Strange instruments can make…read moregreat music Two questions. The first, who is Charlies Ogle? Charlie is a maker and seller of viola da gambas. In fact the largest purveyor of viola da gambas in the country. The second question?, What exactly is a viola da gamba? The viola da gamba is a musical instrument, actually a family of musical instruments that are superficial similar in appearance if not in sound to modern strings. The bass , which is about the size of a cello is the most common and the usual solo instrument but trebles, tenors and the large violone also exist. The gambas showed up in the late 1400's, about the same time as the modern violin and cello but are not an ancestral to the modern strings. The two families seemed to have developed contemporaneously and then for some reason the gamba fell out of favorite around 1750. Some absolutely incredible music was composed for it, music that is now usually performed on modern strings. In spite of the similar appearances some important differences between the two families exist. First of all the gambas have movable frets, the modern cello has no frets. The gambas have six strings, cello four. The bow is held with an underhand grip with the gamba, over hand with the cello. The gamba also use gut strings, cello or violin occasional gut but usually synthetic strings. Gambas were usually played in families during the Renaissance but then during the Baroque the bass became the solo instrument and the smaller instruments become scarce. It's difficult to verbalize sound but the timbre of the gambas tend to be softer, less refined and more transparent than the modern strings. Well suited for the polyphony of early music, the sound becomes extremely obvious once heard. Of course you just can't walk into any music store and get a gamba, you have to find a maker. Charlie not only makes fine gambas but also Baroque violins and cellos and has a workshop in Beijing where he manages to produce fine beginner instruments at a reasonable price. Reasonable at least for a anachronistic musical instrument that virtually nobody plays anymore. Charlie also has books, bows, cases and an endless supply of extremely poor musical jokes on his website. He does not have a store but does occasionally appear at various early music shows throughout the country. I have met him numerous times and he always has been helpful and friendly. Once he spend considerable time with me explaining the best way to adjust, tune and tie the damnable frets. Other times we just talk about technique and interpretation of the the music. I purchased both a treble and tenor gamba from him and once I got over the initial difficulties of adjustment, love both instruments. Charlie is obviously not in it just for the money. So if you like music, history or better yet musical history check out his web site. Music has been around for a long time and did not always sound like it does today. Who knows, you might end up buying a gamba and start exploring the polyphonic world of centuries past. Strange instrument can make great music

Well, Just-Off-Of-Main-St-Music…read more.. Great local music store...their teachers are real good with the kids...get your strings and tuneups here! I always feel welcome in here... bluegrass jam on the 3rd thursday of every month!

Great place for guitar lessons (other instruments too). Steve is a funny guy who runs a great…read moreshop. Myself and my daughter have taken lessons there. Nick is a great teacher!

This place is great! I've rented and purchased items from this store and every experience and…read moreinteraction I have had here has been truly wonderful. I highly recommend this store to anyone looking to purchase or rent musical instruments!

I had the most magical experience at Bedrossian Music today. I went in to purchase a guidebook to…read morelearn to play guitar and ended up leaving with a guidebook and my first guitar! Mark was lovely and gave me a deal on a beautiful, good quality Yamaha (truly stunning quality) to get me started and threw in some free picks and helped me find an inexpensive case. I love shopping small and was thrilled with my experience. The staff was friendly and kind and I'll be coming back for any future music needs!

Absolute worst customer service. Staff would not even get up from their seat to assist. Very…read moredisappointing especially when I'm planning on spending 4k on PA

My son used to take lessons there but the instructor was more interested in his IG account on his…read morephone & texting with his girlfriend so we quit. Its been a year so we thought we'd go back for lessons again but....the whole masking thing? Nah. 41 states have let the mask mandates end. 3 more are dropping them in a week. When we ALL say NO to the masks & stop supporting them, it ends. So we will never step foot into this store again. We will encourage everyone to go to the new place we found-awesome instructors, no masks and a great environment. The instructor doesn't even have his phone out-imagine that. Freedom & respect....two things you won't find at the Guitar Center!

Scott is not only a great guitar player himself, but an incredibly gifted teacher. He really takes…read morethe effort to find out how to best help each individual student learn. I came to him as a casual player who wanted to improve my rock/blues playing. He quickly noticed what parts of my playing were holding me back, and showed me how to improve in those areas. Before taking lessons, I had learned a lot from Youtube and some college friends. I still think Youtube is a great tool, but nothing compares to having a good teacher in front of you. He came up with a personalized plan to help me improve my chops, as well as add to my guitar vocabulary. At the same time, he easily adapted by changing the day's lesson if I had something specific in mind. His lessons added much more structure to my practicing that I didn't have beforehand, which helped to improve my playing in many ways. Also, thanks to his lessons, I was confident when I played a short acoustic piece at my sister's wedding this summer. Scott has knowledge of many different aspects of guitar playing, so as I thought of different things I wanted to learn (from finger picking to pinch harmonics to setting up my guitar) he was always able to teach me. He's also a very informed gear-head. So as I was looking for a new electric guitar, and a couple of pedals, he had many good suggestions for me. I had taken lessons from someone else before finding Guitar Strength, and I can definitely say the difference was huge. Scott is clearly passionate about all things guitar, and he really enjoys helping others learn. Also, some of my favorite bands were recommended to me by him. I am in my mid-twenties, but I know Scott has students of all ages. I saw many younger students who had lessons before mine who were clearly enjoying themselves. I would definitely recommend Guitar Strength to anyone who is serious about improving themselves as a guitar (or bass) player, and as a musician in general. Whether you're a complete beginner, or have been playing in a band for years, a good teacher can help bring you to the next level.

Scott is the man! Fixed my 335 back to its glory. Has a full professional studio and everything.read more