Home › Resonator guitar lessons

Squareneck resonator guitar

Free resonator guitar lessons, played on your lap

Mark Lavengood uses both names for his instrument: the dobro, or the resonator guitar. Music With Mark teaches the squareneck resonator guitar, played face up on your lap with a steel bar in one hand and finger picks on the other, in open G tuning. It's 29 video lessons, from your first tune-up to harmonics, slants and inversions, and every one is free with a free account. How the free lessons work.

Squareneck or roundneck?

Resonator guitars come in two kinds. A squareneck is built to be played flat on your lap with a steel bar, and that's what these lessons teach. A roundneck has a regular guitar neck and is usually played upright, often with a bottleneck slide or fretted like a guitar. The lessons here don't teach upright bottleneck playing; players who want help with bottleneck slide can book a 1:1 lesson with Mark.

What the lessons cover

• Tuning to open G and playing in tune with the bar
• Right-hand forward and backward rolls, intermediate rolls and drone rolls
• Major scales, the natural minor and the pentatonic scale
• Rhythm: strum patterns and the chop
• Lead: licks and ending a solo
• Bar technique: harmonics, hammer-ons and pull-offs, slants and inversions
• Songs: You Are My Sunshine, Cripple Creek and Mark's original Sliding Rock

Mark's setup

Mark plays a Beard resonator guitar with GHS Strings and uses a Scheerhorn bar. You don't need his gear to start: finger picks and a steel are enough, and a capo is handy but optional.

In Mark's words

“Intonation is an imperative element of playing music in general, but especially any non-fretted instrument, like the dobro, or the resonator guitar.”

“I love teaching. I love the culture of the resonator community.”

Questions

Is a dobro a resonator guitar?

Yes. Dobro is the name most people use for the squareneck resonator guitar, the kind played on your lap with a steel bar. Mark uses both names for his instrument.

Do these lessons work for a roundneck resonator guitar?

They're taught on a squareneck played lap-style in open G. If you play a roundneck upright with a bottleneck slide, the right-hand rolls and ear training still help, but the lessons don't teach upright bottleneck technique.

What's the difference between a dobro and a lap steel?

Both are played flat on your lap with a steel bar. A dobro is an acoustic resonator guitar, loud on its own because of its metal resonator cone; most lap steels are solid-body electrics played through an amp. More on lap steel.

What tuning is a resonator guitar in for these lessons?

Open G: G B D G B D, low to high.

Can I try a resonator guitar lesson for free?

Yes. Tuning, Intermediate Rolls and Harmonics are free in the Dobro Starter Kit. Every other lesson is free with a free account.