All Courses $50 Off: Advanced Bluegrass, Rock & Roll and Mandolin for Beginners
By Theme Admin on February 3rd, 2020 at 11:36 PM
“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
“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.
In light of current events, all spring courses will remain $50 off through the sign-up period (and after!). Let’s play some tunes and help each other get through these difficult times!
Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum Registration
Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing Curriculum Registration
Rock and Roll Mandolin Curriculum Registration
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this spring focusing on bluegrass, basics and rock and roll! Courses are offered for a variety of ability levels and interests, and are intended to help students improve their technique and learn the fretboard while learning some great tunes. Mandolin for Beginners, Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing and Rock and Roll Mandolin will start up March 30th and 31st and April 1st.
Each course lasts eight weeks, with class sessions on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings (depending on which course it is) and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturday mornings or afternoons to help you solidify the material while learning practice techniques and getting tips on practice routines.
Students DO NOT need to tune in to the live online sessions, as all class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted to the class website by the next day for viewing at the students’ convenience. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions whenever possible, as they can ask questions during the session—plus we’ve found that many students are more likely to practice when they show up for the live sessions!
Mandolin for Beginners (March 30-May 30): This eight-week online program is designed to give the beginning mandolin student a solid foundation in basic mandolin technique, and help students start playing actual songs and tunes from the start. Chords, picking exercises, fingering exercises, rhythm exercises as well as tunes and songs will be taught each week in a progressive curriculum to help students establish good habits and enable them to advance more quickly in their mandolin playing.. Register here.
Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing (March 31-June 6): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced concepts in bluegrass mandolin. Solos by bluegrass mandolin masters Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds and many others will be taught each week. Students will be given two transcribed solos on bluegrass standards to choose from, along with some analyses of the solos and supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts in their own playing. This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students. Register here.
Rock and Roll Mandolin (April 1-June 6): This course will explore the wide and wonderful world of Rock & Roll, 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 focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms with a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, strengthening fundamentals such as picking and fingering, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes along the way. Songs by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones (to name a few) will be part of the curriculum. Register here.
SCHEDULE:
60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Mandolin for Beginners), Tuesday (Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing) or Wednesday (Rock and Roll Mandolin) evening from January 6, 7 or 8 to March 10, 11 or 16 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from April 3 to Ma7 30 (for Rhythm Mandolin) or June 6 (Advanced Bluegrass and Rock and Roll). The shcedule will vary a bit due to Matt’s tour schedule; each course will have eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of 9-10 weeks.
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.
WHAT STUDENTS GET FROM THE COURSE
All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with. Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently. All class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted on the class website (usually by the following day) so that students who were unable to attend the live sessions may view them at their own convenience, and all students may review the class videos as often as they wish.
Students will also be given a Recommended Listening list each week for the material covered. A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded old-time and bluegrass music.
HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?
During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window. The instructor responds to all questions immediately (or between teaching exercises, etc.) on the spot.
Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism. Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to. Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.
There is also a class website where registered students can find all class materials (videos, PDFs, mp3s) anytime. The site also has a Forum section, where students can ask questions, bring up topics for discussion, etc., in an open forum where the instructor and other students can respond.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device (such as iPhone) in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.
2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions. Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).
3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.
4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).
The course fee is $225 for the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing and Rock and Roll courses, and $200 for the Mandolin for Beginners course.
In light of current events, all courses will be discounted at $50 off.
If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at [email protected].
Register here:
Register for Mandolin for Beginners with Matt Flinner
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
Register for Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner
View curricula for each course here:
Mandolin for Beginners with Matt Flinner Curriculum
Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum
Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum
Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum (3/30-5/30)
By Theme Admin on February 3rd, 2020 at 10:40 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 really enjoy your courses and your teaching style. It works for me nicely. You obviously put a great deal of effort and thought in to the classes.”—Mike B.
NOTE: This course has concluded, but can be accessed through our archives. Email [email protected] for more information.
