resonator guitar

i used open "e" tuning on mine and it helped me learn the guitar barred chords up the neck also fingerstyle picking
the old pick and roll sounds great with most songs slide to and from your chords with a little wiggle in there some where
sounds stupid but give it a try

ive been playing for 18 yrs,.we are talking square neck dobro spider type?bluegrass and trad irish styles,.still fighting it ,.still learning,.still going to bed with a tune running thru my head and mentally trying to figure out how to best play it,.sometimes by morning i would have it,.and  some times not,.but its the challenge ,.and in the last 7 years i have added a seven string with a top extra hi G,[ 12 light gauge].but still in open G tuning,.from bottom string its, G,B,D,G,B,D,G,.great for many styles,.i use elixir resonator standard phospher/bronze strings,.really good,.cheers,.

well it has been about a year since you posted  how you doing??

I remember reading the following simple rule in a book about playing slide guitar: "Rule 1 of playing slide guitar - there aren't any rules".

I use an Open G tuning mainly and have been picking up tips from a banjo player - a five string banjo also has an open G tuning. So, I've learnt some chords that take a bit of mucking around given the slide on my little finger and that the banjo chords only cover four strings. 

Otherwise, experiment with other musos who are happy for you to experiment and hit the occasional bung note.

I built a 4-string resonator cigar-box guitar; quite nice actually.  Keep it in open G mostly... I can sing in G. 
I put a piezo pickup in it and the little guy can sound downright nasty played through an amp.

However, I wanted a full-sized resonator and had no money for such things... So I converted a cheap (very cheap) steel-string into a resonator.
Used the same principals as with the cigar-box guitar after seeing a video of one of these on YouTube.
Cut a big hole in the top, mounted an aluminum "warming oven" bottom into slots cut into the back braces... Cut a small hole in that and added a "bisquit" bridge and made a tailpiece and a cover out of old serving trays from Goodwill.
Got about 60 bucks into this puppy.  Piezo mounted on the bottom of the bridge.... Actually sounds pretty decent!
Mostly doing delta-style blues with the thing.

I guess you need some* spam removed by mod* on that one. In that way, you would be able to really get things done, and you would be able to really make it happen. I just hoped that things would be well and it would go a long way for you.

Jerry Douglas had a technique of angling the bar so it was not perpendicular to the strings (selective strings picked) - interesting technique to get away from regular major chord.  I tune in open G... and buy resonator strings which I think are medium-gauge; have tried a couple different brands, not fixed on one yet.

I have a electirc houndog dobro its a blast it really has a nice tone