Michael Hughes - Posted - 10/30/2012:  09:59:42

Just posted my latest chapter in Tao of Dobro which talks about playing minor chords and gives five different ways to do it.

brichardson - Posted - 10/30/2012:  13:08:58

Very helpful. Keep them coming

RobA - Posted - 10/30/2012:  14:21:01

Nice work Michael! I'm sure everyone appreciates all of the work you put into this!

doug662 - Posted - 10/30/2012:  15:03:56

i'll have to go over this one!! Thanks for your help!!!

Greg Booth - Posted - 10/30/2012:  18:22:45

Good stuff Michael. That pretty much covers it. Another thing worth exploring is tuning the low G to E. With my pedal steel background I'm prone to simply changing a note in my tuning if it makes something good happen. Lowering your low G string to E gives you minors and minor 7ths all over the place among other fun stuff without disrupting most of your standard G tuning licks. Lowering the B(s) to Bb is another easy way to make minors, if the song or arrangement allows you to stay in that tuning.

Michael Hughes - Posted - 10/30/2012:  20:03:57

Thanks, guys. BTW, I was in bed and just about asleep when I realized I had made an error in showing the C minor chord. Doh! Had to get up and fix it. If anybody downloaded a copy before 11:00 pm EDT, please go back and get the corrected version.

Michael Hughes - Posted - 10/30/2012:  20:05:16

Thanks, Greg, for the tuning tips! BTW, I am a HUGE fan and play your arrangement of Panhandle Rag every day as part of my practice routine.

DobroCymru - Posted - 10/31/2012:  03:11:17

Excellent thoughts Michael, thanks for sharing.

dsjames - Posted - 10/31/2012:  07:23:38

I'd like to add my appreciation also -- your blog is very informative and helpful.

Greg Booth - Posted - 11/01/2012:  09:28:23

Hi folks, this morning I got a RH message from a member here asking questions about navigating within the drop E tuning, EBDGBD. I thought maybe I'd post my reply here as well for you all to see. There is always more, but here it is in a nutshell.

Lounge Primate - Posted - 11/01/2012:  10:00:04

Greg, great info, thanks. How often do you use the drop E tuning while performing? Or do you use it more for solo stuff?

Greg Booth - Posted - 11/01/2012:  10:23:32

I use it often. Many of the songs from Kathy's albums I recorded with it, My House, Come Walk With Me, Shuckin' the Acorns from the new album, but probably less than half the time. I find myself flipping it in and out depending on the song and the key.

Slideman1939 - Posted - 11/01/2012:  14:24:53

Your contribution here tied in with 4 previously submitted subjects in August and September ( Nashville numbering system, Major-minor chords, color chords, transition chords, and (now) playing minors. It was an overwhelming bunch of good stuff for future practice. I downloaded, copied, 3 hole punch, and put it in a "Tao" RINGBOOK. It's a LOT of info but the sections flow logically thru the various submission dates. My Ringbook starts with Aug 15 Nashville Numbers as the top beginning page and the back page is the recent section from October on Minors. Like any new info, you break it into manageable pieces and conquer it a page at a time. I play by ear with no formal music lessons so a lot of this good stuff is like "Greek" to me which justified the hard copy, plus ringbook, plus piecemeal learning.. It reminds me of a monthly column that Mike Auldridge used to do in the late eighties for a (now, defunct) magazine called FRETS.

RobA - Posted - 11/01/2012:  19:43:47

Here's a little minor key humor that only fellow musicians can appreciate (or understand!) 

Minor triad goes into a bar...the WHOLE story: 

C, E-flat, and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, but we don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished, and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, "Excuse me; I'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight." E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.

Rob OPhonic - Posted - 11/02/2012:  09:31:44

Thanks for all the great information in one place Michael!  Slideman is ahead of me as usual as I am also making a book to practice with and try to keep everything in order. Greg and Rob A, both of you are the type of players that the rest of us can look to for inspiration and how it should be done. Thanks again.

LMinVA - Posted - 11/05/2012:  13:35:46

That's very helpful Michael. Thank you for the whole series of lessons.

revsoupbone - Posted - 11/05/2012:  20:57:22

Wonder if a Keith tuner on the low G would make it easy to go from G to E and back?

May have to look into that....

set of 2 Shallers for $89 on evilbay...may have to click it....