See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing curriculum
See the Rock and Roll Mandolin curriculum
Mandolin for Beginners is an eight-week online program designed to give the beginning mandolin student a solid foundation in basic mandolin technique, and help students start playing actual songs and tunes from the start. Chords, picking exercises, fingering exercises, rhythm exercises as well as tunes and songs will be taught each week in a progressive curriculum to help students establish good habits and enable them to advance more quickly in their mandolin playing.
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
The eight-week course begins on March 30th and runs until May 30th. Class sessions will take place every Monday evening from 9-9:45 pm eastern time, and follow-up practice sessions will take place every Saturday morning from 10-10:45 am eastern time (Matt will be taking off the weeks of May 11 for the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp) there will be eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over a nine-week period. All class sessions and practice sessions will be recorded so that students can revisit the lessons as often as they’d like to, and students who are unable to attend any of the live sessions can view the lessons at their own convenience.
During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window.
All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with. Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently.
Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism. Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to. Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.
Students will also be given a “Recommended Listening” list each week for the material covered. A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded bluegrass and old-time music.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection. If you’re on a Mac, you’ll need to be using OS 10.8 or later in order to see Matt’s webcam (which is central to the lessons). It’s also a good idea to update your browser to the most recent version in order for the live lessons to run smoothly.
2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions. Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).
3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.
4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).
The fee for the course is $200. But in light of current events, we’re keeping the fee at $150.
If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected].
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
MANDOLIN FOR BEGINNERS CURRICULUM
WEEK 1 (3/30/20)
Getting familiar with the mandolin
How to choose a pick, mandolin set-up and tuning
A Few Chords
A Few Picking Patterns
Fingering Position
Playing chords on Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus material: This Land is Your Land
WEEK 2 (4/6)
Playing melodies
Picking Pattern 2
Chords in A
A Major scale
Bile Them Cabbage Down
Bonus material: Woody’s Rag
WEEK 3 (4/13)
Picking pattern 3
Fingering Exercise I
D major scale
Angeline the Baker
Bonus material: Wildwood Flower
WEEK 4 (4/20)
Picking pattern 4
A few minor chords
Rhythm patterns
G major scale
Old Joe Clark
Bonus material: Shady Grove
WEEK 5 (4/27)
Adding ornaments, Slides and Hammer-ons
Fingering Exercise II
Playing rhythm in Waltz time
Rhythm on Goodnight Irene
Muddy Roads
Bonus material: Eighth of January
WEEK 6 (5/4)
Getting to know the neck a little better
Closed position A major scale
Three Closed position chords
Red Haired Boy
Bonus material: Over the Waterfall
WEEK 7 (5/18)
Intro to position playing
A few double stops
Bluegrass “Chop Chords”
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus material: I’ll Fly Away
WEEK 8 (5/25)
Transitions between lead and rhythm
Trying other keys (with tunes from week 7)
Soldier’s Joy
Bonus material: Blackberry Blossom
The course fee is $200. Register any time for $150, as we’re living in some strange times!
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
Questions? Email Matt: [email protected].
Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum (4/8-6/6)
By Theme Admin on February 3rd, 2020 at 10:29 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 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.
Rock and Roll Mandolin will begin on April 8th!
Register any time for $50 off. In light of current events, we’re keeping the discount in place.
Register for Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner
See the Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum (3/30-6/6)
See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing Curriculum (3/31-6/6)
Welcome to Rock & Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner! This course will explore the wide and wonderful world of Rock & Roll, 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 focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms with a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, strengthening fundamentals such as picking and fingering, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes along the way. Songs by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones (to name a few) will be part of the curriculum.
Each week, students will be given exercises related to picking technique, chords, licks or double stops, along with a couple of standard Rock & Roll songs. Students will also be given a simple “riff” tune each week (though they’ll gradually get more complicated over the 8-week course) to explore the fingerboard with. 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.
The course will run from March 20 to June 6, with class sessions on Wdnesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.
Register for $50 off. Let’s get through these difficult times together!
