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Author Topic:  Going to Rob Ickes workshop...any tips?
Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 2 Feb 2017 9:23 pm    
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Next week in Pasadena. 3 hours and it calls for all skill levels. I hadn't been playing my dobro much in the past year or two because I was playing my Weissenborns. I've become more comfortable playing in Open D and need to reacquaint myself with Open G.

If you can imagine yourself in my shoes, what would you work on to get yourself up to a speed so the workshop doesn't overwhelm? I know this can mean a lot of things to different folks. But if there are people who've done this and wished they'd had a game plan prior, what comes to mind? I'm sure the quick answer is just have fun and don't worry too much. I will, of course. Rob said to come with questions. My first one would be "how come I'm not getting any good yet?" Mr. Green
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Mark Eaton


From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 3:04 am    
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I have been to several of these over the years, and based on where you are at right now there probably isn't a whole lot you can do in terms of getting you fully back up to speed on G dobro in such a short period of time, but I think reviewing and running through your major scales and minor blues scales would be a good start along with working on your right hand rolls.

The main thing is to prepare yourself with any questions you might have.

If you would like to learn to play slants in a modern context ask Rob about that. He doesn't use them all the time, but he has become a master at forward and reverse slants.

Rob generally emphasizes working on technique in these things rather trying to teach hot licks or songs. Playing clean, observing your picking hand position and helping you focus on it - that sort of thing.

There is only so much that can be accomplished in an afternoon workshop with several players. And a big thing for you is to really watch what he is doing when he demonstrates something and try to commit it to memory.

Relax and enjoy it. Rob is a great guy - and think about this: because the dobro isn't exactly a mainstream instrument, it's pretty cool that you get to take a workshop from a guy who if it were say electric guitar, it might be the equivalent of learning some things from a Clapton or a Knopfler!

And I hope you are attending the concert as well. Rob and Trey are great together, and Trey is a like a force of nature! I managed to see three of their shows in 2016.
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Dave Plewa

 

From:
The Jersey Shore, USA
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 5:28 am    
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Agreed Mark, Ive been to four of the resosummits in Nashville and its like a B-12 shot to get you motivated. One thing you can do is make notes while your there and carve out hours of each day after you get back to go over all the headspinning information you will be subject to..
Have a great time!! Rob is the best..

Word of caution, Rob makes certain things look so easy.. I think it's the size of his hands Wink


Last edited by Dave Plewa on 3 Feb 2017 6:15 am; edited 1 time in total
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Frank Freniere


From:
The First Coast
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 6:03 am    
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Totally envious ...
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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 9:05 am    
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That's a lot of good information, Mark and Dave. Thanks so much. Scales are certainly something I need to brush up on and I was working on rolls a bit last night. Slants are something that I've never really focused on much, so that could be something worthwhile to ask about while I'm there.

I haven't decided on the concert yet, although my wife gave me the green light. Perhaps I'll see if tickets are still available.
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Frank Freniere


From:
The First Coast
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 9:49 am    
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Dave Plewa wrote:

Word of caution, Rob makes certain things look so easy.. I think it's the size of his hands Wink


Steve Vai has big hands, too.

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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 9:56 am    
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Ha!

Here are the new Steve Vai guitars that were on display last month at NAMM.


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Mark Eaton


From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 10:09 am    
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Hey Jeff, you need to go to the concert. Even if they are theoretically sold out I have a feeling that Rob might be able to get you in since you're a workshop attendee (but don't hold me to that).

I don't know if you ever got to see Rob play with Blue Highway, or with Jim Hurst as a duo prior to hooking up with Trey Hensley, but the things you might pick up from being in the workshop are put into action in the evening. And in a duo situation you get to see more of it as opposed to a five piece group. You could be back in high school as quarterback of your football team and attending a clinic with Tom Brady showing his passing technique and footwork, but you don't really "get it" until you see him use the techniques in an actual game. Maybe I should use the example of Matt Ryan instead - go Falcons! Wink

The other thing is that it's not bluegrass only with Rob and Trey, they're all over the map. They will play some bluegrass and country classics (Trey and Rob both practically worship Haggard) and along with that songs like the Dead's Friend of the Devil, Stevie Ray Vaughan's Pride & Joy, and Elton John's Ballad of a Well-Known Gun.

I mentioned Knopfler in my earlier post. He is pretty much my favorite living electric guitar player. Several years ago when Rob was touring with Jim Hurst because it was the off season for bluegrass festivals, my older brother who is an even bigger Knopfler fan than I saw Rob and Jim a few hours south of me near Santa Cruz. He tells me on the phone that week they played the Dire Straits ballad Why Worry. I was excited to hear that and in the workshop the following weekend I asked Rob if he would play the song during the concert and he said "sure." I had also asked about his take on slants since I couldn't get into his "slant class" one year at Reso Summit in Nashville as it was already full. His version of the song uses a lot of slants, so he demonstrated those during the workshop and I could see them come to life in a performance context later that evening. Check out the video below of Why Worry from one of Rob's tours with Jim Hurst (a phenomenal guitarist).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=plBH1QA2xYE
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Last edited by Mark Eaton on 3 Feb 2017 10:17 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mark Eaton


From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 10:15 am    
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Just saw the Steve Vai guitars post which was submitted while I was writing my last one - I'll bet if you asked Trey Hensley to play some Steve Vai stuff he could likely nail it - he can play pretty much anything!

Though I'm not real sure about those color combos. Whoa!
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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Feb 2017 11:16 am    
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Okay okay, I'll go to the show...

Thanks again for the input, Mark. I was able to reserve a seat and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll check out the link later, thanks for that.

