When I was learning Dobro®, I had one major problem: I couldn't find anyone to show me how to play the dang thing. Only a few books and tapes had been published, there had been just a handful of workshops given.ever.and good luck if you wanted to find a resonator guitar teacher within 500 miles of your home. I learned a lot by playing along with records, but it wasn't until I attended a 3-hour workshop with Rob Ickes several years later that I started to understand what you could do with the instrument.

Luckily, the resonator guitar has greatly increased in popularity since then, and at the same time, bluegrass and acoustic music camps in general have become commonplace. In all corners of the U.S. and Canada, and even in the United Kingdom - you can find a well-organized music camp with a resonator guitar class taught by a world-class player.

Since it can be quite an investment to pay for and travel to a workshop-not to mention having to take several days off from work to be there-I thought it would be nice to provide some useful information about music camps. I just got home from 3 weeks at workshops, and next month I'll share some details about this year's classes offered by Jimmy Heffernan, Billy Cardine and myself to help illustrate what kinds of course materials to expect.

For now, I want to give you an overview of the camp experience, ideas about how to choose your class level and how to prepare, and provide some links to some of the best music camps in the world. I've taught at plenty of music workshops and I'm the program director of one such camp myself-and I initially learned resonator guitar just like you did, from books, videos, and workshops. So hopefully I'll have some good ideas on how a music camp can enhance your learning experience.

That's right-first things first. For most people, attending a music workshop will be the most fun they have all year. What most music camps have in common is a friendly, supportive, noncompetitive atmosphere where it's ok to try new things and to make mistakes. Students and instructors all learn together, eat together, socialize, and generally just have a great time at camp. You'll meet interesting people from around the world, hear and play inspiring music, and make lifelong friends. You couldn't ask for a better place to meet other pickers to jam with. In fact, it's so much fun at these acoustic utopias that at The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop [PSGW] they have a post-camp meeting on how to re-integrate into the real world with tips such as, "Don't accept any marriage proposals for three weeks. Don't quit your day job until your night job pays, and don't leave your guitar unattended on a busy street."

Factors to consider in choosing a camp to attend include:

• How many students will be in your class and at the camp in general?
• Whether you'll be camping, sharing a lodge, or staying in your own room
• The experience and reputations of the instructors

Most workshops offer classes for various acoustic instruments; guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, and fiddle are common. Having a variety of instruments on hand is great for jamming in the campgrounds. There are, however, two new workshops dedicated to slide guitar exclusively.

First, there's The Port Townsend Slide and Steel Workshop in Washington State, described as "a week living, learning and jamming with masters of country, Hawaiian, old-time, and bluegrass traditions." From all reports, it's an amazing time, and it provides an opportunity to see true masters of pedal steel, lap steel, and Dobro® in one place. The new artistic director of this workshop is Orville Johnson, who I consider to be one of the greatest resonator guitar stylists, so you can be sure that your instrument will be well represented.

Rob Ickes-International Bluegrass Music Association Dobro® Player of the Year too many times to count-has organized the first annual "Resosummit" this November in Nashville. This year's Resosummit boasts an amazing lineup of instructors including Rob Ickes, Mike Auldridge, Andy Hall, Randy Kohrs, Phil Leadbetter, and Michael Witcher. A wide range of interesting workshops are planned, a full recording studio is available for hands-on recording, and each night there are concerts at The Station Inn, one of the world's most famous bluegrass venues.

Here are some of the better-known music camps that offer Dobro® classes, in no particular order. I might be missing a few, but this is a good start. The workshops range from a few days to a full week, and in some cases 2 or 3 consecutive weeks might be offered.

• Resosummit in Nashville, TN. www.robickes.com
• Port Townsend Slide and Steel workshop, WA: http://www.centrum.org/slide/
• The British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop in Sorrento, BC: http://musicworkshops.ca/Bluegrasshomepage/Bluegrass_home.htm
• The California Bluegrass Association Music Camp in Grass Valley, CA: http://www.cbamusiccamp.org
• NashCamp in Nashville, TN: http://www.nashcamp.com
• The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, WA: http://www.langston.com/PSGW
• Sore Fingers Summer School in Kingham; Oxfordshire, UK: http://www.sorefingers.co.uk
• 108 Cabin Fever Workshop in 108 Mile, BC: http://bcbluegrass.com/
• Summergrass Kids and Family Workshop in San Diego, CA: http://www.summergrass.net/id47.html
• Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society Workshop at Camp He Ho Ha near Edmonton, AB: http://bluegrassnorth.com/
• Swannanoa Gathering near Asheville, NC: http://www.swangathering.org/
• Augusta Heritage in Elkins, WV: http://www.augustaheritage.com/
• Rockygrass Academy in Lyons, CO: http://www.bluegrass.com/rga/
• Wintergrass Academy in Tacoma, WA: http://www.acousticsound.org/
• Bluegrass on the Beach in Nehalem, OR: http://www.bluegrassatthebeach.com/
• American River Acoustic Music Camp: http://americanriverfolk.org/aramc/index.php?section=workshops
• Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp in Pomeroy, OH: http://www.furpeaceranch.com/workshops.html

