Mandolin lessons

[Kathy255]

Anyone know where i can get mandolin lessons for my son in central NJ?

[Dan Krhla]

In the classifieds section there is a lessons group. Good place to start. There are some greats here that do online lessons too. Hope someone with personal NJ experience chimes in for ya here.

[Scott Tichenor]

I don't see how you can do any better than Mike Marshall's ArtistWorks School of Mandolin. Disclaimer: they advertise on this site and we are enthusiastic supporters of their efforts. That said, there are close to a thousand subscribers at what he has created and is working on daily there and many of those members are our own forum members. There are a lot of threads dedicated to this service and it's unique and about the best bang for the buck out there.

Here's a search of articles about them from our news area.

If you click on Advanced search at the top of the page, enter ArtistWorks and instruct it to search Titles Only you'll see tons of feedback/discussion from members. Unless you happen to have an outstanding teacher right in your area this is an option that's hard to beat.

[55bar]

+1 for Scott's suggestion I have access to some great players and teachers here I'm London (ok maybe not bluegrass mandolin) but would still use artistworks I mean when on earth could you get taught from the likes of mike Marshall, Paul Gilbert, Martin Taylor, billy cobham, Nathan east, etc, I've submitted 3 videos to mike and the response has given me months of work let alone inspiration.

[Carzakatz]

Hi Kathy...I'm from northern NJ and there aren't many teachers for mandolin up here either. I started my lessons with Mike Marshall based on what everyone was saying on Mandolin Cafe. I haven't submitted any video's yet but I'm learning alot and it is well worth the $'s (not expensive at all) to begin with him. I don't think you'll be sorry if you start out there. Also, you may want to contact the Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra in Bloomfield. They may know of some teachers in your area....I realize they are probably far away from you but you never know....just a thought. Their website is http://www.bloomfieldmandolinorchestra.org/

[Growltigger]

I live in central NJ and took lessons for a few months with Richard Stillman. He is very versatile and professional in his approach. It was an hour drive and I had too many other commitments to keep up when the winter snows began. He is in Monclair 973 783 0118 which seems to be 10-15 minutes from Caldwell. I would recommend him without reservations, he has been performing throughout NJ for many years.

[Jim Garber]

All good suggestions. I also believe that Barry Mitterhoff is actively teaching in Scotch Plains. He is a superb teacher in many different genres.

[verbs4us]

If all else fails, email Toby Walker. He's in Jersey and would know--or know someone who would know. http://www.littletobywalker.com/email-toby.html

[Carzakatz]

Hi Growltigger...thank you for the Richard Stillman suggestion. I went to his website...he can do just about anything, can't he. Did you have any trouble scheduling lessons with him, since he looks to be a very busy man. His price sure is right though, he's very reasonable. Everyone in my neck of the woods is so expensive. If you think he is worth it I'll give him a try. Thank you again for your help, you are very kind :-)

[Growltigger]

I found him a very patient, flexible and accommodating teacher. I did not have trouble setting a time in the afternoon which was what fit with my schedule. If he has a school program or event lesson time would shift but for me it was not an issue. I was interested in Celtic Ukulele at the time and he transcribed a piece from you-tube for me, "Rights of Man", in two different tunings because I loved the arrangement. I think of him as a Renaissance man because he can wear so many hats so well. The drive was the only drawback.

[Carzakatz]

Growltigger....that's good to know...thank you again, I'm going to give him a holler. And like you said he's really close to Caldwell, which is perfect. He is a bit of a Renaissance man, quite an interesting guy I'm sure. Thank you again it's nice to meet a fellow New Jerseyian at the cafe

[Growltigger]

Nice to meet you too, hope Richard and you work well together.

[Wupeide]

If you can't find someone local to teach your son in person (this is the case with me, living in a small Chinese city on the North Korean border), I would recommend the Artists' Workshop School of Bluegrass that was mentioned above. It's not perfect, especially if you don't have any background in music, but it offers a huge "bang for you buck." It's a great value!