Those Steve Vai guitars were hanging there just begging people to look at them. They're quite bright. I wasn't the only one snapping a pic.
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Dan Mahoney

 

From:
North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 4 Feb 2017 6:23 am    
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Jeff, it may be mentioned in the workshop info, but be sure to bring a digital recorder and extra batteries. Rob will cover so much that you won't be able to absorb it all. Recording it will take the pressure off you to remember everything, and you'll have a great resource for practice.
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Brian McGaughey


From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
Post  Posted 4 Feb 2017 9:00 am    
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Jeff, let us know how it goes. Rob is putting on a workshop up here at the Wintergrass Festival in a few weeks. I was thinking of signing up. I can't think of specific questions for him, I was more hoping some of his technique and approach would rub off!

He's up to perform with Trey Hensley at the Festival.
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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 4 Feb 2017 11:29 am    
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Brian McGaughey wrote:
Jeff, let us know how it goes. Rob is putting on a workshop up here at the Wintergrass Festival in a few weeks. I was thinking of signing up. I can't think of specific questions for him, I was more hoping some of his technique and approach would rub off!

He's up to perform with Trey Hensley at the Festival.


I will, indeed. Good tip on bringing a recorder. I have an h4 zoom and if Robs okay with it, I'll bring it.
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Mark Eaton


From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
Post  Posted 4 Feb 2017 11:42 am    
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Brian McGaughey wrote:
Jeff, let us know how it goes. Rob is putting on a workshop up here at the Wintergrass Festival in a few weeks. I was thinking of signing up. I can't think of specific questions for him, I was more hoping some of his technique and approach would rub off!

He's up to perform with Trey Hensley at the Festival.


Yeah, it's a burnout tour - like 13 west coast shows in 17 days.
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Philip Garcia


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 11:31 am    
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Hi Jeff,

I'm in L.A. and I'll be going to the workshop and the concert too. I'll bring my zoom recorder as well. Excited I got a friend now
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Brooks Montgomery


From:
Idaho, USA
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 12:42 pm    
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Ask him about nearly getting trampled by a moose (we're talking inches) while fly fishing in Utah.
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Philip Garcia


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 3:51 pm    
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Thanks Brooks. Wow, that's a good topic.
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Mark Eaton


From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 5:03 pm    
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I hear you guys have 12 participants in the workshop. That's a pretty big crowd for these deals.

No noodling while the maestro is speaking! Wink
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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 8:12 pm    
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Philip Garcia wrote:
Hi Jeff,

I'm in L.A. and I'll be going to the workshop and the concert too. I'll bring my zoom recorder as well. Excited I got a friend now

Looking forward to meeting you Philip.
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Jeff Bell

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2017 9:51 pm    
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Brian McGaughey wrote:
Jeff, let us know how it goes. Rob is putting on a workshop up here at the Wintergrass Festival in a few weeks. I was thinking of signing up. I can't think of specific questions for him, I was more hoping some of his technique and approach would rub off!

He's up to perform with Trey Hensley at the Festival.

You should definitely go. After speaking to several of the participants, with all coming from different levels of experience, I believe everyone got something out of it. For me, it was both right and left hand technique that Rob pointed out while observing me play. He was totally hands on (literally adjusting the steel to help me with angles on pull offs.) to help me correct some of my issues. I didn't have any specific questions and hoped to soak in as much as I could. He asked everyone what they wanted to work on and I believe most people got their wishes. He talked about gear and what he used and why. We left with some homework and I think the only thing we didn't touch upon is slant technique. He did talk about intonation and slants, but we didn't go over how he practices that. Nobody asked about it, though. Three hours goes by so quickly and we covered a lot.

The show was great. Thanks to everyone who suggested I not miss it. Trey Hensley is as talented as they come. I wanted to watch Rob to pick up on some things, but I kept watching Trey with awe. I couldn't help it. His fingers move so fast, I couldn't believe it!

I am very happy to have gone and I made some new friends. And maybe I'll leave my home and get out there to play with some of them.
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Brian McGaughey


From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2017 9:56 pm    
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Thanks for taking the time to check in Jeff.

I will definitely sign up for his workshop here in a couple weeks. Homework, yeah!
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Brian McGaughey


From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
Post  Posted 28 Feb 2017 7:46 am    
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Went to the Rob Ickes class up here last Thursday. I've never seen an instructor so sincere in wanting every last participant get something out of it. And be so kind and gracious, even to the occasional goofy question or participant.

There where 14 or 15 of us. He went around the room and asked each person to introduce themselves and then let him know what they wanted him to cover. He wrote down each persons request on a yellow note pad. There were a handful of common requests, and a few off the beaten path. He made it a point in the 3 hours to refer to the pad and cover every single one. He didn't move to the next until he was certain all questions were covered.

There were several hands on portions where he went around the room and looked and adjusted players right or left hand technique, depending on the exercise.

In short, he gave us a handout which as he noted, was not "just" a handout. I like to think of it as a toolbox to learn to use. He had several points that were the kind of thing where one goes "yeah, of course! Why didn't I think of that!" Great value and great lesson.

Needless to say he's a super tasteful clean pickin' monster!
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John French

 

From:
Louisiana, USA
Post  Posted 21 Jun 2017 4:03 pm     You will have a wonderful time at ResoSummit
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I have been several times. You will have a blast.
Most of the workshops are wonderful. Be sure and record them. If Stacy Phillips is there, his class on slants is a must. It opens up a whole new way of playing. Mike Witcher is a must for learning the fretboard. Orville Johnson is a must if you are interested in playing the blues. Robs class is also a good class. He shows you how he plays his rhythm chops. Other than these, just pick the class that you want an go for it. You will have a wonderful time.

jf
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