Music Lessons

Considered by many to be the finest guitar instructor in Pittsburgh, Doug Edgell has helped hundreds of aspiring students reach new heights in their playing.

If you’re a beginner, Doug will show you the basics while introducing easy to play songs right away. He even makes the “beginner songs” sound great and you’ll have fun doing it!
The intermediate student will learn more advanced concepts like, chord inversions, arpeggio’s, music theory, etc… But always in the context of a song so you’ll see why you’re spending time learning these things.
The advanced student will learn the notes on the entire fretboard, understand and be able to improvise in many different styles, the modes, how to create your own arrangements and or write you own songs, etc…

Doug’s main area of expertise is classical / fingerstyle guitar. But he is well versed in rock, pop and jazz. He also offers beginner piano, drums and bass guitar lessons.

Doug was a student of Nels Leonard from 1988 – 2002 while he attended West Liberty State College. After earning a degree in classical guitar / music business, He continued studying with Berklee School of music graduate Tim Bedner. His final studies were with Grammy winning recording artist David Cullen.

Lessons are given at Mannella Guitars in Verona & Monroeville PA. 412.795.5400
You may also contact Doug directly at: 412.378.0776 or by email at
edgellguitar@msn.com


"...Eric enjoys music so much because of you and I am so happy we found someone so dedicated to work with."
- Chris

"...Thanks for all you've done with both Brad and Allison. Allison really seems to be enjoying the guitar. I hear her practicing in her room all of the time." -Frank

"...You are really offering something unique, and for someone who isn't afraid to take the deeper dive, your system is a perfect blend of technique and theory with immediate application in playing real songs. What really sets you apart though is the clear explanations and the sense that it's all leading somewhere." -Phil

"...I've been studying the guitar with Doug for about 4 years now. About 16 months ago I decided to enroll in the Executive MBA program at IUP and continue to work full time. Of course I did not want to give up classical guitar. I struggled with the decision to place my guitar lessons hold. I actually refused to stop taking lessons even though I didn't have any time to practice. Between school and the various assignments I was putting in about 30 hours per week outside of work. There was only enough room in the schedule to take my one hour lesson every week." At first I wasn't sure it was the right decision. Every week I would report that I had not touched the guitar since the last lesson. I was very surprised to find that I was still learning new things even though I was unable to practice the guitar. Doug put together a plan where I would cover the important basics on the guitar and keep my skills fresh. I was very happy to find that I was not losing very much of my ability even without my usual one hour daily practice session." -Tom

"...Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for teaching me. I've had quite a few teachers in my days growing up, and you're definitely the best teacher I've had. You explain things really well, and your patient, I appreciate that. You really seem like you care about your student learning, not just the business end of it." -Scott