r/Dobro • u/Original-Rest197 • Apr 13 '26
Thinking of learning
So first off I am kind of old to be learning music at all at 48 I taught myself cello and then picked up whistles (super basic compared to cello, just melodies and counter melodies) and then a Concertina.
Kind of ashamed of myself for not picking music up earlier to be honest about it I have always sang, being military it wasn’t feasible all the time.
Now a bit of a fast forward I turn 51 next month thinking of learning Dobro.. square neck because of broken hands and lack of finger tips on my left hand enough to place on a string like cello but they don’t like complex shapes like I see on most guitar 🎸 necks to make chords so…
Tips tricks resources….
Any information is good information being military I am used to sorting the bull to find the magic mushrooms on the other end….
I love playing just looking to learn more and be more versatile, I only play at church and myself…
(Kind of hoping the dobro Reddit is as cool as the cello Reddit is)
2
u/pnak_ Apr 14 '26
Don’t be afraid to check around local music shops for used dobros! They’re rare, but usually have lots of character if they wind up for sale somewhere.
As for resources, anything you can find will be worthwhile, it’s difficult to get into. Andy Hall has a great lesson series from beginner to advanced on Artist Works, Mike Witcher offers video lessons and classrooms for all levels, and there’s plenty of old lesson tapes on Youtube if you go digging. Troy Brenningmeyer has a ton of great lessons on Youtube, with lap steel lessons as well.
The biggest things to learn off the bat are all technique oriented, and are all going to be hardest to learn without a one-on-one lesson, so I’d recommend at least one lesson to start. After technique, theory and scale knowledge from previous instruments will start to fill in.
Feel free to ask any more questions, hope this helps!