Matt Flinner

Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing Curriculum (1/7-3/15)

By Theme Admin on November 10th, 2024 at 9:53 PM

“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.

“Your classes are moving me forward so very much. Thank you.” —Jean C.

“It was nice there were various assignments which pushed my ability. Never felt I had “mastered” ALL the homework so never got bored. Always something to work on or do next.”—Joe S.

Register by 11/24 and save $50!

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/6-3/15)

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/8-3/15)

Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Tim O’Brien, Adam Steffey and many others. Each week, students will look at two transcribed solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.

Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time (they’re the same—we’ve added the 2 pm time for the convenience of students in the UK and Europe, but anyone who finds the time convenient is welcome to join! And students can attend both sessions if they want to). Practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. The weeks of February 25 and March 4 will be off. There will be a total of eight weeks of classes in 10 weeks’ time.

The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.

Register by 11/24 and save $50!

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Week 1 (1/7)

Bill Monroe

Melodic Exercise I

Chord Tone Exercise in a Few Keys

Rhythms using down-strokes

Playing melody in chop chord position

Picking Exercise I

Brand New Shoes

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Week 2 (1/14)

David McLaughlin

Picking Exercise II

Expanding on Monroe Style

Some syncopated licks

Say You’ll Take Me Back

My Long Journey Home

Week 3 (1/21)

Dempsey Young

Triplet Patterns

Open style double stop licks

Some chromatic patterns

Sun’s Gonna Shine in My Backdoor Someday

Southbound

Week 4 (1/28)

John Duffey

Playing rock and roll licks on the mandolin

Various positions on the neck

Moving between positions

Structuring solos using double stops and licks

Sunrise

Girl from the North Country

Week 5 (2/4)

Tim O’Brien

Picking Exercise IV

A few jazz-influenced licks

Some more position shifts

Open strings in B

If I Should Wander Back Tonight

Blue Night

Week 6 (2/11)

Jesse McReynolds

Crosspicking Exercises I and II

Double stops up the neck in various keys

How to create crosspicking solos

Are You Missing Me

She Left Me Standing on the Mountain

Week 7 (2/18)

Adam Steffey

Picking Exercise V

A few bluesy chromatic runs

More position shifts

Raleigh and Spencer

It Won’t Work this Time

Week 8 (3/11)

Sam Bush

Picking Exercise III

Melodic Exercise II

A few up the neck licks

Doin’ My Time

Stream Powered Aeroplane

The course fee is $225. Register by 11/24 for just $175!

Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills Curriculum (1/8-3/15)

By Theme Admin on November 10th, 2024 at 9:29 PM

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

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.

Register by 11/24 and save $50!

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/6-3/15)

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/7-3/15)

This course will focus solely on playing backup mandolin on bluegrass songs—something we do probably 90% of the time when we’re playing with other people in a jam session or other group settings! So why not take some time to get better at it and learn some of what the pros do? Basic chord forms, rhythm styles and double stops will be given, along with at least two melodic “fills” each week. Songs (two per week) will be taught in several keys to help students get more comfortable with moving chords, double stops and licks around the fretboard. The goal will be to help students become more adept at playing backup in various keys, develop a more solid sense of timing and in general have more fun playing with other people!

The course is intended for beginning to intermediate-level students (though absolute beginners may find it too advanced as we’ll be moving through chord styles fairly quickly in the first few weeks), or to students at any level wanting to improve their backup playing.

Classes meet every Wednesday at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. The week of February 26 is off, as is Saturday, March 8, so there will be eight weeks of classes in 10 weeks time.

Register by 11/24 and save $50!

