Learning to Play Squareneck Dobro with a Handicap

Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2002 20:06:08 -0700

I would like to learn to play the dobro but I have an amputated second
finger and the tip of the index finger on my right hand. I can use the
index finger pretty well. Would I be able to adapt to learn to play a
dobro, square neck.

Thanks,

Ron Shriver

Greetings Ron,

You should have no problem adapting to playing the squareneck...

Your right hand, the picking hand, would have fingerpicks that can be adjusted to fit your fingers comfortably. The fingerpicking hand, your right hand, only requires two fingers and a thumb to play. Jerry Garcia was also missing a middle finger...he played 5-string banjo with the thumb, index and ring fingers...you also can follow his footsteps by playing dobro with the thumb, index and ring fingers...completely omitting the middle finger...

Hope this works out for you...Mickey