Lessons

The clarinet family is the largest of all woodwinds, including a bass and contrabass version, and is a fixture in concert band and orchestra. It is one of the favorites for beginners starting out on woodwinds due to its portability and it being light weight. It is also one of the newest orchestral instruments having … Read more

The infamous trombone, known for its long slide to change pitch is a marching band favorite. Not to mention many early television and film studios used the effects of the trombone’s slide to create sounds to add context to either the comedy sketches or depth to solemn moments. The trombone is still a popular brass … Read more

The upright bass or also known as the double bass, is one string instrument that has superseded its popularity as a orchestra staple to being more known or even expected in jazz and bluegrass music. The double bass still serves an important role in orchestras whether from classical music or film scores (everyone’s familiar with … Read more

Commonly referred to simply as a larger violin, the viola basically is just that. It looks much like a violin and played the same, but larger in size making deeper tones. The larger size can make it more difficult for some beginners over the violin. Players tend to choose the viola over the violin because … Read more

The highest register of the string instrument family, the violin produces almost glass like pure tones that almost sing to you, but can also get gritty and rustic. Well known for being a classical instrument for its place in orchestras, the violin has a dual identity as the fiddle. Really the violin and fiddle are … Read more

We used to think of hula dancers and grass skirts on the Hawaiian beaches when we thought of the ukulele, but in recent years the uke has become a pop sensation. The ukulele is a fairly new instrument only originating in Hawaii at the turn of the 19th century. Artists such as Roy Smeck and … Read more

The mandolin has a unique sound made possible by it’s high register and doubled strings. Having 8 strings, but played as it if as 4, each note you play is doubled giving a similar sound to a 12-string guitar. Most commonly known for its use in Bluegrass, it’s also popular in Country, Jazz and even … Read more