Valerie is a very good and kind teacher. Her own magnificent tone when she plays her viola is inspiring! My son has been her student now for 7 years!
Nice little shop. Very helpful.
My son has been taking guitar lessons with David for the last two years and the experience has been perfect. I highly recommend him to any parent looking to teach their kids how to play guitar or violin. A+, What’s great about his service? He’s planted a positive affirmation in our son about playing a musical instrument, so learning is fun for Landon now. He now plays for family, friends and has continued to build his confidence by having an audience. Really Really enjoy working with David.
Supposed to be an open storefront but it was locked up during posted buisness hours. off the street and hard to find. No one picks up the phone.
I walked in to buy strings, and the door was open … suddenly the owner comes out of the back and asks me why I’m in there. I tell him I need guit strings. He tells me he is giving a lesson and can’t help until the lesson is over… seriously. I know exactly what I want, and I can’t believe that he left the door open if he was too busy to take my money!
7. Nick Rail Music
Address: 2801 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 , Toro Canyon , California , United States
Nick Rail Music did a wonderful job in cleaning my Schilke trumpet and Yamaha flugelhorn. I will be returning again for my musical needs.
Bill Edwards
They were very helpful and accommodating, especially since we had a strange request to check the sound quality of different types of drum sticks. We needed a certain number, too, and they were happy to order us additional pairs since we wanted a lot.
Nick Rail Music is a Santa Barbara institution, and continues to be the best source for instruments and lessons for decades. Both of my sons take lessons (piano & guitar) and their instructor, Bret, is wonderful! They are so supportive and knowledgeable. We are very happy with their services and highly recommend Nick Rail.
It’s been awhile since I visited Nick Rail Music and I was pleasantly surprised at the layout and selection. Service was super friendly too. A few more electric guitars and accessories and I’ll go five stars. It’s nice to be shopping “small business local” again. NR is literally the only music store available since Instrumental Music left and Jensen curtailed their hours. I’ll be back for certain, maybe even walk out with one of those Taylors…:-)
Professional friendly staff, they fully explained the repair process. Took a bit longer than I wanted but quality repair of my flute.
I was in and out no problem. They had what I needed, staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Would be 5 stars for customer service. But I’m giving it 4 stars because some items are over priced.
I was really looking forward to renting a clarinet from this location. Unfortunately, the service was terrible and I decided against it. Try a different music shop or try ordering online.
Horrible communication and it took nearly 3 months to repair my guitar. Terrible service…do not recommend.
I was calling to get a price estimate, and when I asked “can I get a price estimate on a drum set” they hung up. I thought this was a music shop. Very rude and disrespectful.
8. Detar Music
Address: 146 Powers Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 , Toro Canyon , California , United States
Awesome place and great atmosphere for musical studies and learning. Gus is the man, his musical understanding and tutoring is top level. The best.
We LOVE Detar Music and have been with them for several years. I can’t imagine my kids taking lessons anywhere else. Gus Detar is the most encouraging, patient and talented teacher you could ask for. And hands down, Detar Music has the most entertaining music recitals. Not only are you excited to see your own child perform but you can’t help but look forward to all the other talent. Detar Music is not your typical music studio, they are way ahead of the game in getting your children to want to practice and play music because they balance music theory with letting your child actually play music they enjoy. Our family can’t recommend them enough, which we do ALL THE TIME!
These guys are great! The studio is awesome for anything you need to record. They do lessons for beginners to experts and I have heard nothing but the best!
visiting from LA area and found this store. What a gem and beautiful collectuon of great vinyl. beautiful.
Purchased some great records there yesterday. Great place!
Found out about this very cool place by finding Kevin’s biz card in a book that was purchased by my daughter for me as a B Day present from a used book store ! Gonna visit this record oasis one of these days ! Is there a good place to eat near by ! ?
Great selection and staff. Too bad the records are overpriced.
They don’t have a lot of vinyls
Stopped in here on a whim. Ended up holding a conversation with the man behind the counter for about 30 minutes. Meticulously sorted record shop with great gems strewn about.
I stopped by today (Tuesday) at 2pm the door was locked, apparently the store was closed. Oh well !
12. Vera Kong Piano Studio
Address: 1070 Fairway Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 , Toro Canyon , California , United States
I’ve had the pleasure of sending some of my past piano students to study with Vera Kong, when I had to move away from Santa Barbara several years back. Not only did my former students continue to improve, but they ended up expanding their musical horizon in ways I could not offer them. It is rare to come across a highly trained music educator, where the student has a chance to learn from the strengths of both a pianist and a vocalist. Ms. Kong received her musical training from some of the finest institutions in the world, studying with the absolute top pianists and pedagogues. In addition to witnessing her excellent pedagogical abilities, I’ve also heard Ms. Kong’s live performances on numerous occasions–I would not hesitate to hear her in person when given a chance. She is a SUPERB musician and a kind-hearted individual of the highest order. I would trust her to guide any piano student to a successful journey in music.
We greatly highly recommend the wonderful Teacher Vera!! She deserves 10 out of 5 stars! Seriously.
For the parents who were told that their son’s talents in science and math, we care even more about the cultivation and inspiration in art and music education, at his 10-year-old stage, on-going and persistent, on the right track, so to naturally and capably falling into another beautiful and profound world, MUSIC, like one’s life long asset, where he could release for self-entertainment, self-satisfaction, or to indulge in to become one’s career.
