Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming Curriculum (July 6-August 1)

“I started playing the mandolin a little over two years ago. I played the piano as a child, but having never played a stringed instrument before, my intention was to study as much as I could about technique, theory, improvisation and the various genres of music for the mandolin.

To that end, I have taken nearly every course Matt has offered, even three at a time! Matt is a brilliant teacher. Every course is deep and rich with information. The material is thoughtfully explained, allowing a student to slowly transform the class material into music. I can’t imagine this journey without Matt Flinner. His courses are a true life changing musical experience!”—Lisa S.

“Your courses have opened my musical mind, focused my practice and expanded my skill far beyond expectation.”—-Steve F.

See the Swing Mandolin Jamming Curriculum

See the Mandolin Picking Technique Intensive Curriculum

This course is intended to help the aspiring mandolinist build up repertoire and find ways of creating new solos over commonly played standards; it’s also designed in the hope that it will encourage students to get out and jam with other players!

Each week, we’ll look at four bluegrass standard tunes in a particular key. Students will be given lead sheets (in standard notation and tablature) for each song, as well as a few exercises to help them learn more about the fretboard and start incorporating new ideas into their solos. Concepts and tunes will be taught during the class session, and all tunes will be revisited during Saturday practice sessions in a “jam session” format, where each song is played several times though, and students have the opportunity to try out some of the week’s concepts on the tunes (with guidance and suggestions from Matt).

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (7/6)

Tunes in the Key of G

A few positions in G

Using double stops

Basic backup pattern I

Keep on the Sunny Side

Can’t You Hear Me Calling

Before I Met You

Big Sciota

WEEK 2 (7/13)

Tunes in A

A few positions in A

Connecting positions with double stops

Backup pattern II

Are You Tired of Me, My Darling?

How Mountain Girls Can Love

Cripple Creek

Beautiful Beautiful Brown Eyes

WEEK 3 (7/20)

Tunes in D

Three positions in D

Using chord tones

East Virginia Blues

Cora Is Gone

Childish Love

Bluegrass Stomp

WEEK 4 (7/27)

The key of C

Using open strings

Two positions in C

Dark Hollow

Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy

A Beautiful Life

Back Up and Push

Live class sessions take place Mondays at 2 pm eastern and 9 pm eastern time from July 6 to July 27. Both class sessions are the same, and are offered at two different times to accomodate students in other time zones (including Europe, the UK, Australia etc.). Follow-up practice sessions occur on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time from July 11 to August 1. All of the live sessions are recorded so that students who are unable to attend a live session (or two, or all!) can view them later on the class website.

The course fee is $125.