Thanks for checking out this month's Guitar Sessions resonator guitar column. Before we get into the lesson, here's something I like to mention about learning resonator guitar from books, videos, and even these online lessons.

If you're like me, when you started playing, you bought lots of instructional books and videos, skipped over the beginnings, and went straight to the last chapters to learn the fancy licks. As most pros would tell you, the most important information is usually in Chapters 1-3. That's where you learn how to make one note sound good, how to hold the bar properly, and how to pick efficiently.

After learning bad habits for a few years, it took me another few years to go back and re-learn the fundamentals, so hopefully I can shave some time off your learning curve with this recommendation: get all of your instructional videos and books out again and spend some time with those early chapters-I promise you'll find something worthwhile!

You've probably been in some jams where the person leading the song started playing and singing, but it took a while before everyone else found the beat and could play rhythm together. Of course, it's much better if everyone knows the tempo and where the first downbeat goes, so everyone can play together. So, this month we'll look at an important skill: being able to kick off a song. We'll also get more practice with rolls with an arrangement of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

If you're kicking off a song on the Dobro^® (or any other instrument), it's customary to play a few notes leading into the first downbeat of the song. For example, pickup notes are what you'd play between saying "One, two, three," and the first downbeat of the song (where the rest of the band would come in). The pickup notes should lead naturally to the first melody note of the song.

For almost every song in the bluegrass repertoire, the melody note on the first downbeat will be a note from the triad of the song's first chord. For example, a G chord is made of the notes G, B, and D. If the first chord of a given song is a G chord, the melody note on the first downbeat will almost always be a G, B, or D. Luckily for us, it's quite easy to find these notes, since the resonator guitar is tuned GBDGBD. So, you want to have some pickup notes at your disposal that will lead to each of these notes.

In our first example, we'll assume the first note of the song in the key of G is a G note, as in "Fireball Mail," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and "Take this Hammer". Here's a classic Dobro intro for the Key of G that leads to a G note on the open 3rd string, followed by a roll you can find in my previous lessons. (Remember, the 6th string is low and 1st string is high):

The note B can be found on the open 2nd string or on the 3rd string, 4th fret. Usually, the 3rd string/4th fret will sound more powerful, plus you have the advantage of being able to slide into the note. That's what we'll do in the next tab, and these pickup notes would lead you right into songs such as "Blue Ridge Cabin Home," "Little Cabin Home on the Hill," and "Steel Guitar Rag" in the Key of G. They're followed by another roll you might know already from the last lesson.

Many bluegrass and country melodies in the key of G kick off to a D note. Examples include "Sunny Side of the Mountain" and "Can't You Hear Me Calling." Here's a classic Dobro lick for the key of G that leads to a D note. This time, the D note on the first downbeat is followed by another D note, played by sliding into the 3rd fret/2nd string, followed by a roll.

Now that you've learned how to kick off a song, let's try it in the context of this great bluegrass standard- "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"- which kicks off to a G note. This arrangement also uses rolls from the June and July lessons, so you might want to review those before trying out this song. I hope you have fun with this arrangement at your next jam. Until next time, happy Dobro^® pickin!

Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Ivan Rosenberg has released 4 acclaimed CDs of mostly-original instrumentals plusan instructional DVD. He has toured with Chris Stuart & Backcountry, Hit & Run, The Breakmen, and Mighty Squirrel and has recorded with Chad Manning, Jake Schepps, Julie Elkins & David Thompson, Ben Winship, and Mike Grigoni among others. His original music has appeared in several film and television scores including Kangaroo Jack, Deadwood, The Daily Show, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Bluegrass Unlimited described Ivan as "one of the more prolific masters of the resonator guitar," and in his Banjo Newsletter review, Donald Nitchie wrote that Ivan's Clawhammer and Dobro® CD was one of the best instrumental recordings of the year. A new CD from Ivan and resonator guitar whiz Billy Cardine (with members of Billy's band, The Biscuit Burners) will be released in the summer of 2007.

Known for his systematic and enjoyable approach to teaching, Ivan has instructed at the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop (BCBW) in Canada, the California Bluegrass Association Music Camp in Grass Valley, and the Sore Fingers Week bluegrass workshop in the UK. 2007 workshops include the BCBW-for which Ivan is also the new program director-and The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. Ivan teaches resonator guitar and clawhammer banjo in both private and group lessons in the Bay Area.

To learn more about Ivan Rosenberg and his music please visit his official website: www.ivanrosenberg.com and www.myspace.com/ivanrosenberg.