Here is the schedule:
Week 1 (4/8):
Chuck Berry
Some Basic Blues-Rock Rhythms
A Few Chuck Berry Riffs
Monroe-style Playing in Rock & Roll
Rock and Roll Music
Bonus tune: Memphis
Riffs: Satisfaction
Week 2 (4/15)
More rhythms
Rhythm exercise II
Picking Exercise II
Down on the Corner
Bonus Tune: Going to California
Riffs: Sunshine of Your Love
Week 3 (4/22):
More Blues in Rock and Rockabiily
Some Scotty Moore Solos
Using Picking Patterns Over Various Rhythms
Ways of Playing Chords in A and E
Good Rockin’ Tonight
Bonus Tune: Hound Dog
Riffs: Day Tripper
Week 4 (5/6):
Rhythm II—Bo Diddley Rhythm
More Chord Forms
Creating a Groove
Who Do You Love
Bonus tune: Hey Bo Diddley
Riffs: Voodoo Child
Week 5 (5/13):
Using Some Double Stops
Typical Double Stop Forms
Some Pentatonic Licks
Time Is On My Side
Bonus tune: Revolution
Riffs: E-Pro (Beck)
Week 6 (5/20):
Complex Picking Patterns
Picking Exercises Across the Strings
Message in a Bottle
Bonus tune: Clocks (Coldplay)
Riffs: Heartbreaker
Week 7 (5/27):
The Blues in Rock II
Blues Scales
Blues Licks
Jimi Henrdix and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pride and Joy
Bonus tune: Purple Haze
Riffs: Money (Pink Floyd)
Week 8 (6/3):
More Complex Chord Progressions
Bringing Blues Licks, Double Stops and Various Rhythms into Your Playing
Little Wing
Bonus tune: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Riffs: Layla
The course fee is $225. Register for $175 any time. Strange times call for lower prices!
Advanced Bluegrass Soloing Curriculum (3/31-6/6)
By Theme Admin on February 3rd, 2020 at 10:04 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 for $50 off any time. Let’s get through these difficult times together!
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner
See the Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum
See the Rock and Roll Mandolin curriculum
Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Sam Bush, David Grisman and many others. 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.
WEEK 1 (3/31)
Bill Monroe
Melodic Pattern I
Picking Exercise I
A Few Licks in the chop chord position
Heavy Traffic Ahead
White House Blues
WEEK 2 (4/7)
Bobby Osborne
Pentatonic patterns in closed position
A Few Triplet licks
Picking Exercise II
One Tear
Sally Ann
WEEK 3 (4/14)
Frank Wakefield
Fingering patterns in 4ths
Descending Melodic Pattern I
Picking Exercise III
Little Maggie
Glendale Train
WEEK 4 (4/21)
Dempsey Young
A Few Chromatic Runs
Melodic Pattern II
Melodic Pattern III
Double Stop Licks
Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool
Home Sweet Home
WEEK 5 (5/5)
Ricky Skaggs
Syncopated Picking Exercise
Tremolo Exercise
A few licks in open and “index on the root” position
Roving Gambler
Midnight on the Stormy Deep
WEEK 6 (5/19)
Sam Bush
Scale Pattern I
Melodic Pattern IV
Double Stop Exercise II
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Watermelon Man
WEEK 7 (5/26)
Jesse McReynolds
Cross-Picking Pattern I
Cross-Picking Pattern II
Double Stops Up the Neck
Look for Me
Stoney Creek
WEEK 8 (6/2)
David Grisman
Picking Exercise IV
Melodic Pattern V
More Positions Up the Neck
On and On
My Little Georgia Rose
The course fee is $225. In light of current events, we’re keeping the fee at $175. Register here.
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner
Mandolin Practice Techniques: Sharpen Your Skills in the New Year with 5-Day Courses for Just $40
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 11:18 PM
“All your courses are really good, very well designed, and you have a great teaching style and a relaxed, open, while also serious, approach, which really comes across with the live lessons; thank you for being so encouraging always!“—Penny J.
“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 discipline 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.
Weeks 1 and 2 have already concluded. Registration is still open for Weeks 3 and 4.
