Atlanta, GA Mandolin Lessons

I've been teaching Mandolin for 12 years and my students have gone on to play in their own bands and work with major artists everywhere. Within the first few lessons, you'll be able to know your way around the instrument and as time goes on you'll be able to play like a pro. I specialize in Pop, Rock, R&B, Country and Gospel and love working with students of all ages and experience levels and I can't wait to meet you!

I have over 30 years experience as a music teacher. Although guitar is my main instrument, I play several stringed instruments, including mandolin, well enough to teach beginners of ALL ages - children, teens, and adults. I have played mandolin with bluegrass bands, in the past.
Mandolin is a good first instrument for those who have never played a stringed instrument before, and for young children whose hands are not strong enough to play a larger instrument such as a guitar. It is fairly easy to learn, and fun to play.

I have taught mandolin lessons for over 10 years and played mandolin professionally in two bands for over 20 years.

Popular Mandolin, Bluegrass, Old-Timey, Rock, Blues, chords, scales, licks

music.

My Teaching Philosophy

Left Hand-
Scales and arpeggios our the bedrock of music. They are the foundation of everything harmonically and melodically. We will begin with learning our major, minor and pentatonic scales and corresponding arpeggios. Once we have an understanding of those we will delve into our modes and more “exotic” scales.

Right Hand-
The right hand is our time machine. It gives us the ability to play in time and with groove and feel. We will work on rhythmic studies string crossings and practicing with a metronome. Remembering music is harmony, Melody and rhythm working as one.
For those who are new to playing music the hardest thing for some to master is rhythm/time keeping. It is the black and white right or wrong of the music world. Often times our want to progress quickly is hampered by skipping over the basic building blocks of rhythm and time keeping.
The first critical step is the concept of subdivision. Subdivision it the mind ...

I started playing acoustic guitar when I was seven years old (off and on). I then started traveling more and found the mandolin to be so much easier to carry around and so much fun, it was hard to stop playing it. I have been playing and teaching mostly bluegrass, old time, Irish, blues, and swing jazz styles for many years. I have taught both privately and have also done various workshops at festivals. I have taught multiple years for instance at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in PA, The Traditions week at Common Ground on the Hill Festival in MD, etc
My students learn to have fun with music. Students can work on rhythms, melodies, improvisation, song writing, arranging tunes, music theory, getting into and/or hanging on in a jam session, etc.

I break the mandolin repertoire into its components of melody, chords, and rhythm. I teach theory and tools for improvisation for those interested in Bluegrass or Modern Mandolin music in general.

I am an award-winning Mandolin, Fiddle & Guitar Player. I have over 100,000 views for my online lessons on Social Media. I love teaching all standards and ages and enjoy making, learning music fun experience. It is not necessary to read music to play at an incredibly high standard, although I do now read music I started learning by ear. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and teaching. Thanks.

Bluegrass banjo player with 20 years of performance experience, also teaching beginner to intermediate guitar, beginner mandolin, and upright bass. I was a resident music therapist at the CITE school in Providence, RI, have worked with several kids academies at bluegrass festivals in the Northeast, and am now teaching out of my own studio in Smithfield, VA (Riverside Bluegrass Music Servicess LLC).
I have performed extensively on the East coast as well as in Japan, and am an endorsed Deering Banjo artist.