The lesson studio · at the shop on Kilauea Ave
Mandolin Lessons in Hilo
The mandolin is a small instrument with a big personality: bright, quick, and at home in bluegrass, folk, old-time, and plenty of island music too. If you already play ukulele or guitar, a lot of your skills carry over. If you are brand new, its compact neck is a friendly place to start.
Our teachers cover chop chords, melodies, tremolo, and the rhythm work that makes a mandolin sit so nicely in a jam. And since our First Saturday workshops end in an open jam, you will have somewhere to bring those new licks.
What you'll learn
On the mandolin setlist
Every teacher runs their own room and every student is different, so your lessons are built around you. This is the kind of ground you can expect to cover along the way.
Mandolin · lesson setlist
- Tuning and pick techniqueEight strings, tuned in pairs like a fiddle
- Chop chords and rhythmThe mandolin's signature backbeat
- Melodies and fiddle tunesThe tunes every jam knows
- TremoloThat shimmering sustain, note by note
- Jamming skillsFollowing changes and taking a break
Set order varies by teacher and student. Requests welcome.
Ready when you are
Your first mandolin lesson is one inquiry away.
Tell us who is learning and we will match you with a local teacher at the shop. Or just call, we are happy to talk story.
And whatever you need for practice at home, the shop floor is right outside the lesson room door.