Thinking about private guitar lessons? What kind of guitar should I purchase? How much should I spend on my first guitar? These are questions that come from all of my beginning students. The photograph attached to this blog is my 1973 Gibson J 45 deluxe. It was a pawn shop rescue: it needed some major repair. But one of my friends purchased it from a pawnshop in Nashville, Tenn. Got the J45 into a shop, repaired it and sold it to me. It still has some cracks and scratches, but has...

Mandolin has become popular again with all ages. Here in Vancouver, WA, we have a strong bluegrass music scene, along with roots/ Americana music. Mandolin fits right in, tone wise and has a rich musical tradition. Learning to play a mandolin can seem hard. But if you have a patient teacher ( like myself ) use a good music instruction book, and take time to practice, you will learn quickly. Open position mandolin chords ( also known as two finger chords) are easy to learn. I encourage my...