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Free dobro lessons

Free dobro lessons, start to finish

Every Music With Mark dobro lesson is free: 29 video lessons from 2012 RockyGrass dobro champion Mark Lavengood, beginner to advanced, filmed at The Bear Den north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Make a free account with your name, email and ZIP, and the whole library opens. No card, no trial.

What's free

• All 29 dobro lessons, beginner to advanced, in order
• Song lessons: You Are My Sunshine, Cripple Creek and Mark's original Sliding Rock
• The Dobro Starter Kit: an open-G tuning chart and the tab for your first roll
• New lessons as they're filmed, starting with the lap steel series
• Ask Mark a question on any lesson

How it works

1. Make a free account: name, email and ZIP. The library opens right away.
2. Start with tuning to open G, then playing in tune with the bar and your first rolls.
3. Next time, log in with a 6-digit code we email you. No password.

The dobro lessons, by level

New to the instrument? Learn dobro online, one lesson at a time · Free resonator guitar lessons · Lap steel for beginners

The series: dobro now, then lap steel, mandolin and banjo

Music With Mark is a free instrument education series. Every instrument gets the same full beginner-to-advanced series.

1. Dobro: live now, 29 lessons. See every lesson.
2. Lap steel: next up. Get first word when it opens.
3. Mandolin: coming later.
4. Banjo: coming later.

Why it's free

Mark got his start because people shared what they knew with him, and he's passing it on. Cost should never be the reason somebody doesn't learn to play. Making lessons still costs real money (cameras, strings, studio time, editing, hosting), so players and fans who want to chip in, plus brand partners as they come on board, keep it running. Mark tells it in his own words on the Support page.

Prefer to pay for your lessons monthly? Pick a level — $5, $10 or $21 a month. Lessons stay free for everyone either way; paying never unlocks anything extra. Or give once. Brands: become a partner.

Questions

Are the lessons really free?

Yes. Every lesson in the dobro series is free with a free account: name, email and ZIP. No card, no trial, and nothing gets unlocked by paying. Three lessons (Tuning, Intermediate Rolls and Harmonics) even play with no login in the Dobro Starter Kit.

Why do you ask for my ZIP?

Your ZIP code helps Mark see where players are and plan shows and lessons near you. It's never sent to ad platforms.

How is this paid for?

By players and fans who choose to support it, at $5, $10 or $21 a month or with a one-time gift, and by brand partners as they come on board. Nobody has to pay to learn.

What do I need to start?

A dobro (a squareneck resonator guitar), finger picks and a steel bar. A capo is handy but optional. Every lesson is in open G tuning.

What comes after dobro?

Lap steel is next, then mandolin and banjo. Each gets the same full beginner-to-advanced series, free.

Is anything paid?

Only 1:1 lessons with Mark, online or in person in Grand Rapids: $150 an hour (on sale from $200). The video lessons are free.