I know negative about guitars. I have a nephew graduating from high school this spring and I…read morewanted to get him something meaningful and useful. He plays bass in one of those School of Rock type places and is passionate about it. I called my sister to see if there was anything he could use and she sent me a blurry photo of some kind of board he uses and told me he needs a carrying case. I went to Bananas at Large because of their reputation for being kind and knowledgeable. Their reputation is well deserved. I was greeted right when I walked in, I decided to look around a bit before asking for help because while I don't know anything about guitars, some of the instruments they had on the wall were works of art and I enjoy looking at art. When I was ready, I found the first employee, showed him the photo and explained the situation. He knew exactly what it was and where to find what I was looking for. He then took the case over to where they had the exact thing in the photo to show me how well it fit and other features of the case. He explained the 14-day return policy if it turned out to be the wrong thing and let me decide what I wanted to do. I wound up purchasing the case. I loved that I was nicely greeted when I walked in but left alone to browse. I loved that I didn't have to hunt down someone to help me when I was ready. I loved the general vibe of the place. I loved that they had what I needed and clearly a ton of things I might need if I ever decide to get into playing. I loved that parking was easy. I loved that they were excited to help someone who had no idea what they were doing in a guitar shop, were in no hurry to get me out of the store and patient enough to answer all my questions. I even loved that they accept Venmo for payments. Great place to go if you don't know anything about guitars but love someone who does.

This place is everything a music store should be. Yes they have great selection, and yes their…read moreprices match anything you can find online (even Reverb, often) but it's their service and relationships they build with you that's special. True stories of what they've done for me even in just the last month: My guitar needed some repairs before a gig, and they fast tracked the service and ordered an uber to bring the guitar to my house! I wanted a tuner pedal that was out of stock basically everywhere in the country, and they took their last one from Santa Rosa and shipped it to San Rafael store for free for me to pick up the next day. Best of all, I was unhappy with my guitar tone and Dan spent nearly 2 hours sitting with me trying different pedals and setups, before settling on showing me some different settings on my own amp, some different plectrums and swapping a pedal I'd bought recently for only a $10 difference! It would have been so easy to have sold me another pedal or 2 that I didn't really need, but the fact he didn't builds complete trust and makes me a customer for life!

Saved By The Magic Flute!…read more My newish Nord Electro 6 took a major tumble and several of the lower keys were mangled, ugh..I thought I needed to plan a keyboard funeral. Needless to say, I was DEVASTATED when I discovered my baby at the beginning of a gig.. The Magic Flute repair rep didn't guarantee a successful fix, BUT TOTALLY DELIVERED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!! My keyboard funeral was canceled. THANKS MAGIC FLUTE!

The Magic Flute has been providing solid instruction for a myriad of instruments for decades…read more Currently, Chris Collins is an insanely talented musician who is a wonderful piano teacher. He is able to tailor his lessons so the material is relevant and age-appropriate and engaging. His ability to not only play music by ear but to create sheet music from that is brilliant. Highly recommend!

I bought a violin online, and took it to Dolce Violins for some quick repair work (tailgut…read morereplacement). Moses took the appointment quickly and was able to fix it on-site, and had excellent recommendations when I was looking for to change some of the pieces on the violin. Definitely knowledgeable about violins, all the vendors, and improving the sound quality of an existing instrument and keeping it in good order. All the payments were electronic and super easy. I ended up moving before the work was able to be done on the violin, and Moses went above and beyond in helping me. 100% recommend for any violin, viola, or cello needs!

Moses is wonderful and so knowledgeable on stringed instruments! He has not only violins but…read moreviolas and cellos too. He now has a store in San Francisco too!

A Drummers Tradition is the last of a species, a one stop shop for all things DRUMS, something that…read morehas virtually ceased to exist in the SF Bay Area. As a full-time jazz drum pro and band leader, it's been my pleasure to shop there for many years. Robert and his staff are tremendously knowledgeable about everything from vintage drums to cymbal options. They even have obscure hardware from obsolete drum manufacturers that are hard to get anywhere. Plus the knowledge and wisdom that goes with that. ADT Is also a virtual "candy store" if you like drums, drummers, and our history. There's nothing more fun than to come in, hang out, and talk drums with other drummers! AND spend hours looking at the drum SETS and memorabilia on all four walls!

The little guy with the pony tail got nasty with me after finding out I could not afford his drum…read morelessons. Called me names and told me he couldn't care less about me if I wasn't paying his salary. Would not recommend.

I've been a student of Simply Music for about 5 years now and my 7 year old step-daughter is coming…read moreup to her first year anniversary. It's an amazing system and Karen is a true master of it. She's patient and thorough, and very committed to her craft. She does free introductory sessions every once in awhile and I highly recommend you go find out for yourself how great and easy Karen makes learning piano.

Karen's love of music (and dance) is absolutely infectious! She puts so much heart into her Simply…read moreMusic teaching. To quote Eric Clapton - She's got the boogie-woogie right down in her very soul! I highly recommend Karen and the Simply Music method for your piano lessons.

Excellent, unique and personal shop for all things stringed, with a master luthier at the helm and…read moresome beautiful instruments and many happy clients. This shop epitomizes what I love about Marin county, the vibe, the personality and the specialness....

John has a wealth of experience and some beautiful instruments. I highly recommend this shop,…read moreespecially if you are looking for high end vintage instruments.

You cannot get better than the Ali Akbar College of Music for North Indian classical music. Maestro…read moreSwapan Chaudhuri is one of the living legends of tabla and to have direct access to learning from him is a treasure. Then Alam Khan, the son of the College's name sake, the great Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, is a gifted practitioner and teacher of the sarode. They also offer classes in vocal and sitar. All of the teachers are highly trained, knowledgeable and caring. I feel so lucky to live in the Bay Area and have access to this amazing institution. You can also see some of the best Indian classical music concerts anywhere in their intimate performance space.

From the owner: The leading institution of Indian Classical Music Since 1967read more

if you had just a moment to step into a class taught by Rachel Allen or see her in action with her…read moreprivate students you would know that she is the quintessential music professional and gifted teacher. Her passion for helping her students experience the joy of music and discover their gifting is evident from the start. She teaches from a depth of experience and knowledge and is a performer as well as a teacher, which gives her even greater capacity to guide each individual student.

It has been an amazing experience all around! School of Rock San Rafael has outstanding instructors…read moreand staff who truly care about the kids. They combine high expectations with high support and foster a positive, kind, and mutually supportive environment. It's not a given that kids will be encouraging and inclusive in group settings, but the fact that SoR consistently brings together bands where the students are supportive and kind to one another speaks volumes. The non-teaching staff are also incredible--great communicators, always warm, friendly, and helpful. This program has been a life-changing, inspiring, and incredibly positive experience. Thank you to everyone at SoR San Rafael for everything you do!

Very poor communication - took them over a week just to get back to my voicemail. No one answers…read morephone as well.

Took MONTHS to wire a brand new Stewmac drop-in Les Paul harness on an old guitar. Completely…read morebotched the wiring job. Improperly grounded, input jack noise. Charged $500 for the time and parts, didnt even bother to reply to my messages telling him the job wasnt done correctly. Guy is a fraud. Take your gear someplace else. Not worth the time and trouble.

Great experience tuning up our son's guitar. Friendly, quick, and can tell he loves music…read more Definitely recommend.