Home › Lessons › Intermediate › The Chop

Intermediate dobro lesson

How to Chop on the Dobro

In this lesson Mark explains the chop, the percussive element that holds the rhythm together in bluegrass, and how it pairs with the bass. He shows a strum chop at the tenth fret, a series of downbeat chops at the sixth fret with a relaxed left hand, and a pick chop.

Music With Mark - Chop Technique on the Dobro

What you'll learn

• What the chop does: it holds the rhythm together, often on the backbeat
• How the bass on the downbeat and the chop of the mandolin, dobro or fiddle work together
• A strum chop at the tenth fret (an F chord), palm muting and aiming the thumb at the third, second and first strings
• Chops on the downbeat at the sixth fret, with the left hand resting on the strings
• Using the elbow as the fulcrum and swinging through the wrist
• The pick chop, and what happens if you hold it too long or not long enough

Step by step

1. Strum chop: go to the tenth fret (the F chord). Palm mute with your right hand and chop with your thumb, aiming for the third, second and first strings.
2. Second way: move to the sixth fret and do a series of chops on the downbeat.
3. Keep the left hand sympathetic: don't push down on the strings and don't pull the bar off; let it rest there and absorb the vibrations.
4. Get the leverage from your elbow as the fulcrum and swing through the wrist.
5. Pick chop: rest the bar on the strings, pull up and pinch, pulling up on the bar ever so slightly behind the chop.

In Mark's words

“The chop is one of my favorite elements of bluegrass music.”

“The chop, it's an element that holds the rhythm together.”

“I've found that aiming for the higher strings gets more clarity in the chop.”

“If you hold it too long, you'll get noise.”

Questions

What is a chop on dobro?

The chop is a percussive element that holds the rhythm together in bluegrass, often found on the backbeat. Mark explains that the bass often plays the downbeat while the mandolin, dobro or fiddle plays the chop.

How do you play a strum chop on dobro?

Mark goes to the tenth fret (the F chord), palm mutes with his right hand, and chops with his thumb aimed at the third, second and first strings. He finds that aiming for the higher strings gets more clarity in the chop.

What should my left hand do when chopping on dobro?

Mark says to be sympathetic with the left hand: you're not pushing down on the strings and you're not pulling the bar off, just letting it rest there and absorb the vibrations.

What is a pick chop on dobro?

You rest the bar on the strings, then pull up and pinch, pulling up on the bar ever so slightly behind the chop. Mark says if you hold it too long you get noise, and if you don't hold it long enough you get a muted, dead sound.

Keep going