I took drum lessons from Tom, the owner of Oasis, for a number of years. I've purchased over a…read moredozen instruments from Oasis, and absolutely love the store. Everyone there is friendly - Tom becomes good friends with his customers, and has a strong base of regulars because they've learned that Oasis is the best place to shop for music instruments. The selection is small, but the prices are always competitive, and Tom is the most honest business person in the state. I can't recommend drum lessons from Oasis highly enough - he is great with kids, and adult, and has a true love of music. It's a fun shop, and really one of the hidden gems of the Rhode Island music scene. A MUST for any music lover.

Cool little shop. Tom is a cool guy and always welcoming to his customers. The selection is…read morelimited, because it's a tiny store, but the great customer service makes up for it. I bought a drum set there when I was younger, a guitar or two, and even took a couple of lessons. Check it out.

Great prices and a very fine place for music lessons on all instruments. Repairs on all instruments…read moreincluding guitars, woodwind and brass instruments.

A mom and pop type place where you can still get a deal…read more They offer guitars, bass, banjos, things I don't know the names of. I was able to walk in and purchase a starter guitar set up and go home happy and ready to learn This store is small enough to care about customer service still! I forgot to mention that they offer lessons. While I was there the owner was instructing a guitar player while an employee taught piano in the back room.

If you need a guitar setup, Tom is your dude! He does it the way he would want it so it's always…read moreperfect. Great prices and fast turnaround! I like to check out their selection of used gear when I'm in there as well. They also do music lessons but I'm not sure of the details on that. Highly recommend for a guitar setup!

Tom is the guy you want, nay, the guy you need to set up your guitars! He is the best- fast, fair,…read moresolid, accurate and no bs...stands by his work! Also does fun ghost hunting tours and such when he isn't working here... Tom is awesome-sauce! And he writes cool books about cool things in Rhode Island (can pick them up at the library as well)!

Axelrod's is Closed, has been for a few year now. And really, not without reason…read more My stepfather's business always got sheet music and books from axelrod's, but eventually the owner (Jackie, I believe) became unreliable and over priced, he really had no choice but to order online to ensure he had legal copies of music for students in a timely manner. THe final straw he had with axelrods is that I was looking for an instrument, the owner took us into a freezing cold back room filled with violins and other string instruments....now to me having been a band geek, you are not supposed to subject instruments to overly hot or cold conditions as they can crack or warp. To boot she was asking three times was Robert's music quoted me for a few year old instrument for one made during the reagan administration.

Axelrod Lives On in Johnston…read more This Rhode Island cornerstone used to be across the street from Avery Piano and what a great pair they made. The old location was in an ancient building with 900 year old creaky wood floors and lots of charm. Inside were racks and racks full of music for every instrument and every genre. Probably every kid in the state that was in High school band knows Axelrod. The new store located out in the sticks is bigger, has less charm, but still has the biggest collection of sheet music I've ever seen. Less instruments before, but they're doing everything they can to survive in an internet shopping world, where kids play soccer instead of the saxamaphone. Well hear this sports fans- Charlie Parker, Hendrix, and Jelly Roll Morton had a LOT more fun than Pele, Babe Ruth, or Heisman. They can special order many things, if not everything.

The Village Drum is AWESOME. I took in a set of Slingerlands…read moreI've been restoring for new heads and tuning. Not only did they do the work meticulously, they let me watch how they tune the drums and gave me plenty of tips on how to tune and maintain them. Their prices are incredibly reasonable; I was expecting to pay more for all that work! One of the hoops was bent so the gave me a hoop to use in the meantime until the ordered part comes in. If you loves drums. percussion, and music in general, this is the place for you. Dave Andrews

A bit out of the way, but always worth the drive. Why? …read more... 1. a treasure trove of drums & equipment 2. knowledgeable staff that can guide you to the best selection based on your needs, budget, skills, aspirations 3. friendly local owners who are passionate about supporting the local music scene 4. supporting a local small business - sure you might get a better deal on Amazon, but factor in items 1-3 and you'll quickly understand why this makes sense They got the beat!!!

Review of Martin D35 Guitar, Sweetwater, and Dan's Music Center:…read moreI was a bit apprehensive when I decided to buy my first Martin D35 acoustic guitar online. After reading the posted reviews of the various online guitar stores, I settled on Sweetwater (Fort Wayne, IN). When I called, I got Jesse Duquette. Jesse had previously owned 50 guitars and it was comfortable speaking with him. He answered my questions and opened my eyes to other facts and styles I needed to consider with the guitar. Most important is that Jesse indicated that there is a 2-year warranty on the guitar, and that he and members of the Sweetwater team will be there anytime should I have a concern. When the guitar arrived, I had to wait 24 hours for the package to become acclimated to the temperature and humidity before taking out the guitar. When I finally opened the box, pulled out and tuned the guitar, I was absolutely delighted with the mellifluous sound of the Martin D35. The action was low, which I desired, but I had a vibration when I played the 5th (A) string. Jesse suggested I take the guitar to a luthier who could adjust the truss rod and that Sweetwater would reimburse me for the cost. I took my Martin D35 to Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI) where I was greeted by Dan Ryder the owner and luthier. Dan was about to have a bite to eat but stopped, so he could assist me. Dan took the time to adjust the truss rod which cleared up the buzzing. Dan charged me nothing to fix the issue for I could tell he understood and respected the quality sound that comes with the Martin D35 guitar. In summary, although I had initial trepidation with the online purchase of my guitar, I was extremely happy with the service I received at Sweetwater (Fort Wayne, IN) and at Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI) - and would recommend both companies without reservation. I also would highly recommend Jesse Duquette (of Sweetwater) and Dan Ryder - the owner and luthier of Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI). Finally, thanks to Martin & Co for making my beautiful sounding Martin D35 guitar. Len in RI