Most music camps offer 2 levels of resonator guitar class, typically "Beginning/Intermediate" and "Intermediate/Advanced." If you're a beginner or an advanced player, it's easy enough to choose a class. If you fall in the intermediate category somewhere, the decision can be tricky. For intermediate players, here are a few scenarios that might help you decide on a class level.

• The class is going to learn what the 1, 4, and 5 chords are in the Key of D, and then review the D major scale. If you wouldn't mind reviewing this, and maybe learned your scales but never knew what to do with them, think about taking beginning/intermediate. If you know 1, 4, and 5 chords in every key in your sleep and don't mind jamming a song in the Key of D, take intermediate/advanced.
• Your instructor says, "Bar the second string at the 9th fret, pick with your index finger, slide down to the 7th fret and play the 2nd and 3rd strings with index and thumb." If you need to take a minute to count out the frets and look at your picking hand to make your fingers go to the right strings, think about taking beginning/intermediate. If finding the frets and strings is second nature, you can probably take intermediate/advanced.
• The instructor asks all of the students to play 30 seconds of something they know. If you respond by sliding to a chord, playing a couple of notes, and then sliding to another chord and playing a couple of other notes, take beginning/intermediate. If you know a tune such as "Fireball Mail" but only a few notes at a time and can't play it at a medium tempo, you might also take beginning/intermediate. If you can already play through "Fireball Mail" or "Old Joe Clark" mostly in tune and in time, take the intermediate/advanced class.

Sometimes a student who is fairly accomplished might wish to take a beginning level class to review the basics or spend time with a particular instructor. This usually works out fine. Out of consideration of other members of the class, however, this student should be careful not to "take over" the class with too many questions. Also, he or she should be mindful of not showing off so that other students aren't intimidated. Rather, he or she should probably let other students set the tone and the speed of the class.

Likewise, an early-intermediate student may wish to take the more advanced class. Perhaps this student knows music very well and Dobro® is a second or third instrument. Such a student will probably understand the concepts even if he or she can't perform them right away, and will probably benefit from more advanced instruction. This scenario will work well provided the student in question is conscious of not slowing down the class with questions better suited to a beginning/intermediate workshop.

Overall, in a group-learning environment, if everyone is considerate of others, things tend to go smoothly. The Sore Fingers Summer School in the U.K. offers only one level of resonator guitar class, but having taught there, I can tell you that the students are very polite and accustomed to being in a large class of players at different levels.

Taking a class with others is not like taking private lessons. Even though a good instructor will have a course outline and specific materials suited to the average student, there's no way for to prepare for everything that each individual student wants to learn. On the other hand, your fellow students will probably want to learn things that you never knew existed, and that's one of the real benefits of taking a class; you are certain to be exposed to new insights and areas of knowledge.

Students, however, can certainly help determine how much time is spent on each topic. I recommend coming to class with three or four specific questions, preferably about topics that everyone needs to know to be a good resonator guitar player; for example: different ways to play minor chords, how to put together a hammer-on/pull-off lick, ideas for backing up a vocalist, etc. You might also want to mention whether you favor traditional or modern Dobro® techniques.

If you're familiar with your instructor's playing, of course it would be great to mention what it is about his or her style you're interested in. Mention all of this at the first class meeting, and hopefully others in the class will do the same. Then you can get your big questions answered at some point during the week; otherwise, you'll do well if you just resolve to learn what is being taught the rest of the time.

With few exceptions, students who don't have a great time at a workshop have shown up with unrealistic goals and expectations. I wish it were possible to play like Jerry Douglas after a week's instruction, but it doesn't work that way.

Think of your learning experience as a road trip to a far-away destination. The best your instructor can do in a week is to draw you a map, direct you to the right freeway onramp, and tell you about a few stops you'll want to make on the first or second day of driving. Likewise, if little problems come up at camp, try not to worry about them too much. Everyone is trying their best to give students, faculty, and staff a great experience-and it's camp after all. Leave expectations from the office or university behind, get in the summer camp mentality, and have fun!

