Andy's Blog: The start of something great
Welcome to my School Of Dobro friends!
I’m so excited to get to share all the knowledge that I’ve acquired in my 20 years as a musician. Right now I’m traveling through the mountains of northern New Mexico with The Infamous Stringdusters, and helping co-ordinate the launch of this cool site. I had a great time in Napa filming all of the lessons that are here, and getting a chance to do some performances with my good buddy, and guitar wizard Scott Law. Not to mention, the thrill of having Bryan Sutton record all of the backing tracks that you guys get to play along to! I have my camera gear at the ready, and look forward to doing some video exchanges with you guys as I travel along through the rockies.
I have a lot of reso buddies out there, so this is just a great way for us to connect and share information, not just between you and I, but for the students to share with each other. In this day and age, the ability to share information is growing faster than ever, and incorporating the Dobro world into that is going to create a huge leap in the playing ability of all who get involved.
Hopefully this site can develop into a community meeting space for all things reso. The folks who have put this site together are the best in the business, and you’re going to find tons of amazing tools to help you get the most out of your experience here. Not to mention, you’ll have me available to communicate with for any inquiry you may have. I will be learning the site as well, so together we can make this into something truly unique in the world of teaching and learning.
As I travel across the country, I’ll be interviewing musicians that I come across, shooting performance videos, writing these blogs, doing video exchanges, and giving you sneak peaks of some backstage antics with the Stringdusters. I travel all over the world to play music, so I hope to not only teach you all of the ins and outs of how to play the Dobro, but also give you an inside glimpse into life on the road, playing shows, and what it’s like being in a band. For instance, there’s a big difference between how I play when I’ve been at home practicing and doing recording sessions, than traveling and playing shows. At home I can really focus on the details of my practice regimen, and accuracy and intonation really come to the front. I can really spend time concentrating on problem areas and just dig in. On the road at shows, there’s maybe more of an entertainment element that creeps in. Less practice time, but much more focus on having my playing connect with the crowd. Building solos that can have an impact on a live audience.
These are the type of things I’ll be talking about in the blogs as we roll along. Hopefully this can be an all inclusive learning experience for both of us. So wether you’re just getting started, or have been playing for 30 years, there will be something for you here. And with all of the fresh monthly content, there will always be something new. Thanks for coming by to check things out, and I look forward to meeting and working with all of you!