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (1/8)

The bluegrass “chop” chord

Playing in the basic keys: G, A, D and C

Playing fills behind a singer

Some chop chord-based fills

Blue Ridge Cabin Home

Banks of the Ohio

WEEK 2 (1/15)

Backup in the key of A

Using double stops in backup

Double Stop Exercise I

Mixing double stops and fills together

Two more melodic fills

Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms

Nine Pound Hammer

WEEK 3 (1/22)

Backup in the key of D

Some more single note fills

More double stops

More dynamics in rhythm playing

New River Train

Gotta Travel On

WEEK 4 (1/29)

Waltzes

Using chop chords in waltz time

Two waltz time fills

Getting into more keys: E and B

Blue Moon of Kentucky

Kentucky Waltz

WEEK 5 (2/5)

Minor keys

Minor chord forms

Minor double stops

Two minor fills

Wayfaring Stranger

The Whole World Round

WEEK 6 (2/12)

Newgrass songs

Some newgrass rhythms

Barre chords

Open position licks

Two Sam Bush licks

White Freightliner Blues

Steam Powered Aeroplane

WEEK 7 (2/19)

More advanced chord progressions

Getting smooth transitions between chords

Working with moving double stops

More single-note fills

Salty Dog Blues

Old Home Place

WEEK 8 (3/5)

Putting it all together

Trying various rhythm styles: folk, bluegrass, blues and rock

Adding fills and double stops in various styles

Transposing to other keys: Bb and F

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Won’t You Come and Sing for Me

The course fee is $225. Register by 11/24 for just $175!

Save $50 on Winter Courses through 11/24! Bluegrass Mandolin 101, Advanced Bluegrass Soloing & Bluegrass Backup Mandolin Start 1/6-8

By Theme Admin on November 10th, 2024 at 6:59 AM

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.

“After buying six mandolins and umpteen books…I am convinced your course is best $100 I have invested in my mandolin journey to date. Finally, I’m getting the discpline I need with your exercises to learn scales, arpeggios, double stops, fingering techniques, learn the fretboard (the essential tools I need)…and most importantly to learn how those things fit into playing tunes.”—Rick D.

Register by 11/24 and save $50!

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online lessons program continues this winter with courses intended to help students improve their skills in bluegrass mandolin playing and perhaps branch out into some other related styles. Bluegrass Mandolin 101, Advanced Bluegrass Soloing and Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm will help students improve their fundamentals, learn the fretboard, improve their rhythm playing as well as soloing—all while learning a couple of new tunes each week. And all with the goal of having more fun playing the mandolin!

Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner (1/6-3/15) Curriculum Registration

Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner (1/7-3/15) Curriculum Registration

Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner (1/8-3/15) Curriculum Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 6-March 15): this course will introduce students to the use of double stops and various positions on the neck, as well as various picking and fingerboard exercises to help develop good mandolin technique and knowledge of the fretboard. Each week, students are given two standard bluegrass tunes (and encouraged to learn at least one of them); that week’s exercises are correlated to the tunes during the week’s practice session so that students find practical ways of using the exercises in their playing.

The course is intended for players at a beginning to intermediate ability level (though absolute beginners will have a difficult time keeping up—knowledge of basic chords and rhythm playing will help!). Register by 11/24 and save $50! Register here.

The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 7-March 15): in this course, we’ll examine the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Tim O’Brien, Adam Steffey and many others, and we’ll try incorporating and expanding on various aspects of their playing on a couple of bluegrass standard songs (or sometimes not-so-standard, but great tunes!). Each week, students will look at two recorded solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.

The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players. Register by 11/24 and save $50! Register here.

The Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills course (January 8-March 15): this course will help students learn ways of playing backup in bluegrass music, with a bit of “newgrass” mixed in. Basic chord forms and rhythm styles will be given along with double stops and melodic “fills,” with emphasis on accompanying a vocalist. Songs will be taught in several keys to help students get more comfortable with the fretboard and gain more confidence to be able to play more effectively in jam sessions. Each week, students will be given chord and rhythm exercises along with two (or more) melodic fills to try on a couple of bluegrass standard songs. The goal will be to help students become more adept at playing rhythm in various keys, develop a more solid sense of timing and, most of all, to have more fun playing in jam sessions.

The course is intended for players at a beginning to intermediate ability level (though absolute beginners will have a difficult time keeping up—knowledge of basic chords and rhythm playing will help!), or for players at any level who are looking to improve their chord vocabulary and rhythm playing. Register by 11/24 and save $50! Register here.

