Our private mandolin lessons begin with bluegrass-style mandolin playing.  Beginner students will learn proper technique and fundamentals, and will develop efficient right-hand alternate picking technique.  Basic open position major and minor chords, accompaniment styles and lead playing will be covered. Students learn to play bluegrass standards and fiddle tunes, and are introduced to following song forms and taking improvised solo breaks.

As students progress, they are equipped to feel comfortable and confident playing in jam sessions with players of all levels.  We will work through arrangements of bluegrass standards, focusing on technique, accompaniment styles and improvisation. Topics covered will include approaches to rhythm playing, speed building, tone production, developing solid time, as well as a variety of scales and arpeggios and how to use them in improvised solos.

Advanced students will begin to work on in-depth technical and improvisational approaches as they begin to study other styles of music as well, from Jazz to Classical to Brazilian music. This will equip them for competence and creative expression in all styles of music, and in particular, will hone their ability to improvise in a wide range of contexts. For some students, this may involve beginning to compose original music as well.

See our about page for pricing and scheduling information.