Resonator Guitar in the Key of D
Part 1 by Ivan Rosenberg

This month we'll get started playing in the Key of D, but first I want to offer a quick follow-up on my previous articles regardingDobro® workshops. The first annual ResoSummit was just held in Nashville, and from what I hear it was a phenomenal success. Here are a few quotes from attendees:

"The ResoSummit was the greatest experience of myDobro® playing life."

"That was an experience of a lifetime. Saturday, when Jerry Douglas showed up, there was a moment in the main room when he, Rob [Ickes], Mike Auldridge, and Cindy Cashdollar were all in the same room together. That was a truly surreal moment. The instruction was phenomenal..."

"The experience of being in the intimate presence of such masters, sitting down with them like they were old friends, listening to them play, and hearing them explain why they do certain things is not in my vocabulary to describe."

In case you're interested in next year's ResoSummit, space is limited, so you will want to sign up early. To get on Rob Ickes's email list for registration information about this great workshop, contact Rob at resosummit@gmail.com.

The Key of D

Now, let's get back to learning some music! This month I want to get you started playing out of positions besides G and C. The Key of D works great on theDobro® because your "home base" is in the middle of the fretboard and because all of the open string notes are in the D major scale. We're first going to learn a few ways to play the D major scale, and along the way we're going to work on bar technique and intonation. If you already know the scale positions from this lesson, I'd recommend taking this opportunity to refine your technique by practicing them slowly and more carefully.

D Major Scale on the 1st String

First things first: let's learn the D major scale. Since there are 2 open D strings (an octave apart) on the resonator guitar in G tuning, it makes sense to learn the scale beginning with an open D string and continuing up the neck on that same string. Here's the D major scale on the 1st (high) string, going up to the 12th fret (your next D note), and then returning back to your starting point (open 1st string). If you're doing it right, going up the scale should sound just like "Do-re-mi."

Pointers on Playing Descending Scales

You probably found that it is more difficult to do the descending scale, and that's because when moving towards the nut, the barring hand can block your view of the next fret you want to play. One subconscious mistake that players often make is to angle the bar one way or the other on a descending phrase to improve the view of the frets. I strongly discourage doing this. Instead, get used to the idea that you won't always have a perfect view of your destination fret. So for now, always keep your bar parallel with the frets (unless you're doing slants, which will be the topic of a future article). With this in mind, take some time to practice this scale again--slowly--in both directions before moving on with the lesson.

D Major Scale on the 4th String

Here is the D major scale on the 4th string. Of course, the fret positions are the same as above--we're just doing another D major scale on an open D string, this time an octave lower.

D Major Scale on 1st String with Open 4th String

Now that you've memorized the fret positions of the D major scale notes on the "D" strings, practice playing the notes in tune; make sure your bar is parallel with the fret, and be sure that in addition to looking like the bar is over the fret, that each note actually sounds in tune. Practice this scale until you are satisfied with the pitch of each note.

It may help to play this scale on the high string while simultaneously playing the open 4th string as a pitch reference to make your ear hear the Key of D, as in the following tab. When I was learning, this exercise was recommended to me by both Michael Witcher and Junior Barber, and I still practice it, as intonation is the hardest part of playing slide guitar and requires constant maintenance. You'll need to tilt the in order to only note the high string while leaving the 4th string open, as pictured here.

Moving Fluidly from Note to Note on One String

Next, here's a trick for having a fluid sound when going from note to note on the same string: Play the first note, let it ring, leaving the bar on the string (don't lift it off!). For the next note, slightly relax your pressure on the slide with your barring hand, and then zip the bar over very quickly to the desired fret a split-second before you're going to pick the string. The bar never loses contact with the string. On one of these scale exercise mp3s, you'll hear a little "whoosh" sound from the bar moving quickly to the next fret--This is the sound you're going for. Try going back to the previous exercise, paying extra attention to how you move the bar from note to note.

D Major Scale Incorporating Open Strings

Here's a D major scale that begins on the open 4th string and incorporates other open strings as you go up the scale.

D Scale Exercise

Here's a great scale exercise that uses the same notes as the last one. Once you've mastered it, try to figure out how to play the descending version of the exercise on your own.

So far, we've concentrated on the barring aspect of scales. When you feel comfortable with the bar, try working on your picking as well. Try each scale alternating thumb and index, and then try each scale index-thumb. Doing so will train your hand to pick any note with either index or thumb, and this will greatly improve your picking dexterity. Next, gradually build your speed with these exercises. I'll be back next month with some D hammer-on and pull-off licks, and we'll look at an arrangement of a song in the Key of D as well.

Until next month,
Ivan Rosenberg

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About the Author

Ivan Rosenberg

Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Ivan Rosenberg has released 4 acclaimed CDs of mostly-original instrumentals plusan instructional DVD. He has toured with Chris Stuart & Backcountry, Hit & Run, The Breakmen, and Mighty Squirrel and has recorded with Chad Manning, Jake Schepps, Julie Elkins & David Thompson, Ben Winship, and Mike Grigoni among others. His original music has appeared in several film and television scores including Kangaroo Jack, Deadwood, The Daily Show, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Bluegrass Unlimited described Ivan as "one of the more prolific masters of the resonator guitar," and in his Banjo Newsletter review, Donald Nitchie wrote that Ivan's Clawhammer and Dobro® CD was one of the best instrumental recordings of the year. A new CD from Ivan and resonator guitar whiz Billy Cardine (with members of Billy's band, The Biscuit Burners) will be released in the summer of 2007.

Known for his systematic and enjoyable approach to teaching, Ivan has instructed at the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop (BCBW) in Canada, the California Bluegrass Association Music Camp in Grass Valley, and the Sore Fingers Week bluegrass workshop in the UK. 2007 workshops include the BCBW-for which Ivan is also the new program director-and The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. Ivan teaches resonator guitar and clawhammer banjo in both private and group lessons in the Bay Area.

To learn more about Ivan Rosenberg and his music please visit his official website: www.ivanrosenberg.com and www.myspace.com/ivanrosenberg.