The course fee for any winter course is $225. Register by 11/24 for just $175!

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 6-March 15) takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time. We’ll also have practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. Monday class sessions will take place from January 6-March 3, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place from January 11-March 15. The week of February 20 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day). Register here.

The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 7-March 15) meets on Tuesdays at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time. Students will have eight Tuesday class sessions (January 7-March 11) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 11-March 15). The week of February 21 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day). Register here.

The Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills course (January 8-March 15) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. Students will have eight Wednesday class sessions (January 8-March 5) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 11-March 15). All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re often available to view later that day). Register here.

ALL class materials (PDFs, practice mp3s, short practice videos and class session videos) are available for students to download and keep for future use.

All students access to the live sessions as well as all materials (PDFs, mp3s, practice videos and class session videos), which they can download for future use.

Here’s a little more info about the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online experience that I hope will give you a good idea of how the program works.

BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN 101

Matt Flinner started the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program in the fall of 2013. Along the way, the program has helped hundreds of students improve their mandolin playing in a wide variety of styles. The program offers a unique approach to online mandolin lessons that gives students the best of both live lessons as well as recorded mandolin instructional videos, audio recordings and written materials. The courses focus on helping mandolin students get to the next level in their playing and broaden their understanding of a variety of American musical traditions.

A UNIQUE APPROACH: LIVE INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

Part of what makes the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program unique is the fact that students follow a step-by-step program of live lessons over a four or eight week course. The courses follow a carefully planned curriculum in the given style or area of technique, and the live lessons get a little more challenging each week as the course progresses. Classes meet twice per week: on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening, depending on the course, and on Saturday morning/afternoon, when students can join a follow-up practice session to review that week’s material. Students can view the live lessons via their computer, iPad or smart phone. Students are encouraged to ask questions during the class sessions via a chat window and/or their external or built-in microphone (this microphone is muted unless the student requests to use it). And students do not need a webcam.

All live sessions are also recorded so that students can review them any time if they are unable to make it to the live sessions; this also gives students the added convenience of going through the material as many times as they want to. Students are given access to a private class website where they can find these recorded sessions and they can also view and download all PDFs of the materials and several practice mp3s of that week’s song(s) recorded at various tempos. Students will also be given download links for all class videos so that they can view them offline at their convenience on into the future. In essence, all materials from the course are for the students to keep.

One aspect of the live class schedule that makes the program so effective is that students are generally more encouraged to practice in order to keep up with the schedule. Students are given a list of suggested priorities each week, depending on their ability level and amount of practice time, and all material is then reviewed in the Saturday practice session so that students get another chance to run through it with the instructor. Just by showing up, students will run through the material twice each week—for many of us, that’s already an improvement!

HOW INTERACTIVE ARE THE COURSES?

All live sessions are interactive; students can ask questions and/or demonstrate tunes or exercises via live microphone or telephone, or via a chat window (most students opt for this approach). The instructor is able to immediately respond and demonstrate the answers for the whole class. Another form of interaction comes via mp3 recordings; students can record mp3s on their own time of themselves playing the material (or anything else they want to send in) and send it to the instructor for feedback, which is also recorded in mp3 form and sent back to the student. Students can post their mp3s on the class site (and likely get encouraging feedback from other students in addition to the instructor) or email them privately to the instructor.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PRACTICE?

That is completely up to the student. While, say, 30 minutes per day might be a good recommendation for practice time, students can make whatever they choose of this course based on their own schedule and aspirations. Practicing week to week (again, say 30 minutes per day) will help students keep up with the week’s lessons and concepts, but the instructor knows that people have busy lives! This is why all instructional material is archived and available for download so that students can learn on their own time after the course has finished as well as during the eight weeks of classes. However, one advantage to the four-week scheduled course is that by practicing at least somewhat regularly, students are more able to be prepared for the following week’s lessons and therefore take full advantage of the live and recorded mix of lesson material.

