Questions & Answers

Todd!  Great question!  I’m not sure Rob has seen it but I’ll message him right away for a response.  At the risk of stealing some of Rob’s thunder, you may want to check out the “Rhythm” video in the “Technique”section.  Rob lays out very clearly different ways to play when you’re not soloing.  Thanks for being the first to ask a question in Rob’s Reso Room!  History has been made here today folks!  We’ll get you that response asap.

Best,

Craig

Todd,

I know Rob’s been busy and has two all-day studio sessions today and tomorrow, but I’ll email him and he’ll respond soon.  Promise.

Craig

Great question Todd! “What to do when you’re not playing a solo?”

When I’m in a playing situation, I’m continuously asking myself, “what does this need?” Depending on the makeup of the group and the style of song, and many other factors, the answer to that question will be different. For example, if there’s no mandolin in the band, I might do more “chopping” rhythm.  If there is a mandolin, but no banjo, I might play more rolls and kind of take over the “banjo” role in the band.  If it’s a slow ballad, it may not need either of those things, but more of a simple, sustained note approach.  So listen to what’s happening in your playing situation, see what it needs, and respond accordingly.

Another recommendation would be to study great records that feature great Dobro players. I spent a lot of time with the early Seldom Scene records, the Bluegrass Album Band records, and all the Tony Rice records.  Those records meant a lot to me and I listened to them so many times that I learned every note that was played on them (even on the other instruments!). Each sound is etched into my memory…So dig into the records that you really enjoy and listen for what the dobro player is doing during the entire song, and not just the solos. This will give you a lot of ideas for what to do when not soloing.

And check out what the other instruments are doing also,  this will give you even more ideas, options.  I’ve stolen a lot of musical ideas from Tony Rice’s rhythm playing, Sam Bush’s mandolin chop, and Stuart Duncan’s fiddle playing. Hope this helps, really great question!

Hey Rob– I’m looking for clarification in the “C Minor Scales in Harmonic Thirds Up & Down the Neck”(2nd and 3rd strings) Lesson in “Mastering the Fretboard Course.  The other exercises made more sense to me mentally, and I’m having trouble grasping why the notes are sequenced in that way (at times it doesn’t seem to be moving through the minor scale in the same way the other harmonic Third exercises were progressing through scales. the tab for minor third excercise for example lists it as: C – A, D-F, D#-C).  I can mechanically move through the patterns efficiently, but am trying to gain more mental understanding of why they are sequenced in the way that they are. Maybe I’m missing something, but hope you can give me clarity.

thanks,

Jake

Hi Y’all,

I received a great question thorough my messages page, so I thought I’d share my answer here.  The question is from ralf wolterhoff

Hi Rob, can you say something about Arpeggios ? I know the Arpeggios over the hole fretboard but I can’t bring it in a musical sense.Best Regards Ralf

Hi Ralf,

Great question, a lot of people ask me how to APPLY arpeggios, scales, etc…which I think is the essence of what you’re saying when you say, “bring it in a musical sense.”

A few thoughts come to my mind-

1-Don’t force it.  I think these things should work there way into your playing naturally. I’ve found that after I’ve worked on a technique for a while, it drops into my playing unexpectedly, and that’s always a great feeling when it happens. Don’t put any pressure on it, it will happen. It’s like the saying, “a watched pot never boils.” Don’t “watch” the arpeggio “pot,” just do the work and let it happen naturally.

2-Practice playing arpeggios over one chord with another musician, or a rhythm track.  This will help bridge the gap between learning and applying (making music) with the new technique.

One thing I really like about arpeggios is they get me to start using the whole fingerboard for one key, not just the root position. Just seeing that and learning about the other positions on the fretboard is a mind-blower and can help you get out of your “box” that you may be stuck in. Check this video out and you’ll see what I mean.

I’m playing all over the fretboard, but it is all key of A.  So now I’m not limited to the 2nd fret when playing in the Key of A.  That is a good thing and gives you a lot of musical freedom!

3-Listen to, and learn some musical examples of what you’re trying to do. When you mentioned arpeggios, I immediately thought of Bill Monroe.  He used them (or pieces of them) a lot in his playing, and some of his most famous licks/ songs are based on them. For example-

Roanoke, Wheel Hoss, The Old Crossroad, The First Whippoorwill intro

Mike Auldridge also did a lot with them, although mainly at one fret position. Here are some examples from his playing-

“Little Rock Getaway” intro-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnXRahPmhlA

“It’s Over” intro-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rcKscUDU10

“Greensleeves”on the F and E chords-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpSlMIShLIo

LMK if this helps!

R-

• This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by Rob Ickes.

Yes– its in the “C Minor Scales in thirds up & down the strings” in the “mastering the fretboard” Course. I can technically perform the exercise, but I’m trying to wrap my brain around it more. I’m mainly getting hung up on the change in pattern & intervals from the other harmonic thirds exercises. For instance, it is going from C to A, then next D to Bb (which is technically the minor 6th, not the minor 3rd). I might just be missing something here. I enjoy the exercise, but am trying to understand it a bit more.

this is the vid im referring to: https://www.bigmusictent.com/lesson/c-minor-scales-harmonized-in-thirds-up-and-down-the-strings/

thanks