Real World Dobro - Red Haired Boy

To learn the full arrangement of "Red Haired Boy", go to this page instead...

Now it's time to try a fiddle tune! The main issue with fiddle tunes is..... SPEED! People (especially in bluegrass) tend to play fiddle tunes at breakneck speed, so you have to be ready to keep up. This tune has a typical fiddle tune form of AABB, which just repeats, so you don't have to worry about intros and choruses, just make sure you stick with the AABB form. There aren't usually vocals, and the melodies rarely have gaps, so you shouldn't bother trying to play fills, there isn't room for them!

So, here's what we need to be able to do...

Melody - Practice the melody repeatedly, and be ready to play it really fast!

Improvisation - You might get 2 turns, so be ready to improvise. Also, if someone plays this too fast for you to keep up on the melody, it's good to be able to wing it!

Chops - The chop is very important in a fiddle tune, especially if there is no mandolin. Listen for the chop part, and if no one else is doing it, that's your rhythm part.

Pads - If the chop is already covered, and someone else is playing the melody or soloing, you can play some light, simple pads to add "meat" to the arrangement.

I've included some additional play-along tracks for this song, so you can practice chops, pads, and leads independently. Work on each part, and then put them all together!