The goals for this one were:
- Guitar picking
- Vocal intonation
- Learn the dobro
I spent 5 days finally learning how to hold a guitar pick because I just
never learned! I always just play with my fingernails. I always found
that a pick eventually slips out of position and has to be put back in
place during a break - I did figure out a way to hold it, but in the end
I still miss strings and hit unintended bass notes.
Thanks to Beethoven, my intonation is so much better due to proper use
of the oropharynx! I don't know if accessing those overtones helps your
ear or if its just better connection with your breathing but good
intonation is a byproduct of improved voice technique.
The Dobro is a weird instrument - there are frets on the guitar neck but
pitch is completely dependent on where you place the tone bar on the
string. If you're too short you'll be sharp and if you're too far
you'll be flat, so its amazing how players stay in tune when playing
blazing fast solos. I did use a tuning plug in to help some of my
notes. I got the dobro used in Japan for about 200 bucks and of course
its in near brand new condition, and I tried fooling around with some
instrumental pieces on Youtube, but in the end I just wanted to learn an
accompanying part BUT I needed a Dobro Capo. A capo is what closes the
strings against the fret of your choosing so all the strings become a
few steps sharper - this way you can play the same chord fingerings but
be in a higher key. Anyway, Dobro capos are different from guitar capos
and are insanely expensive - professional ones cost $100. I found on
in Japan for $150, so in the end i ordered on on eBay from a guy who
makes them himself in Pennsylvania, and it was $40 with shipping to
Japan. The tone bar also costs $30 too and there are various models.
I'm also thinking about busking next year w/ the dobro because it has a
built in amplifier via the metal cone built into the body which creates
that loud twangy sound. Buskers who play acoustic guitar and have to
shout / sing to be heard just always seemed like too much work competing
w/ the sounds of the city. But the Dobro can really penetrate the air
and sounds crazy, so it could be a good candidate to just fool around
with outside.
One technique about the dobro is although you can press down on the
strings with the bar, but this can make you over / undershoot the fret
you're targeting causing you to go flat / sharp - also it'd make me be
too early / frantic sounding. Lightly holding the bar and letting its
own weight close the strings works way better, and just kinda
purposefully tossing it around for some reason yields way better
accuracy than a more aggressive or assertive method.
Ishida