Duane Galensky is a guitarist and mandolinist with experience in rock, pop, blues, country, folk, and bluegrass. While in middle school, he developed his playing skills from listening to recordings and copying the playing, practicing for hours until a given passage was perfected. That experience has led to the development of a teaching style that focuses on developing ear/hand coordination, playing, and improvising.
Duane has played in various bands from polkas to country to blues to rock. He spent twenty five years as part of the New Jersey shore music scene, playing with various rock and country bands. Upon returning to Washington County in 2003, he joined a perennial Mon Valley favorite to form the country trio Wudge & Company, and on occasion sits in with the dance band Best of Times and the classic rock band The Jades. He’s sometimes seen playing mandolin with the bluegrass band The Git-R-Dun Boys, and added his guitar stylings to the California Area High School production of Grease in 2010 and Footloose in 2011. He recently joined the band Old Shoes and will debut with them during the summer of 2011.
Duane has studied with several noted guitarists including G. E. Smith (former leader of the Saturday Night Live band), Roy Bookbinder (acoustic fingerstyle blues king and assistant to Reverend Gary Davis), Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), and Martin Simpson (Celtic virtuoso of open tunings). He regularly attends workshops in guitar and mandolin to further his forty-plus year effort to continuously improve his playing.
Duane has taught guitar and mandolin for the Calliope School in Pittsburgh and has held regularly scheduled private lessons for beginners to active professionals since 2006. He has authored several instructional guides for guitar and mandolin that are provided electronically free of charge as part of his lessons.
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