Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner Curriculum (August 17-September 12)

“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 II Curriculum

See the Mandolin Picking Technique Intensive II 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 (or in Week 2, different keys but using minor chords). 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).

This course is a continuation of the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming I course which just finished up, but students do not need to have taken that course in order to take the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course.

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (8/17)

Tunes in the Key of E

A few positions in E

Using double stops

Down to the River to Pray

Blue Railroad Train

In the Pines

Last Thing on My Mind

WEEK 2 (8/24)

Tunes using minor chords

Minor double stops

Relating minor chords to the key

Lonesome Pine

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Steel Rails

Lost

WEEK 3 (8/31)

Tunes in F

Three positions in F

Chord tones and Double Stops in F

I Wouldn’t Change You if I Could

Cowboy Jack

Baby Blue Eyes

Cash on the Barrelhead

WEEK 4 (9/7)

The key of B

Using open strings in B

Two positions in B

B double stops

In the Gravel Yard

Little Bessie

I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome

Little Maggie

Live class sessions take place Mondays at 2 pm eastern and 9 pm eastern time from August 17 to September 7. 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 August 22 to September 12. 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.