Topic: Thanks for Great Advice regarding National Wood Bodied Resonators

[rpg51]

I want to thank you all for the great advice about wood bodied Nationals contained in old posts on this forum and also those of you who responded to my e mails about the characteristics of the Estralita and the M2.  Great great help that gave me a sense of confidence ordering sight unseen. I ended up with an M2.  The only question is can I hold my breath until Friday or Saturday which is when I expect it to arrive. 

Anyway, this is a great forum and I look forward to becoming more involved as time goes on. 

One thing I am going to need is some good instructional material to help me learn some slide - ie - DVDs.  I have a Grossman DVD and the Brozman DVD.  I'm looking for something even more basic however.  Any suggestions? 

Rob G.

[Flatd7]

Welcome to the wonderful world of wood bodied Nat's. I've had an M2 for a few years and love it.

My two fave reso artists are Mike Dowling and Steve James. They each have DVD's on Homespun. Steve's DVD is split between resonator and standard finger style. The tunes he teaches are pretty advanced. The Dowling DVD has quite a bit of useful material. He teaches a lot of "Tool Box" type licks. I think it is the best slide lesson out there.

And Dowling is . . . . . .  .well, Dowling.

I've always wanted to check out Orville Johnson's DVD. He's a great player and teacher also.

[rpg51]

I watched the little clip of the Dowling DVD on the Homespun site and I noticed that he plays with the bottleneck on his ring finger.  My plan has been to start out using my pinky.  Will the Dowling video be useful even if I am using the slide on my pinky?

[uncle bud]

Hi Rob,

Which Grossman DVD do you have, the one taught by Stefan or by Fred Sokolow? I don't have the Sokolow, but I recall sections of the Grossman video being fairly basic. Can't comment on the Dowling DVD, although when Mike was at Port Townsend last year, he didn't make a big deal of the ring finger/pinky issue and accommodated both.

UB

[rpg51]

Mine is the one taught by Stefan - the one where he plays his old Stella which has tone to die for. Someday when my ship comes in I am determined to get one of those high end old OS Stellas.

I think I will pick up the Dowling DVD too.  I'm really not sure yet whether I will end up using my pinky or my ring finger.  I'm trying to understand the advantages and disadvantages and most folks are telling me to relax about it and maybe do both for a while at the beginning.  I see Dowling using his pinky to fret some melody notes up above the slide which does seem to add something.  Bottom line is I am a complete blank slate and I just need to fool around for a while and see how it goes.  Things will clear up after I work with it for a while.  I am expecting my new resonator Friday. Goodness, that is the day after tomorrow! 

My hope is that after a little work on the basics I will be able to get a least one simple version of Amazing Grace down so when friends come over I don't embarrass myself and then I'll do some serious woodshedding for 6 months or a year and see where I am.

[uncle bud]

At the risk of opening the floodgates, I'm going to humbly suggest starting with the pinky. You will have more occasion in country blues to fret and chord behind the slide with multiple fingers than fret above the slide with the pinky, IMO. And I think it's easier to switch from the pinky to the ring if you need to later, rather than the reverse. All my opinion only!

One of the good things I recall about Stefan's video is a number of tunes with no fretting at all. He just concentrates on the slide, getting the melody, damping etc.

[dabluz]

ok uncle bud, i'll start the fight. i agree with you completely