Students can decide whether to practice along with the class session or with the shorter individual videos (or both), depending on what they want to focus on for that week. Material is given each week that is targeted toward various ability levels; a song is given which is playable for beginning to intermediate players (or intermediate to advanced, depending on the course), and various concepts relating to that song are also given to educate and challenge players at beginning, intermediate and even advanced levels. The student essentially decides how much they want to take on for the week (and the course) based on their ability level and how much practice time they have. Any material they were unable to get to during the week and want to revisit later will be available in the archived videos and PDFs. The instructor will also give students a recommended list of priorities each week to help students take the best advantage of their practice time.

THE CLASS WEBPAGE

This is the virtual gathering place for the courses, where students can view the instructional videos, view and/or download all written materials, listen to mp3s of Matt playing the tunes, get listening recommendations, ask questions, submit their own mp3s for feedback and generate forum discussions. It’s a great place to drop by any time and explore, learn and discuss.

REGISTRATION FEE

The course fee for any winter course is $225. Register for any course(s) by 11/24 for just $175! Just register at the registration link(s) and we’ll send you an invoice via PayPal for the discounted course fees ($175 per course).

Here are a few quotes from some past students about their experiences in the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program:

“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.

“I’ve practiced more in two weeks than I have in months! Really enjoying how it’s going.”—Donna O.

“I have to say that making everything available online is a great convenience for me. Being able to stop and return to a more challenging exercise or a newer phrase is great for learning. I also really appreciate your availability to answer questions offline. This is a great course, and I feel as though I’m improving daily because of it.”—Joe C.

“I’m really enjoying the course. The first time I’ve actually practiced an instrument in my 60 years!”—Skip H.

To visit the registration pages, click one of these links:

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Backup and Fills with Matt Flinner

Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum (10/7-12/7)

By Theme Admin on September 1st, 2024 at 12:38 AM

“Your classes are moving me forward so very much. Thank you.” —Jean C.

“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.

Register for the Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

See the Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/8-12/7)

See the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/9-12/7)

The Carter Family Mandolin course will explore the roots of country music from one of the most influential and important groups of the 20th century, the Carter Family. Students will learn melodies and rhythm for many classic songs that form some of the core repertoire of bluegrass, country and American folk music.

The course is recommended for advanced beginner (knowledge of basic chords and at least a few songs and tunes s helpful) to intermediate players.

60-minute class sessions take place online every Monday evening from October 2nd to December 4th at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning from October 7th through December 9th at 10 am eastern time. The week November 25th is off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

NOTE: It is helpful, but not essential, to be present for the live sessions. All class sessions are recorded and available to view on the class website by the following day. Here is the curriculum:

Register for the Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

WEEK 1 (10/7)

Playing lead and rhythm in the key of G

Picking Exercise I

Rhythm Exercise I

Going back and forth between lead and rhythm

Getting better tone and volume

Keep on the Sunny Side

My Clinch Mountain Home

WEEK 2 (10/14)

The key of C

Using double stops in soloing

Double Stop Exercise #1

Wildwood Flower

Meet Me Out in the Moonlight Alone

WEEK 3 (10/21)

The key of A

Picking Exercise #2

Double Stop Exercise #2

Hello Stranger

I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes

WEEK 4 (10/28)

Waltzes

Tremolo Exercise #1

Double stop exercise #3

Moving smoothly between double stops

The Storms Are on the Ocean

Cowboy Jack

WEEK 5 (11/4)

A bit of blues

A few blues licks

Rhythm Exercise #2

Cannonball Blues

It’s a Long, Long Road to Travel Alone

WEEK 6 (11/11)

The key of E

Picking Exercise #3

More chord forms for backup

Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone

My Native Home

WEEK 7 (11/18)

The Key of F

Some more bluesy licks

Melodic Pattern I

Double Stop Exercise #4

I Never Will Marry

Girl on the Grenebriar Shore

WEEK 8 (12/2)

Tying it all together: double stops, licks and positions on the neck

Single Girl, Married Girl

Little Darling Pal of Mine

The course fee is $225.

Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum (10/8-12/7)

By Theme Admin on September 1st, 2024 at 12:28 AM

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.