Register for Week 3 (January 20-24)
Register for Week 4 (February 10-14)
Join Matt Flinner for a series of 5-day courses this winter which are geared toward helping the aspiring mandolin student practice more efficiently and improve their playing skills more quickly. Every day for five days, students will run through a series of exercises and one tune, with Matt guiding them in a live 30-minute online practice session. Students who are unable to make the live sessions can view them later that day or evening on the class website, as all sessions will be recorded.
NOTE: It is not necessary to have taken the Week 1 course to register for Week 2 and subsequent weeks. All material from week to week will be unique and will challenge students in different ways!
Students will be given exercises in the following areas: picking exercises, arpeggios, scales, fingering exercises, double stops, and a tune for the week. Students will receive the materials in PDF form four weeks ahead of time (or whenever they sign up) so that they have a chance to learn them before the course begins. ÂMatt will then guide them through daily practice sessions for five straight days, giving them tips on how to improve and how to practice more effectively.
All class sessions take place from 10-10:30 am eastern time.
The four weeks’ courses are different from one another, with different materials and a different tune being given for each week. Students can take any single course on its own or take any combination of courses to establish a routine and build on knowledge from one course to the next.
The registration fee for each course is $40.
Students can view all materials (videos and PDFs) on a class website any time, and they can also download and keep all PDFs and videos (including recordings of the class sessions) to practice with on their own time if they wish to.
Register here for Week 3 (January 20-24)
Register here for Week 4 (January 27-31)
WEEK 3 Curriculum (1/20-24)
Picking Exercise III
Fingering Exercise III
Double Stop Exercise III in A
Scale and Pattern Exercise III
Minor 7 Arpeggio Exercise
Lick #3 in All Keys
Tune: Double File
WEEK 4 Curriculum (2/10-14)
Picking Exercise IV
Fingering Exercise IV
Double Stop Exercise IV
Scales and Patterns in C
Arpeggio Exercise IV
Lick #4 in All Keys
Tune: Pikes Peak
Advanced Swing, American Roots Mandolin and Rhythm Mandolin Courses Start 1/6!
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 7:26 PM
“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
“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.
Rhythm Mandolin Curriculum Registration
Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing Curriculum Registration
American Roots Mandolin Curriculum Registration
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on rhythm, roots and swing! Courses are offered for a variety of ability levels and interests, and are intended to help students improve their technique and learn the fretboard while learning some great tunes. Rhythm Mandolin, Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing and American Roots will start up January 6, 7 and 8.
Each course lasts eight weeks, with class sessions on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings (depending on which course it is) and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturday mornings or afternoons to help you solidify the material while learning practice techniques and getting tips on practice routines.
Students DO NOT need to tune in to the live online sessions, as all class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted to the class website by the next day for viewing at the students’ convenience. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions whenever possible, as they can ask questions during the session—plus we’ve found that many students are more likely to practice when they show up for the live sessions!
Rhythm Mandolin (January 6-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn and improve in various styles of rhythm playing. Students will start with basic chord forms and rhythms and gradually expand into various inversions, double stops and melodic “fills.” Songs will be taught in various keys to help students learn the fretboard and be better prepared for playing along in jam sessions, and various styles from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues will be explored to help students improve their sense of time and expand their musical pallette. This course is intended for beginning to intermediate students, or for ay students who want to improve their backup playing skills. Register here.
Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing (January 7-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced concepts in swing mandolin. Solos by jazz mandolin masters Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble will be taught each week, along with some solos by other string instrumental masters including Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti. Students will be given two transcribed solos on jazz standards to choose from each week, along with some analyses of the solos and supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts in their own playing. This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students. Register here.
American Roots Mandolin (January 8-March 21): This course will focus on mandolin music from the early part of the 20th century, when the mandolin was commonly heard played in string bands as well as ragtime bands, jug bands and by blues artists. Each week, students will receive two tunes to choose from along with several related exercises and suggestions for playing rhythm in various styles including blues, Dixieland, ragtime, old-time, stomps and early swing. The course is recommended for students at an intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various under-explored mandolin styles! Register here.
SCHEDULE:
60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Rhythm Mandolin), Tuesday (Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing) or Wednesday (American Roots Mandolin) evening from January 6, 7 or 8 to March 10, 11 or 16 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from January 11 to March 21. There will be two weeks off due to Matt’s tour schedule; each course will have eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.
ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soling course! Class sessions will take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in the UK and most of Europe) in addition to the 9 pm eastern time class time. Students are invited to attend either or both of the sessions (both will be essentially the same).
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.
WHAT STUDENTS GET FROM THE COURSE
All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with. Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently. All class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted on the class website (usually by the following day) so that students who were unable to attend the live sessions may view them at their own convenience, and all students may review the class videos as often as they wish.
Students will also be given a Recommended Listening list each week for the material covered. A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded old-time and bluegrass music.
HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?
During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window. The instructor responds to all questions immediately (or between teaching exercises, etc.) on the spot.
Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism. Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to. Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.
There is also a class website where registered students can find all class materials (videos, PDFs, mp3s) anytime. The site also has a Forum section, where students can ask questions, bring up topics for discussion, etc., in an open forum where the instructor and other students can respond.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device (such as iPhone) in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.
2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions. Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).
3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.
4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).
The course fee is $225 for the American Roots and Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing courses, and $175 for the Rhythm Mandolin course.
If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at [email protected].
Register here:
Register for Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner
Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner
View curricula for each course here:
Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum
Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum
American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum
American Roots Mandolin Curriculum (1/8-3/21)
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 7:25 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.
“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 American Roots Mandolin course
See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum
See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is excited to offer a new course exploring the many sounds of early 20th Century mandolin styles from (mostly) rural America. Blues, ragtime, Dixieland, old-time, stomps and early swing will be explored in this course, and we’ll look at the common threads between these styles as well as the differences. Two tunes will be given each week for students to choose from, along with exercises to help students improve their technique, learn the fretboard and gain tools for playing lead and rhythm in the various styles.
The course is intended for intermediate students, or for students simply interested in expanding their musical horizons!
Classes meet online on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. The weeks of February 19th and March 4th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule. Eight class sessions and eight practice sessions will be held over the course of 10 weeks.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (1/8)
Blues
Picking exercise I
Blues rhythm patterns
Seventh chords
Blue notes and licks
Sliding Delta
Midnight Special
WEEK 2 (1/15)
Dixieland
Picking Exercise II
A few melodic runs
Chromatic melody exercise
Ole Miss
Muskrat Ramble
WEEK 3 (1/22)
Ragtime
Finding roots in chord progressions
Melodic lines for rags
Picking Exercise III
Red Pepper Rag
1919 Rag
WEEK 4 (1/29)
String Band Rags
Picking exercise IV
Rhythm exercise I
More melodic lines
Mandolin Rag
Dallas Rag
WEEK 5 (2/5)
Stomps
Rhythm exercise II
Down-picking exercise I
Some more blues ideas
1944 Stomp
Jackson Stomp
WEEK 6 (2/12)
Early Swing
Swing rhythm exercise
A few basic swing chords
Chord tone exercise
Grandpa’s Spells
Sheik of Araby
WEEK 7 (2/26)
Swing
More chord tones
A couple of ways to navigate jazz progressions
Chord inversions
I’m Confessin’
My Melancholy Baby
WEEK 8 (3/11)
Bringing various styles together
Soloing in blues, swing and Appalachian styles
Comparing rhythm in blues, swing and Appalachian styles
Careless Love
Sittin’ on Top of the World
The course fee is $225. Register here.
Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing Curriculum (1/7-3/21)
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 7:23 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’m loving the instruction and all the materials, it’s got me playing my mandolin constantly!”—James M.
“Your classes are the best and most successful learning approach for me, Thank you.”—-Eric B.
Register for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing course
See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum
See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum
Brand new for the new year is a course exploring swing mandolin playing by many of the masters: Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble (you may know him as a great fiddler, but he was a monstrous mandolinist as well!). Two swing standards will be taught each week, along with transcribed solos by one of these virtuosos. Some analysis will be given, along with some extra exercises to help students understand, apply and expand on concepts from the solos in their own playing—whether on the given tunes or any other jazz standards. Other non-mandolinists (but still string instrument players) will be explored as well, including guitarists Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and violinists Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti. Along the way, students will learn plenty of melodic ideas, licks and bits of theory to help them energize their playing and navigate the wonderful world of swing!
The course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.
Class sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoons at 2 pm (for those in the UK and Europe!) as well as 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 11 am eastern time. The weeks of February 4th and 18th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule. There will be eight class sessions (or 16, if you count the extra afternoon sessions) and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (1/7)
Jethro Burns
Arpeggios as melodic devices
Scales to use on dominant 7 chords
Arpeggio pattern I
Melodic pattern I
Autumn Leaves
Willow Weep for Me
WEEK 2 (1/14)
Charlie Christian
A few chromatic runs
Some blues ideas
A few guitar riffs
Swing to Bop
Rose Room
WEEK 3 (1/21)
Johnny Gimble
Ragtime licks
Arpeggios and extensions
Melodic pattern II
Mandolopin’
Rural Riffin’
WEEK 4 (1/28)
Joe Venuti
Pentatonic ideas
Melodic pattern III
Melodic pattern IV
Farewell Blues
I’ve Found a New Baby
WEEK 5 (2/11)
Tiny Moore
Diatonic arpeggio ideas
Melodic pattern V
Triplet pattern I
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
Stumbling
WEEK 6 (2/25)
Stuff Smith
A bit more blues
Descending patterns over ii-V-Is
A few fiddle licks
Bugle Call Rag
Sweet Lorraine
WEEK 7 (3/3)
Django Reinhardt
Arpeggio Studies I
Triplet Exercise II
More descending lines on ii-V-Is
Diminished chords as substitutions
Dinah
After You’ve Gone
WEEK 8 (3/10)
Jethro and Tiny
Some more arpeggio ideas
Triplet exercise III
Navigating some more ii-V-Is
In a Mellow Tone
Groovin’ High
The course fee is $225. Register here.
Rhythm Mandolin Curriculum (1/6-3/21)
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 7:22 PM
“Thanks for the terrific class! I had my mandolin lurking in the corner for 9 months before I took this class. I played with it now and then but felt out of my depth, having only played piano in the past. A few weeks into your class, I couldn’t put down my mandolin, practicing far more than my kids want me to.”—Randy 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 Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner
See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing curriculum
See the American Roots Mandolin curriculum
New this winter is a course focusing solely on playing rhythm—something we do probably 90% of the time when we’re playing with other people in a jam session or other group setting! So why not learn some new approaches? This course will help students learn various styles of rhythm, from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues. Basic chord forms will be given, and the course will gradually build on these into chord inversions, double stops and melodic “fills.” 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 exercises and rhythm exercises along with two or more songs to practice. The goal will be to help students become more adept at playing rhythm in various keys and styles and develop a more solid sense of timing.
The course is intended for beginning to intermediate-level students, or to any students wanting to explore various styles of backup playing.
Classes meet every Monday at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. The weeks of February 3 and 17 and March 9 are off due to Matt’s tour schedule. There will be a total of eight class sessions and eight practice/review sessions over the course of 11 weeks.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (1/6)
Basic open style rhythm
Open chords
Keys of D, G and A
Waltz rhythm & 4/4 rhythm
You Are My Sunshine
Morning Has Broken
WEEK 2 (1/13)
“Open” style chords in other keys
Playing in C, Bb and F
Minor keys
Adding some bass lines
Banks of the Ohio
Scarborough Fair
WEEK 3 (1/20)
Moving between chord inversions
Major scale and corresponding chords
Chord inversion exercises
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Norwegian Wood
WEEK 4 (1/27)
Adding 7th chords
Two 7th chord inversions
Using bluegrass “chop” chords
Blues style rhythm and fills
I Am A Pilgrim
Lonesome Road Blues
WEEK 5 (2/10)
Bluegrass in eight different keys
Adding some more fills to your backup
Long Journey Home
Eight More Miles to Louisville
WEEK 6 (2/24)
Double stops in backup
Going between chords and double stops
Double stop exercises in two keys
Picking exercise I
Take This Hammer
Wichita Lineman
WEEK 7 (3/2)
Swing rhythm
Three-note 7th chords
Adding minor ii chords
Using ii and V inversions
I Want to Be Happy
Dinah
WEEK 8 (3/16)
Putting it all together
Trying various rhythm styles: folk, bluegrass, swing, blues and rock
Adding fills in various styles
Transposing to various keys
Sittin’ on Top of the World
Midnight Special
The course fee is $175. Register here.
Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum (3/30-5/30)
By Theme Admin on November 24th, 2019 at 7:20 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 really enjoy your courses and your teaching style. It works for me nicely. You obviously put a great deal of effort and thought in to the classes.”—Mike B.
Mandolin for Beginners is an eight-week online program designed to give the beginning mandolin student a solid foundation in basic mandolin technique, and help students start playing actual songs and tunes from the start. Chords, picking exercises, fingering exercises, rhythm exercises as well as tunes and songs will be taught each week in a progressive curriculum to help students establish good habits and enable them to advance more quickly in their mandolin playing.
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
The eight-week course begins on March 30th and runs until May 30th. Class sessions will take place every Monday evening from 9-9:45 pm eastern time, and follow-up practice sessions will take place every Saturday morning from 10-10:45 am eastern time (Matt will be taking off the weeks of May 11 for the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp) there will be eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over a nine-week period. All class sessions and practice sessions will be recorded so that students can revisit the lessons as often as they’d like to, and students who are unable to attend any of the live sessions can view the lessons at their own convenience.
During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window.
All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with. Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently.
Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism. Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to. Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.
Students will also be given a “Recommended Listening” list each week for the material covered. A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded bluegrass and old-time music.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection. If you’re on a Mac, you’ll need to be using OS 10.8 or later in order to see Matt’s webcam (which is central to the lessons). It’s also a good idea to update your browser to the most recent version in order for the live lessons to run smoothly.
2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions. Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).
3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.
4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).
The fee for the course is $200. Register by January 1st for just $150!
If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected].
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
MANDOLIN FOR BEGINNERS CURRICULUM
WEEK 1 (3/30/20)
Getting familiar with the mandolin
How to choose a pick, mandolin set-up and tuning
A Few Chords
A Few Picking Patterns
Fingering Position
Playing chords on Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus material: This Land is Your Land
WEEK 2 (4/6)
Playing melodies
Picking Pattern 2
Chords in A
A Major scale
Bile Them Cabbage Down
Bonus material: Woody’s Rag
WEEK 3 (4/13)
Picking pattern 3
Fingering Exercise I
D major scale
Angeline the Baker
Bonus material: Wildwood Flower
WEEK 4 (4/20)
Picking pattern 4
A few minor chords
Rhythm patterns
G major scale
Old Joe Clark
Bonus material: Shady Grove
WEEK 5 (4/27)
Adding ornaments, Slides and Hammer-ons
Fingering Exercise II
Playing rhythm in Waltz time
Rhythm on Goodnight Irene
Muddy Roads
Bonus material: Eighth of January
WEEK 6 (5/4)
Getting to know the neck a little better
Closed position A major scale
Three Closed position chords
Red Haired Boy
Bonus material: Over the Waterfall
WEEK 7 (5/18)
Intro to position playing
A few double stops
Bluegrass “Chop Chords”
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus material: I’ll Fly Away
WEEK 8 (5/25)
Transitions between lead and rhythm
Trying other keys (with tunes from week 7)
Soldier’s Joy
Bonus material: Blackberry Blossom
Register for Mandolin for Beginners
Questions? Email Matt: [email protected].
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