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Today, Class, We'll Become Experts In Country Music's Own Special Instrument: The Dobro

The instrument I associate with that tinny, quavering, high-pitched guitar sound has a large sort of metal resonator, lets call it, in the center of the "voice-box" of the guitar, i.e. the bottom part, not the neck. It's big in blue-grass, old-school country, and your better country-rock groups.

"LISTEN"

Here's a bunch of pictures, and Gawd bless Google's image search:

"DOBRO"

Let's see what Mister Intenet has to say about this...

OK, the Dobro was named for its' inventors, the immigrant Slovakian DOpyera BROthers, of Los Angeles, who were commissioned to find a way to increase the volume of pre-electric guitars, to compete with horns and banjos, etc, on bandstands and on the radio, back in the 1920s.

"The Dobro Story"

The original resonator guitar was the Dopyera's "National," with an all-steel body, like the one Johnny Winter plays on his first album, "The Progressive Blues Experiment." Then one of Dopyera's split and started making less costly, wooden "Dobros."

The two companies later merged, and finally went under after electrification, and more "sophisticated" tastes killed the market. "Gibson guitars" later revived them, or at least the Dobro.

This is a good thing. Gibson is known for quality, and classic guitars still prized by great musicians everywhere, both electric, like the "Les Paul" model, and acoustic, like the "Hummingbird." You're probably listening to one of them right now. (Not to slight "Martin's," or "Fender's;" great guitars, also.)

They came to America from Spain and have connexions to other European and African musical traditions: Yet, the resonant banjo and the guitar, especially the slide guitar and the electric guitar, are the most uniquely American of all instruments.

The music they make, and the image of free-wheeling, easy-going, road-hitting, rock and rolling exuberance is one of the few good things we have left here, in the eyes of the world; along with the jazz trumpet and saxophone, portable instruments of a road-based culture, also.

It says to the world that, despite the horrors of our amoral government and our rapacious corporate elite, down here on the dance floor, we're still good people, just like all the other victims of the dark side of L'America.

While you've still got 'em, celebrate your freedoms, and your roots, kids: Pack yer axe and hit the road! Let the world know what you're made of: Rhythm and blues.

And there you have it: Fifteen minutes on the Internet can make YOU an expert in anything! Now, about that nukuler physisist's job...

Cross-posted at "It's Morning Somewhere". Thank you, Ms. OWL!

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