“I have done some online courses, some one-on-one instruction and some camps. The course I just finished with you has been the most useful by a pretty large margin. Thanks for both the thought and effort that went into the design and material preparation and for the personal presence you bring to it.”—Steve F.

Register for the Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

See the Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/7-12/7)

See the Mandolin Fundamentals & Technique curriculum (10/9-12/7)

Welcome to the Grateful Dead Mandolin course! As you might expect, this course will explore the wide and wonderful world of the Grateful Dead, enabling students to learn more about mandolin technique, be more versatile in various styles of playing, and have a whole lot of fun along the way. The course will especially focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms, getting tips on soloing, and especially learning how to navigate tricky and unusual chord progressions! We’ll also focus on having a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes.

Each week, students will be given exercises related to picking technique, chords, licks or double stops, along with a couple of Grateful Dead songs. The goal is to get students to strengthen their fundamental technique, learn more about the fretboard, get better at playing by ear—and do all of the above in a fun way.

This course is offered at Europe-friendly times! Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in most of Europe) and 9 pm eastern time. Students are welcome to join whichever session is more convenient for them…or they can join both! Students who cannot make it to the live sessions are able to view the sessions afterwards on the class website—generally by the following day. Tuesday class sessions will run from October 8 to December 3 (with the week of November 26 off due to the Thanksgiving holiday), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time from October 12 to December 7 (with November 30 off).

Register for the Grateful Dead Mandolin course with Matt Flinner

Here is the schedule:

Week 1 (10/8):

Some bluegrassy tunes

Picking Exercise I

Melodic Pattern I for Soloing

Rhythm Exercise I

Friend of the Devil

Dire Wolf

Week 2 (10/15)

Basic rock rhythms

Rhythm exercise II

Picking Exercise II

Black Muddy River

Fire on the Mountain

Week 3 (10/22):

Some Minor and Blues Ideas

Melodic Pattern II

Using Picking Patterns Over Various Rhythms

Althea

Mountains of the Moon

Week 4 (10/29):

Some complex chord progressions

Finding roots

Using melodic patterns over a variety of chords

More Chord Forms

Black Peter

Candyman

Week 5 (11/5):

Using Some Double Stops

Typical Double Stop Forms

Tremolo exercises

Ripple

Broke Down Palace

Week 6 (11/12):

More rock grooves

Bo Diddley Rhythm

Picking Exercise III

Aiko Aiko

Scarlet Begonias

Week 7 (11/19):

Getting up and down the neck

Complex chord progressions II

Arpeggios in soloing

Lazy River Road

Cumberland Blues

Week 8 (12/3):

Complex Chord Progressions III

Bringing Blues Licks, Double Stops and Various Rhythms into Your Playing

So Many Roads

If I Had the World to Give

The course fee is $225.

Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner Curriculum (10/9-12/7)

By Theme Admin on August 31st, 2024 at 11:42 PM

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.

“I’ve learned so much from your courses and have improved greatly due to learning some basic skills and music theory.”—Jamie J.

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

Register for the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner course

See the Carter Family Mandolin curriculum (10/7-12/7)

See the Grateful Dead Mandolin curriculum (10/8-12/7)

The Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course is intended to help students improve their technique in both the right and left hand, and to give students a more solid understanding of the fretboard while getting ideas of the “tools” used in soloing and rhythm playing. Each week, students will be given a handful of exercises in the areas of picking technique, fingering technique, scales, arpeggios, chords, double stops and tremolo. We’ll also look at a tune each week—from old-time, bluegrass, swing, classical or the Beatles—and try applying concepts from the exercises to them. The goal is to help students play with more ease and better tone, and to get ideas to help them advance more quickly and have more fun playing with others. The course is intended for students at any level who want to improve their skills, though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult. Knowledge of some fiddle tunes and basic chords and rhythm playing is a must!

Classes meet every Wednesday from October 9th to December 4th at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions every Saturday from October 12th to December 7th at 12:30 pm eastern time. The week of November 27th will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions, but will be able to view the sessions afterwards on the class website in the event they cannot attend live.

