Mandolin Lessons
Bright strings, fast hands.
The mandolin is a small instrument with a big voice. Eight strings tuned in pairs, a short fretboard, and a way of carrying both melody and rhythm in the same line.
Why people come to the mandolin.
Most mandolin students at Resonate already play something else. Guitarists drawn to the higher register and the tremolo. Violinists curious about a fretted cousin. Players deep in folk, bluegrass, country, or acoustic singer-songwriter worlds where the mandolin sits in the mix and adds bright detail. The chord shapes are different from guitar and the right-hand technique takes time, but the basics land quickly because most of what's transferring is musical instinct, not motor skill from scratch.
Pricing snapshot
Weekly membership includes make-up flexibility with at least one week's notice and one complimentary recording studio hour every three months.
Mandolin lessons here are taught by a working folk and roots player.
Colten Bear teaches mandolin, fiddle, violin, banjo, guitar, and bass at Resonate. He came up through Métis and bluegrass traditions, won both the Grand North American and Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championships, and writes and records with the Edmonton band Monks on Call. The mandolin sits naturally inside the world of music he plays every day.
Students coming in for the first time learn the chord shapes, the tremolo, and the way the mandolin sits in a song. Students with experience pick up the deeper repertoire and the cross-picking and lead playing that the instrument's known for.
Click the portrait to hear more about how Colten teaches.
Starting is simple
Tell us a little about who lessons are for and what you have in mind.
You do not need everything figured out first.