This place is the "real deal." Dan is a superlative guitar player in his own right, and does…read morefirst-rate repairs and setups. His prices are excellent and he keeps a stock in the store that combines the expected high-volume (!) items with some lesser known gems. There is a nicely-curated selected of used guitar amps there with some superb treasures for those with a good eye. Dan does a great job listening to what you are looking for, guiding you to the "best fit," even if it is something he doesn't stock or sell -- he has the best interest of the customer in mind. I brought Dan a vintage Fender Jazzmaster (late 1960s) that has great sentimental value for me. One of the pickups had stopped working -- it turned out to be a break in the wire deep in the windings. Instead of doing the quick fix (swapping the pickup out for a new one), he arranged to have Lindy Fralin replace just the windings, keeping it as close to the original "vintage" as possible. Not as profitable for Dan as selling me a new pickup, but it was the right thing to do for the guitar. Like I said, this place is the "real deal"!

I brought in my guitar, I've been playing for about a week or two so I obviously don't know much,…read morethey took a look at my guitar and helped me fix it and are just super informative and helpful I also bought some strings and a tuner while I was there and their employees are so amazing and super friendly and it was an amazing experience in general! They also have an amazing selection of guitars, pedals, etc. I definitely will be coming back next time I need something.

Nice guys, terrific selection of vintage and new instruments, and a friendly safe place to try them…read moreout...prices are reasonable, and being a pro studio player, I would NEVER purchase a musical instrument online or without seeing it and playing it...these guys are the real deal.

I was looking to buy a saxaphone for my daughter. She has been taking lessons for 3 years now and…read moresince she seems to be sticking with it, we decided she should have her own. I heard that Rick's was having a black Friday sale on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The entire store was marked at 50% off. It was well worth the trip to Cumberland for the savings. Not only were the prices right, but the staff and the owner were friendly and incredibly helpful. I have zero music knowledge, but felt very comfortable making this purchas with the staff walking us through the options. This purchase was one of the "feel good" buys for the year. We shopped local!

Had my first violin lesson with Sarah and could not have had a better first experience. Had…read morerecieved a violin rental through another RI business and was significantly disappointed by the state of the instrument I was sent. Ended up renting a used violin from Rick's and couldn't be happier. Highly suggest this store for your lesson and instrument needs!

I highly recommend Providence Guitar Academy!!! Phil has the…read morerare talent of staying calm and patient while making the learning experience fun. It is obvious that he really enjoys teaching. Jake, 5 years old, looks forward lessons , practicing and showing off what he has learned. Finding the right music teacher is so important and we hit the jackpot with Phil.

Where do I start describing such a wonderful, amazing teacher! First of all, Phil is indeed an…read moreextremely gifted musician in his own right, and has a very deep knowledge of technique and music theory. You can tell that he has a true passion for music and his 10+ years of experience definitely show in much of his sage wisdom that comes across in the lessons. For a total beginner in guitar and music like myself, showing up to this talented fellow as a grown adult with my cheap acoustic and telling him that I just wanted to be able to strum along to Bob Marley or the Beatles could have been intimidating. Instead I felt that Phil was delighted to teach me and he calmly encouraged me at every step from then on. He first made a special effort to understand my background, the types of music I like, the parts of learning music that interest me, and the amount of time I could commit. Then he came up with an individualized, structured plan for me to reach my goals, which also changed as my whims and interests changed as months went on. I began taking one 30-minute lesson each week, which might not seem like much; yet Phil is such a professional that not a minute is wasted, and by the end of each lesson I had tons of exercises to practice and things to think about every day for the 6 days until my next lesson. I felt I made very fast progress under Phil, thanks to his incredible teaching technique. As time went on I was so happy with the lessons that I increased to two 30-minute lessons per week. My progress became even faster and more intense. Phil effortlessly helped me switch between learning chords and guitar technique and the somewhat separate subject matter of reading music and understanding music theory. He helped me play songs while also helping me understand the underlying patterns and connections that many songs are based off of. Had I not unfortunately moved away from Providence, I think Phil would have turned me not only into a good guitar player, but also a well-rounded musician! I would like to be very clear, his lessons are a steal at the price he offers them at. The teaching is first class and Phil is a great human being, and obtaining beautiful abilities like playing the guitar and understanding music might change your life like they did mine.

True Music Studios is fantastic! I highly recommend voice lessons with Jeanne. She is a phenomenal…read morecoach, and has a wonderful way of incorporating very helpful breathing and vocal techniques into the lesson that have allowed me to find my own voice and continue to improve as a vocalist. As someone who had never taken voice before, I couldn't have picked a better studio and teacher to learn from. Thank you!

Loved the space! They have multiple live rooms, a large control room, and a vocal isolation booth…read more We recorded some music along with a podcast. The recording engineers were really talented and easy to work with