I don't want to seem negative, and all of the following tips will be common sense to 99% of you. Everyone appreciates it if individuals don't take up too much class time with idiosyncratic tunes or topics. While it's great to ask questions, the instructor will want to stay on task, so it's best to wait until the lesson on pull-offs is over before asking how to make minor chords.

While in class, students should keep stories and tangents to a minimum-no one has paid tuition fees to hear about another student's band or his uncle's lap steel in the attic. Likewise, no matter how good a student is, everyone is in the class to learn from the instructor; there is plenty of time after class for trading licks or stories with other students.

Remember also that the sound of one resonator guitar can be chaotic enough. As for the sound of 12 resonator guitars playing different licks in different keys simultaneously- Did you ever see the movie Scanners? Usually everyone is considerate, with the possible exception of one guy (it is usually a guy). Don't be that guy!

All right, you've decided that you'd like to try learning in a group setting, and you've found the perfect workshop and registered for the class. Now you have a month or two to go before camp. What's the best way to prepare? I think this is the time to review the basics. How is your picking? Do your fingers pick the strings you intend to pick? Are you playing at a good volume? Are you comfortable fretting notes with the bar? Work on picking patterns, rolls, intonation, keeping the bar parallel with the frets, etc. Practice what you know, and learn how to play what you know better and with less effort. That way, when you're learning a new scale in class, you won't get bogged down because you're having trouble moving the bar efficiently, and when you're learning a pull-off lick, you won't be stuck just trying to do a pull-off.

Do you get nervous playing in front of others? Go out and jam at the local bluegrass club or with some friends. Remember, no one at camp is going to be judging you and it's ok to make mistakes. You'll have a better time if you figure out how to be as relaxed as possible while playing in public.

I asked Jimmy Heffernan, a very experienced Dobro® teacher, for his thoughts about preparing for a workshop. His advice was not to worry much about the time before the workshop, but rather to block out plenty of time for practicing after the workshop, and to secure that time well in advance. If you've just returned from a week of intensive learning, the best thing to do is go to work on the new material right away so you can actually incorporate it into your playing. This is all excellent advice.

Be sure to bring a tuner (and use it!), an extra battery for your tuner, a metronome if you have one, and extra strings and picks. If sitting for hours at a time might be an issue for you, try to bring a comfortable chair. Most instructors encourage students to record anything they like. Video cameras are unnerving, and I personally dislike having lessons videotaped, but audio recordings are fine. Most instructors prefer that you only share such recordings with fellow students in your class, however.

Of course, you should bring your resonator guitar! If it has rattles or buzzes, or if you've been meaning to get a higher nut and a new cone, get all of that taken care of in advance. Your learning experience will be far better if your instrument is in good working condition. At the PSGW, only one student had an actual resonator guitar, and the other students had metal nut-raisers on standard guitars. If you're planning on modifying a standard guitar, be sure it can handle the tension of open G tuning.

I've found that many students come to class, see the gear that their fellow students have, and wish they had a better bar, capo, or strap. Below is a list of some professional-quality gear so you can get it ahead of time. There are others brands out there that some players like; these are just some of my personal favorites. Please don't use a cheap strap-resonator guitars are heavy, plus the weight of your arms on the instrument adds to the strain on your shoulders. A good strap is essential, especially if you plan on a full week of jamming all day and night in the campground! Most of this gear is readily available with a quick Internet search, though probably only the Lap Dawg and Shubb slides listed below can be found in an average music shop.

• Bars: Scheerhorn, Bradley, Tipton, EG Smith, Lap Dawg, Shubb SP-GS1
• Capos: Bradley, Scheerhorn, Scheerhorn "Flux," Beard, Leno
• Straps: Bobby Poff (rpoffmaker), Martin Gross, Long Hollow Premier Deluxe

That should give you plenty to think about for now. Next month, I'll go into some specifics from a few of this year's workshop classes, plus I'll share some fun stories from "band camp." I don't want to leave you without anything new to play, and I realize that for some of it's just not practical to take a week off and travel to a music camp; for others, an instructional DVD may be the closest you'll come to personal instruction. With that in mind, here's a tab of "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains" from my instructional DVD. The tab is great for learning what notes to play, though the video demonstrates not just how to play the notes, but also the ideas that make it possible to easily find the melody notes and embellish them with licks, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and rolls. Enjoy!

Until next time, remember that "Dobro®" means "good" in any language!
Ivan Rosenberg

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.