Learn How to Play the Dobro with Mark Lavengood

Always wanted to play a musical instrument? Interested in the dobro? In recent memory, the dobro (resonator guitar) has evolved as one of the most in-demand instruments in a variety of musical genres, most notably: bluegrass, country, and folk, and the appearance of the dobro in recordings and live performances has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Like the lap steel, the dobro allows one to sustain notes for longer intervals, adding continual layers and texture with less concentrated effort.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based musician Mark Lavengood picked up the dobro in the mid-2000s and in the time since his introduction to the instrument has performed and instructed dobro on local, regional, national & international levels, winning the prestigious dobro competition at the renowned RockyGrass festival in 2012. In addition, Mark has given workshops and performed at notable festivals like Celtic Connections, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, World of Bluegrass at IBMA, Pagosa Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Wheatland Music Festival, Blissfest, and a long list of folk and roots festivals.

In November of 2018, Lavengood recorded a series of instructional dobro modules for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players, each accompanied by its own song to learn, plus video tutorials on technique, method, and style. The audio was recorded in the Bear Den at Grand Haven’s lauded Third Coast Recording Studio, and the video was recorded and edited by Sarah Ford of Surf Ford Productions. The complete series is available in the webstore below — subscribe for the full library, or schedule an intimate one-on-one dobro lesson with Mark.

Mark proudly endorses Beard Guitars, GHS Strings, K & K Pickups, Scheerhorn capos, Stormy Kromer caps and Strings By Mail.

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