Register for the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner course

Here is the curriculum:

Week 1 (10/9)

Picking exercises

Picking Exercise I

Picking Exercise II

Major Scale Exercise I

Lick #1

Music for a Found Harmonium

Week 2 (10/16)

Fingering exercises

Fingering Exercise I (one string)

Fingering Exercise II (across the strings)

Major Arpeggio Exercise I

Lick #2

Blackberry Blossom (and variations)

Week 3 (10/23)

Double stop exercises

Double Stop Exercise II

Double Stop Exercise III

Major Scale Exercise II

Lick #3

Eight More Miles to Louisville

Week 4 (10/30)

Picking exercises—tremolo

Tremolo Picking Exercise I

Tremolo Picking Exercise II

Lick #4

Tennessee Waltz

Week 5 (11/6)

Chord exercises

Chord Exercise I

Chord Exercise II (diatonic chords)

Diatonic Double Stop Exercise

Lick #5

Home Sweet Home

Week 6 (11/13)

Scale exercises

Major Scale Exercise III (various positions)

Minor Scale Exercise I (low position)

Lick #6

Position shifts

Liza Jane

Week 7 (11/20)

Arpeggio exercises

Major Arpeggio Exercise II

Minor Arpeggio Exercise II

Lick #7

Jackson’s Hornpipe

Week 8 (12/4)

Position shifts II

Picking Exercise IV

Fingering Exercise III

Minor Scale Exercise II

Lick #8

Jethro’s Tune

The course fee is $225.

Carter Family Mandolin, Grateful Dead Mandolin & Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique Courses Start 10/7-9!

By Theme Admin on August 31st, 2024 at 11:38 PM

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.

“After buying six mandolins and umpteen books…I am convinced your course is best $100 I have invested in my mandolin journey to date. Finally, I’m getting the discpline I need with your exercises to learn scales, arpeggios, double stops, fingering techniques, learn the fretboard (the essential tools I need)…and most importantly to learn how those things fit into playing tunes.”—Rick D.

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online lessons program continues this spring with three eight-week long courses in a variety of styles and techniques. Courses for a variety of levels from advanced beginner to intermediate to advanced students will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with follow-up practice sessions on Saturdays from early October through early December. Show up live for the streamed sessions on Zoom or stream them later on the class website. Or both!

Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

The Carter Family Mandolin course (October 7-December 7) will explore the songs of the Carter Family from the 1920s and 30s—songs that make up a significant part of the standard bluegrass and American folk repertoire. Students will learn basic melodies and chords, along with various approaches to embellishing those melodies using double stops, tremolo, licks and various positions on the neck. Songs will be in a variety of keys (G, C, A, D, E and F) so that students get experience in common and slightly less-common bluegrass keys. It’s a great way to expand your playing and musicianship (and learn some great tunes)!

The course is recommended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, and assumes some knowledge of basic chords and the ability to play some melodies.

The Grateful Dead Mandolin course (October 8-December 7) will explore the songs of the Grateful Dead on the mandolin! We’ll look at songs from the repertoire of the Dead to help students with a broad array of musical concepts including various approaches to soloing, playing rhythm in different types of grooves, learning various positions up the neck, using double stops in soloing, tremolo, etc. And many of the songs of the Grateful Dead use unusual and unpredictable chord progressions; we’ll talk about ways of soloing effectively over these difficult progressions, as well as approaches to playing the chords. The hope is that students will expand their musicality and have fun along the way!

The course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.

The Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course (October 9-December 7) will focus (as the name implies) on fundmentals of mandolin playing: picking, fingering technique, double stops, scales and patterns, arpeggios, chords and licks. Each week, we’ll focus on a different aspect of technique and apply it to a tune we’ll learn. We’ll also learn a new lick each week and move it around the fretboard to various keys. Students will get a good workout each week in a variety of areas to help them strengthen their fundamentals and have more fun playing the mandolin.

The course is intended for players at a beginner to intermediate level, or to players at any level who want to improve their fundamental skills!

Register for the Carter Family Mandolin Course with Matt Flinner

The Carter Family Mandolin course (October 7-December 7) course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. Students will have eight Monday class sessions (October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18 and December 2) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7). The week of November 25 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday. All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re often available to view later that day). Register here.