Teacher Vera realized our wish. I was so grateful to have found her, the best of the best, finally. She is a rare but all-in-one mentor who covers the materials such as Kindermusik, Yamaha Piano programs, etc, theories, techniques, dynamics, music stories, performance practice and recital. Not only that, she is an incredible magician, who unleashes my son’s potential to believe in what he didn’t think he could have played but he could play well by heart– that only took 3 months.
One thing really matters Teacher Vera brought in: train my son to be self-disciplined, practice the piano 5 days a week and then self-motivated to want to play it more!! It’s tough and challenging for all the teachers and parents who want to plant that seed in our children. Teacher Vera has that power to have motivated our son to build up that practice habit. We’re so happy to see that the desirable improvements and progresses is happening to my son’s piano learning with Vera.
She is the best of the best!! We believe that in long-run, all the lessons, the activities and the related with Teacher Vera will benefit our son tremendously for life long.
Last but not least, the comments posted here I checked up are all very true so no need to repeat here.
Thank you so so much and beyond, Teacher Vera!!
Vera is a great pianist and piano teacher , not to mention I believe she also has a lot of vocal skills ❤️! Her passion for piano and teaching piano is quite charming. She also hold a lot of patience when teaching . I highly recommend Vera Kong as your piano teacher! Best piano teacher !
Kevin was a delight to work with and his music accompanying our ceremony was so special. My wife Ashley and I asked Kevin if he could learn to play a few songs that are important to us. Kevin sent us samples of the songs before hand, and they were perfect!
Kevin, thank you so much for being a part of our Wedding. You and your music added to our day!
Kevin played for My Christmas party this year and all I can say is HIRE HIM. Professional, exceptionally talented on his own AND as an accompanist. He took my Christmas party from amazing to Spectacular and I will definitely be hiring him again in the future.
Kevin: Thank you for playing beautifully [and tirelessly] at our house. Our guests loved it just as much as Anne and I did. You added elegance and romance and the feeling Fred Astaire was about to appear!
Julian Nott – Santa Barbara
14. Santa Barbara String Quartet
Address: 734 Westmont Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 , Toro Canyon , California , United States
Santa Barbara String Quartet was the most perfect choice for my January wedding. I didn’t have many preferences for our wedding, but one thing I always wanted was a string quartet. After looking around for a while I was put in touch with Emily who was so pleasant to work with. My wife and I were able to pull a perfect set list from their repertoire and they even did an outstanding job on a rendition of the song I sung to my wife right before I proposed. They were very professional and worked well with our day of coordinator to make sure the day was as close to perfect as it could be. I only wish I could have sat and enjoyed the music more, but I was king for a day so I had much to do. 🙂 Thank you so much Emily!
If you are planning a wedding in the Central Coast of California and you envision an elegant walk down the aisle for you and your attendants, contact Emily Sommermann of the Santa Barbara String Quartet. The Quartet played for our daughter’s outdoor wedding ceremony at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in May 2018, and their sublime music set the tone for the rest of the beautiful day. The Bride and Groom chose classical pieces that had special meaning for them and their families, and the Quartet performed each of them flawlessly. As well as an extensive list of classical selections, their repertoire includes popular songs, show tunes, jazz pieces, ethnic songs, and even Disney movie theme songs.
We did not need much guidance in our selection of music since the grandmother of the Bride is a classically-trained organist, and we knew the music we wanted, but Emily is willing and available to offer advice to Brides and Grooms. She was lovely to work with and attentive to details. We were planning a West Coast Wedding from the East Coast, and despite the fact that we did not meet until the day of, there were no “jitters” or concerns that the music would not be perfect.
So, while you may be focused on The Venue, The Dress, and The Reception, don’t treat The Ceremony Music for your Grand Entrance as an afterthought. Book the Santa Barbara String Quartet now!
I’m embarrassed to be writing this review is SO late, but we had a strings trio play at our wedding in October 2022 and they were absolutely perfect!! I had several particular/borderline weird special requests and Emily was so wonderful to work with every step along the way. She went out of her way to figure out how to find the music for a fairly random/obscure song I love from Titanic, and even sent me a sample of her playing the specific stanza (also from Titanic) I wanted played while I walked down the aisle. I love strings music so much and I could cry tears of joy just remembering what a beautiful addition they were to our special day. You will not regret hiring them for any special occasion!! My heart goes on for Emily and the SB String Quartet!
15. Paradise On State Street
Address: 432 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 , Toro Canyon , California , United States
Friendly staff and good little selection of guitar stuff
I first visited here to sell a couple records. I was very pleased with experience. The place looks great. Will have to visit again soon to check out their stock.
Amazing experience – awesome rotating selection of vinyl, cassettes and CDs. Super solid staff. 100% coming back next time I’m in town.
Nice place to shop and hang out the owner.
Found some good records, reasonably priced. Needs easier way to search the lower shelves.
Could use a little dusting
This place is mostly a rip off trying to make money off college kids looking for records. I literally walked in and the owner was talking to a customer/friend about ripping off students from UCSB. Anything worth getting is marked up to anywhere from $75-$100. For a record?? Half of them are cheap bootlegs being sold for $100. One time I tried asking if an album I was looking at was an original print (knowing it wasn’t) and the owner swore it was the real thing. Wasn’t even remotely close to the real packaging. Anything found in there can be found much cheaper with a little research. Beware
First time here. Had a great experience. Super friendly and professional. I’ll be sure to be back again and again.
We rent a rehearsal studio here monthly and really enjoy it. It’s one of the few spots in town that has rehearsal space for reasonable rates. It has air conditioning, and a drum set, mics, and a bass amp ready to go. 10/10 would recommend
Had a great time there, Andrew was very knowledgeable and helpful and the studio was cozy with plenty of equipment.
