Dobro backup in a bluegrass jam comes in four forms: the chop, long notes, soft rolls, and short fills. The Dobro has a singing tone that sits close to the human voice. That makes it a strong backup instrument, and it also means the player has to stay out of the singer’s way.
Find the chords first
A Dobro in a bluegrass jam is tuned to open G. The strings are G, B, D, G, B, D from low to high. With no bar on the strings, you have a G chord. Lay the bar straight across the strings at any fret and you have a major chord.
| Key | 1 chord | 4 chord | 5 chord |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | Open | 5th fret (C) | 7th fret (D) |
| A | 2nd fret | 7th fret (D) | 9th fret (E) |
| B | 4th fret | 9th fret (E) | 11th fret (F sharp) |
The 4 chord is five frets above the 1 chord. The 5 chord is seven frets above the 1 chord. That holds in every key.
Many players use a capo for A and B so the open strings still ring in the key. A Dobro needs its own kind of capo, made for a square neck with high strings. With the capo on the second fret, play as if you were in G, and the sound comes out in A.
Minor chords
A straight bar gives a major chord. For a minor chord, play two strings in place of all six. Pick the root and the fifth of the chord and leave the third out. In open G tuning, the D strings and G strings under a straight bar give you those two notes. The guitar and mandolin supply the minor sound.
The chop
The chop is a short, muted strum on the offbeat. Count “1 and 2 and.” The chop lands on each “and,” with the mandolin.
Lay the bar across the strings at the chord. Strum or pinch the strings, then lift the bar a little while your left hand fingers stay on the strings behind it. The chord stops short.
Chop during a mandolin break, when the mandolin player has stopped chopping to play lead. Chop on fast songs when the circle needs more rhythm.
Long notes and slides
On a slow song, hold long notes under the singer. Slide into a chord from one or two frets below. Add a slow vibrato by rocking the bar a small distance back and forth over the fret.
Play these notes at low volume, and choose notes lower or higher than the singer’s range. The Dobro’s tone sits close to a voice. Two voices in the same range blur the words.
Rolls
A roll is a repeating picking pattern across the strings, like a banjo roll. Hold the bar on the chord and roll at low volume. Rolls add motion on medium and fast songs. If a banjo is rolling already, pick the chop or lay out. Two sets of rolls at once crowd the song.
Fills
A fill is a short lick in the gap at the end of a sung line. The Dobro, the fiddle, and the banjo all play fills, so take turns. A good habit is to take the gaps in one verse and leave the next verse to another player. Look across the circle and trade with a nod.
End each fill before the singer comes back in.
When to lay out
Laying out means not playing. It is a real backup choice. Lay out during a quiet guitar break. Lay out on the first verse and come in on the chorus. A Dobro that enters halfway through a song adds more than one that plays the whole time.
Josh Graves brought the Dobro into bluegrass with Flatt and Scruggs. Listen to how much space he leaves behind the singers. Jerry Douglas and Rob Ickes are two more players to study for backup.
A plan for one song
Verse one: lay out, or hold one long note per line.
Chorus: soft rolls or long slides.
Fiddle or banjo break: chop.
Mandolin break: chop.
Guitar break: lay out.
Your break: play the melody. See how to take a break in a bluegrass jam.
Last chorus: watch the leader and end on the 1 chord with the circle.
Practice at home
Put on a slow singing song. Play one long note per line and nothing else. On the next pass, add one fill per verse. Record it and listen for the singer’s words.
Then put on a fast song and chop on the offbeat from start to finish. Keep the chop short and even.
For tuning, bar technique, and first tunes, read the bluegrass Dobro guide. For more players, see the list of bluegrass Dobro players.