The Grateful Dead Mandolin course (October 8-December 7) meets on Tuesday afternoons and evenings at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time. NOTE: Tuesday afternoon sessions take place at 2 pm eastern time—a more convenient time for our friends in the UK and Europe! 2 pm eastern time translates to 7 or 8 pm in the UK and most of Europe. Students are welcome to join in on either or both of the Tuesday sessions each week (they will be essentially identical to one another in content). Tuesday class sessions will take place October 8, 15, 22, 29, November 5, 12, 19 and December 3, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7. The week of November 26 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday. All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day). Register here.

The Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course (October 9-December 7) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. Students will have eight Wednesday class sessions (October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6, 13, 20 and December 4) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7). The week of November 27 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday. All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re often available to view later that day). Register here..

ALL class materials (PDFs, practice mp3s, short practice videos and class session videos) are available for students to download and keep for future use.

The course fee for each course is $225.

All students access to the live sessions as well as all materials (PDFs, mp3s, practice videos and class session videos), which they can download for future use.

Here’s a little more info about the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online experience that I hope will give you a good idea of how the program works.

BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN 101

Matt Flinner started the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program in the fall of 2013. Along the way, the program has helped hundreds of students improve their mandolin playing in a wide variety of styles. The program offers a unique approach to online mandolin lessons that gives students the best of both live lessons as well as recorded mandolin instructional videos, audio recordings and written materials. The courses focus on helping mandolin students get to the next level in their playing and broaden their understanding of a variety of American musical traditions.

A UNIQUE APPROACH: LIVE INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

Part of what makes the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program unique is the fact that students follow a step-by-step program of live lessons over a four or eight week course. The courses follow a carefully planned curriculum in the given style or area of technique, and the live lessons get a little more challenging each week as the course progresses. Classes meet twice per week: on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening, depending on the course, and on Saturday morning/afternoon, when students can join a follow-up practice session to review that week’s material. Students can view the live lessons via their computer, iPad or smart phone. Students are encouraged to ask questions during the class sessions via a chat window and/or their external or built-in microphone (this microphone is muted unless the student requests to use it). And students do not need a webcam.

All live sessions are also recorded so that students can review them any time if they are unable to make it to the live sessions; this also gives students the added convenience of going through the material as many times as they want to. Students are given access to a private class website where they can find these recorded sessions and they can also view and download all PDFs of the materials and several practice mp3s of that week’s song(s) recorded at various tempos. Students will also be given download links for all class videos so that they can view them offline at their convenience on into the future. In essence, all materials from the course are for the students to keep.

One aspect of the live class schedule that makes the program so effective is that students are generally more encouraged to practice in order to keep up with the schedule. Students are given a list of suggested priorities each week, depending on their ability level and amount of practice time, and all material is then reviewed in the Saturday practice session so that students get another chance to run through it with the instructor. Just by showing up, students will run through the material twice each week—for many of us, that’s already an improvement!

HOW INTERACTIVE ARE THE COURSES?

All live sessions are interactive; students can ask questions and/or demonstrate tunes or exercises via live microphone or telephone, or via a chat window (most students opt for this approach). The instructor is able to immediately respond and demonstrate the answers for the whole class. Another form of interaction comes via mp3 recordings; students can record mp3s on their own time of themselves playing the material (or anything else they want to send in) and send it to the instructor for feedback, which is also recorded in mp3 form and sent back to the student. Students can post their mp3s on the class site (and likely get encouraging feedback from other students in addition to the instructor) or email them privately to the instructor.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PRACTICE?

That is completely up to the student. While, say, 30 minutes per day might be a good recommendation for practice time, students can make whatever they choose of this course based on their own schedule and aspirations. Practicing week to week (again, say 30 minutes per day) will help students keep up with the week’s lessons and concepts, but the instructor knows that people have busy lives! This is why all instructional material is archived and available for download so that students can learn on their own time after the course has finished as well as during the eight weeks of classes. However, one advantage to the four-week scheduled course is that by practicing at least somewhat regularly, students are more able to be prepared for the following week’s lessons and therefore take full advantage of the live and recorded mix of lesson material.

