Still Life With Dobro (reduction)

still life with dobro (reduction)
volume 3 number

the sound of the metal-bodied dobro guitar has always reminded me of the sound of an upright piano in a ballet rehearsal room. perhaps that's why I write pieces on the dobro in the fashion of a pianist like say, gershwin. (no, I'm not comparing myself to gershwin, don't be silly). on the dobro I've always used an altered tuning (DADDAD) which makes me think more in piano terms. chord shapes and habits are instantly thrown out the window, leaving me to fish for music in a more pure sense.

along with tracks like tango zebra, laughing man, and neptune pool the dobro pieces comprise an entirely different area of my work. I have forever wished I could have them played by a proper small ensemble using the correct orchestral instruments (piano, string bass, clarinet, oboe, and so on) in a small hall. in the same manner I orchestrated neptune pool.

presented here is the dobro only version of a track I gave to the Guitar Speak III record put out by I.R.S. in the late 80's.

dobro: adrian
engineer: rich denhart
assistant: dan harjung
recorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wis.
sometime in 1986
length: 5:26