Matt Flinner

Join the trio of Will Patton, Jamie Masefield and Matt Flinner along with Pat Melvin for a unique take on….well, whatever they decide to play.  Bluegrass, swing, roots music, Bach and plenty of original tunes are on tap.  

We hope you’ll join us for one (or more) of these rare shows! 

2/18 Greensboro, VT; Highland Center for the Arts, 7 pm (rescheduled from Feb 4 due to extreme cold)

3/3 Randolph, VT; Chandler Center for the Arts, 7 pm 

3/10 South Pomfret, VT; Artistree, 7:30 pm

3/11 Burlington, VT; Metronome, 7 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 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 (1/9-3/11)                             Curriculum         Registration 

Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner  (1/9-3/11)                      Curriculum         Registration

Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner   (1/4-3/5)             Curriculum         Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 9-March 11): 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 here. 

The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 10-March 11): 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 here.  

The Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm course (January4-March 5): this course will help students learn ways of playing rhythm in bluegrass and folk music, with a bit of blues and “newgrass” mixed in.  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.  Some of those exercises will be more basic, and as we go through the class session, the exercises will get more advanced.  Each week, students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises that best suit their ability level.  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 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 for Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner

The course fee for any winter course is $225.  

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 9-March 11) 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 9-March 6, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place from January 14-March 11.  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 10-March 11) 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 10-March 7) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 14-March 11).  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 Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm course (January 4-March 5) 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 4-March 1) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 7-March 5).  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.  

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 Bluegrass Mandoin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner

“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 Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/9-3/11)

See the Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/4-3/5)

Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Herschel Sizemore, Adam Steffey 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.

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 week of February 21 will be off.

The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.

Register here

Week 1 (1/10)

Bill Monroe 

Melodic Exercise I

Chord Tone Exercise in a Few Keys

Rhythms using down-strokes

Picking Exercise I

Y’All Come

Columbus Stockade Blues

Week 2 (1/17)

Bobby Osborne  

Picking Exercise II

Double Stops and Positions in D

Some syncopated licks

Reuben 

Sledd Ridin’  

Week 3 (1/24)

Dempsey Young

Triplet Patterns

Playing up the neck in D

Some chromatic patterns

Dempsey’s Run

Virginia That’s My Home

Week 4 (1/31)

Butch Baldassari

Various positions in E

Moving between positions

Double stops in E 

The Jackrabbit Trail

Old Town

Week 5 (2/7)

Herschel Sizemore  

Picking Exercise III

Melodic Exercise II 

A few up the neck licks

Cincinnati Rag

Durham’s Bull

Week 6 (2/14)

Jesse McReynolds

Crosspicking Exercises I and II

Double stops up the neck in various keys

How to create crosspicking solos

Salty Dog Blues

I Wish You Knew

Week 7 (2/28)

Tim O’Brien  

Picking Exercise IV

A few jazz-influenced licks

Open strings in B

Some more position shifts

Look Down that Lonesome Road

Country Boy Rock & Roll

Week 8 (3/7)

Adam Steffey 

Picking Exercise V

A few bluesy chromatic runs

More position shifts

Another Night

East Tennessee Blues

The course fee is $225.

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

“This is the best learning format ever and I like your approach very much.”—Marty C.

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

“Your method, approach, pace and materials are the best I’ve seen in my years of perpetual learning.”—Jim H.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/10-3/11)
See the Folk & Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/4-3/5)

Bluegrass Mandolin 101 returns!  This course will start at a beginning/intermediate level and progress to a solidly intermediate level.  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.
Classes take place Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and review sessions take place on Saturday mornings at 10 am eastern time (note: the week of February 2oth is off).

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum:

Week 1 (1/9)
Three warmup exercises
Intro to position playing
Intro to double stops
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus Material: Amazing Grace

WEEK 2 (1/16)
Moving to the key of A
Some tag licks to add to your solos
Backup playing and fills
My Long Journey Home
Bonus Material: Little Cabin Home on the Hill

WEEK 3 (1/23)
Small position shifts
Adding some more licks to your solos
Double stop exercises in D
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Bonus material: I Am a Pilgrim

WEEK 4 (1/30)
Position playing II
Three different kickoffs
Chord tones in position playing
Man of Constant Sorrow
Bonus Material: Great High Mountain

WEEK 5 (2/6)
Shifting from Position I to Position II
Transposing to other keys
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Bonus Material: I’ll Stay Around