Students can decide whether to practice along with the class session or with the shorter individual videos (or both), depending on what they want to focus on for that week. Material is given each week that is targeted toward various ability levels; a song is given which is playable for beginning to intermediate players (or intermediate to advanced, depending on the course), and various concepts relating to that song are also given to educate and challenge players at beginning, intermediate and even advanced levels. The student essentially decides how much they want to take on for the week (and the course) based on their ability level and how much practice time they have. Any material they were unable to get to during the week and want to revisit later will be available in the archived videos and PDFs. The instructor will also give students a recommended list of priorities each week to help students take the best advantage of their practice time.

THE CLASS WEBPAGE

This is the virtual gathering place for the courses, where students can view the instructional videos, view and/or download all written materials, listen to mp3s of Matt playing the tunes, get listening recommendations, ask questions, submit their own mp3s for feedback and generate forum discussions. It’s a great place to drop by any time and explore, learn and discuss.

REGISTRATION FEE

Fees for the 8-week spring courses are $225 each.

Here are a few quotes from some past students about their experiences in the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program:

“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.

“I’ve practiced more in two weeks than I have in months! Really enjoying how it’s going.”—Donna O.

“I have to say that making everything available online is a great convenience for me. Being able to stop and return to a more challenging exercise or a newer phrase is great for learning. I also really appreciate your availability to answer questions offline. This is a great course, and I feel as though I’m improving daily because of it.”—Joe C.

“The level was perfect. Mentally I understand many things that have opened up the fingerboard a lot; now I need some quality time to get it under my hands. I found things challenging without feeling out of reach.”—Stan M.

“I’m really enjoying the course. The first time I’ve actually practiced an instrument in my 60 years!”—Skip H.

To visit the registration pages, click one of these links:

Register for the Grateful Dead Mandolin Course with Matt Flinner

Register for Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique Course with Matt Flinner

Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II Curriculum (8/19-9/21)

By Theme Admin on July 7th, 2024 at 3:17 AM

“After buying six mandolins and umpteen books…I am convinced your course is best $100 I
have invested in my mandolin journey to date. Finally, I’m getting the discpline I need with your
exercises to learn scales, arpeggios, double stops, fingering techniques, learn the fretboard (the
essential tools I need)…and most importantly to learn how those things fit into playing tunes.”—
Rick D., Bluegrass Mandolin 101 student

“I have to say that making everything available online is a great convenience for me. Being able
to stop and return to a more challenging exercise or a newer phrase is a great for learning. I
also really appreciate your availability to answer questions offline. This is a great course, and I
feel as though I’m improving daily because of it.”—Joe C., Bluegrass Mandolin 101 student

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

See the Mandolin Tune Studies II Curriculum (August 20-September 21)
See the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive Curriculum (August 21-September 21)

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. 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 from Matt).

Classes meet every Monday from August 19 to September 16 at 9 pm eastern time, with the week of August 26 being off due to Matt’s tour schedule. There will also be 45-minute review sessions every Saturday at 10 am eastern time. This course is a continuation of the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming I course which concludes on July 13, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course.

The course fee is $125.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (August 19)
Starting off in the keys of A and D
Open position and positions up the neck
Double stops in A
Wild Bill Jones
I’ll Stay Around
Dig A Hole in the Meadow
Summer Wages

WEEK 2 (September 2)
Keys of E and F
Adding the blues in E and F
Moving double stop exercises
The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake
Memories of Mother and Dad
The Last Thing on My Mind
Why You Been Gone So Long

WEEK 3 (September 9)
Keys of B and Bb
More moving double stops
Some Monroe-style ideas
White House Blues
Roving Gambler
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Old Home Place

WEEK 4 (September 16)
Some “modern” classics
More difficult chord progressions
Finding chord tones and double stops
Combining double stops and licks
Redwood Hill
Old Train
Nellie Kane
Wait a Minute

The course fee is $125.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner