question.

What are some of the 'go to' positions and grips .. eg techniques....the dobro guys are doing to make the best of fill ins around minor chords?

I am finding that staying in the relative major position just doesn't quite flow nicely in most cases. Might just be lack of experience in how to make the most of it.

Dave Thier · From: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

I'm certainly not the expert here. You can get the full triad of Em and Bm. Other than that, I stick to the 1 and 5 on the minors (avoiding the 3, and leave it up to others to resolve. Playing the 1 major over the 6m works in some situations.

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Hi Tom,
Have a try at tuning your Guitar to a Minor chord, see where that leads you. Its just one string detune a half step and to play Majors you just leave out that string. Listen here to D Minor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcVEH_fo6ko

And just as a matter of interest, here is Tin Roof Blues played on a Student Lap Steel (Acoustic) bought Mail Order by a man called Hamilton Clarke in 1929 when he lived in Consort Alberta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FaJNcRZngU

James Kerr.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

It can be helpful to play three frets higher than the root note of the minor chord you want, especially if you're playing with someone else who's playing the root of the chord.

For example, a C major chord in open G tuning occurs at the fifth fret (C E G). If you move up to the eight fret (Eb G Bb) you have a Cm7 chord without the root note.

Slants can help as well. Play the Eb at the fourth fret and the G at the fifth fret, again leaving the root note to someone else.

If you're playing by yourself, just leave that pesky third note out. Emphasize the root and fifth.
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Dave Thier · From: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Jouni Karvonen · From: Helsinki, Finland

Also you can do triad "split bar" slant with the tip of a bullet bar or bend behind the bar, so you get these Dm chords:

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Brad's post nailed it. You don't have to play the full minor triad. And minor scales are easy to find in the GBDGBD tuning. And you can always play an arpeggio instead of hitting all three at once. For an A minor, play the a on the third string at the second fret. Slide it up to the fifth fret where the third string is now a c (which is the minor third). Then hit the second string for the e and there's your a minor arpeggio. And of course that is using the "three frets up" rule that Brad mentioned.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Get an 8 string dobro and use a 6th tuning.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

It depends on how and what you are playing and with whom you are playing. I rarely play full minor chords picking bluegrass style. There's an easy one for Em at the 2nd. fret just barring the 4th string and a few other places where they can work. I have found familiarizing myself with the notes on the fretboard and ferreting out places where notes can be found is the biggest help.

Sometimes I play just the flatted 3rd or sometimes just the 1 & 5 or partials per Dave, Brad and Bob, and let the other instruments fill out the root and/or full minor chord.

Bryan Bradfield · From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

A straight bar root and flatted third is found one fret higher than the 5 chord. In other words, for an Em, E and G are on strings two and one respectively at the 5th fret (the 5 chord for key of E (B) being at the 4th fret).

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Just think, if you only played one string you could play ANY chord!!! Rolling Eyes

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

When working on a part that was originally played by Mike Auldridge, I read that for the part, and other times,
he tuned string 4 up to the sixth, E. I don't know if the information was correct, but it made it easier for the tune.

Joe Breeden · From: Virginia, USA

It maybe wrong, but in GBDGBD I was told to play the 1st and 3rd strings or 4th and 6th of any chord for a minor "sound". Not a true minor, of course, but in a song that requires a minor note, I guess you could call it a "fudge it". The other comments above are helpful. Thanks Joe

Brian McGaughey · From: Orcas Island, WA USA

And don't forget that the interval between strings 2 and 1 and between strings 5 and 4 IS a minor 3rd interval. B to D is three half steps, a minor 3rd interval.

IMO different songs call for different combinations of 2 of the 3 notes of the triad, or perhaps 1-5-1 power chord leaving out the major/minor tonality like Brad mentioned.

Definitely pick your battle. But that's part of the fun of dobro to me.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Thanks for all the tips.

A few avenues to explore. .. I think the focus on s1 and 2 is the best suited to my current melodic flow issues. Just gotta bare down and learn the chord name positions there.

Mark Eaton · Posted 4 Oct 2016 1:22 pm

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