WEEK 6 (2/13)
More position shifts
Turnarounds: I-V-I progressions
Double stop exercises in C
Things in Life
Bonus material: I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

WEEK 7 (2/27)
Moving double stops around to create melody
An approach to improvising
Pike County Breakdown
Bonus material: Arkansas Traveler

Week 8 (3/6)
Tying it all together
Adding some licks and improvising
Combining double stops and licks
Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms
Bonus tune: Little Maggie

The course fee is $225.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

“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 for Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/9-3/11)

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/10-3/11)

This course will focus 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 settings!  So why not learn some new approaches?  This course will help students learn ways of playing rhythm in bluegrass and folk music, with a bit of blues and “newgrass” mixed in.  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.  Some of those exercises will be more basic, and as we go through the class session, the exercises will get more advanced.  Each week, students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises that best suit their ability level.  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 (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 any students wanting to improve their backup playing. 

The course is also designed to challenge students who took the Rhythm Mandolin course in winter 2020; each week, exercises ranging from fairly easy to advanced will be given for students at various levels of experience.  

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 22 is off, so there will be eight weeks of classes in nine weeks time.  

Register here 

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/4)

Reviewing open style rhythm

Open chords

Basslines between chords

Adding dynamics between phrases

Keep on the Sunny Side of Life

If I Needed You

WEEK 2 (1/11)

Barre style chords

Minor chords in a couple of styles

Bass notes as target notes

Red Rocking Chair

Kentucky Waltz

WEEK 3 (1/18)

Bluegrass Chop chords in various keys

Using fills

More dynamics in rhythm playing

Moving between chord inversions

I’m on My Way Back to the Old Home

John Hardy

WEEK 4 (1/25)

3-note chords 

Moving between inversions

Adding 7th chords

Nine Pound Hammer

I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

WEEK 5 (2/1)

A bit of blues rhythm

7th chords

Some double stops

Adding some more fills to your backup

See See Rider

How Long Blues

WEEK 6 (2/8)

Newgrass rhythms

Syncopated rhythms 

More double stops in backup

Going between chords and double stops

One More Love Song

White Freightliner

WEEK 7 (2/15)

More advanced chord progressions

Getting smooth transitions between chords

Mixing in different chord styles

Tricky progressions in various positions

Salty Dog Blues

Beaumont Rag

WEEK 8 (3/1)

Putting it all together

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

Adding fills and double stops in various styles

Transposing to various keys

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Trouble in Mind

The course fee is $225. 

Register for Folk and Bluegrass Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

“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 American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/3-12/3)

See the Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/4-12/3)

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 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 week of November 23 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  Eight class sessions and eight practice sessions will be held over the course of nine weeks.  

Register here

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (10/5)

Blues

Picking exercise I

Blues rhythm patterns

Seventh chords

Blue notes and licks

Stack-o-Lee

Cypress Grove Blues

WEEK 2 (10/12)

Blues and the Carter Family

Picking Exercise II

Double stops I

Mixing lead and rhythm

Coal Miner’s Blues

It’s a Long Road to Travel Alone

WEEK 3 (10/19)

Jimmie Rodgers

Some more complex chord progressions

Chord inversions

Hitting important notes in solos

Miss the Mississippi and You

Train Whistle Blues

WEEK 4 (10/26)

Blues with a bit more

Double stops II

Some more blues licks

Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues

Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad

WEEK 5 (11/2)

Some rag progressions

Picking exercise III

Rhythm exercise I

More melodic lines 

Skeedie Lou Doo Blues

Travelin’ Man

WEEK 6 (11/9)

String band blues

Double stops in rhythm playing

Mixing lead and rhythm II

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Blues in a Bottle

WEEK 7 (11/16)

Dixieland & early swing

Picking Exercise IV

A few melodic runs

Chromatic melody exercise

West End Blues

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans

WEEK 8 (11/30)

Bringing various styles together

Soloing in blues, swing and Appalachian styles 

Comparing rhythm in blues, swing and Appalachian styles

My Creole Belle

Some of These Days

The course fee is $225.  

Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

“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.

Register for Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/3-12/3)

See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/5-12/3)

This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced jazz concepts and the “bebop” musical language.  We’ll learn two bebop standards each week, and look at the harmonic flow and phrasing of bebop melodies, learn ways of navigating chord progressions including blues progressions and ii-V-Is, and look at some solos and licks by several of the bebop masters of the 40s and 50s.  Tunes by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Horace Silver, Miles Davis and others will be taught each week, and bits of melody will be transposed to various keys to help students be able to better hear and understand bebop melodies and how they relate to keys and chords.  Students will also be given supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts on other tunes they may already play or encounter in the future.  The course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.

Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time (both sessions will be the same, and students are welcome to join either or both sessions), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 11 am eastern time.   

Register here

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (10/4)

Blues

A couple of licks

Neighbor tone exercises

Now’s the Time

Blue Monk

WEEK 2 (10/11)

Some ii-V-Is

ii-V-I licks transposed

Changing ii-V-I licks to different target notes

Scrapple from the Apple

Groovin’ High

WEEK 3 (10/18)

Using some blues licks and ii-V-Is

Melodic Exercise I

Chord tones in melodic phrasing

In Walked Bud

Blues for Alice

WEEK 4 (10/25)

Modulations

Using ii-V-Is in modulating

Some more ii-V-I licks

Move

Stablemates

WEEK 5 (11/1)

Funky bebop

Melodic Exercise II

A few double stops

Sidewinder

Song for My Father

WEEK 6 (11/8)

More advanced blues

Chord tones in melodic lines

More target notes

Sandu

Opus de Funk

WEEK 7 (11/15)

Some more advanced modulations

Using substitutions

Lydian dominant ideas

Good Bait

Yeah

WEEK 8 (11/29)

Putting it all together

Blues, licks, ii-V-Is and chord tones in soloing

Melodic Exercise III

Donna Lee

A Night in Tunisia

The course fee is $225.

Register for Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner

“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.

“I got a lot out of it! Everyday I have a practice routine based on the summer intensive. You have helped me by leaps and bounds.”—Sandy N.

Register for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

See the Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/4-12/3)

See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/5-12/3)

Explore the world of swing mandolin with Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner.  Learn a new swing tune (or two) each week and get pointers on how to play chords and backup as well as approaches to improvising.  This course will be very much into chord voicings, scales, arpeggios and how they all relate to one another.  It’s a great way to expand your playing and musicianship (and learn some great tunes)! 

The course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time.  The course is recommended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, and assumes some knowledge of chords and the ability to play some melodies.  Rudimentary knowledge of scales and arpeggios is also helpful. 

Register here

SWING AND JAZZ MANDOLIN 101 CURRICULUM:

Week 1 (10/3)

The Blues

Dominant 7 Chords

Blues Scales

C Jam Blues

Bonus Tune: Route 66

Week 2 (10/10)

The ii-V-I progression

Major Scales and patterns in a few keys

Two ways of playing ii-V-Is

Major 7 Arpeggios in all keys

Bye Bye Blackbird

Bonus tune: Confessin’

Week 3 (10/17)

Adding blues to non-blues tunes

Some more blues licks

Dominant 7 arpeggios

Mixolydian Scales and patterns

It’s Only a Paper Moon

Bonus tune: Undecided

Week 4 (10/24)

Some more ii-V-Is

A couple of ii-V-I licks

Two more ii-V-I inversions

Minor 7 arpeggios

Dorian scales and patterns

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Bonus tune: I Saw Stars

Week 5 (10/31)

Going Around the Circle of 5ths

Patterns around the circle

Arpeggiating through chord progressions

It Had to Be You

Bonus tune: Up a Lazy River

Week 6 (11/7)

Target notes

Some more ii-V-I licks and patterns

Using target notes over chord changes

Scale exercises and ii-V-Is

All of Me

Bonus tune: I Can’t Give You Anything but Love

Week 7 (11/14)

The I-VI-ii-V-I progression

Two ways of playing the I-VI-ii-V-I progression

Finding smooth chord tones from chord to chord

Stormy Weather

Bonus tune: Blue Moon

Week 8 (11/28)

Tying it all together: inversions, chord tones, arpeggios and scales

Satin Doll

Bonus tune: Pennies from Heaven

The course fee is $225.  

Register here for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

“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.

Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner                                          Curriculum               Registration

Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner                                                Curriculum               Registration

American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner                                   Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on swing/jazz and roots music!  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.   Swing Mandolin 101, Bebop Mandolin and American Roots Mandolin will start up October 3, 4 and 5.

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!  

Swing Mandolin 101 (October 3-December 3):  this course  is an introduction to swing and jazz on the mandolin which will give students the basics on how to solo and play chord progressions on several jazz standards.  Melodic ideas, scales, arpeggios and chord inversions will be explored in-depth to give students the vocabulary they need to play melodies, improvise, play rhythm and, in general, have more confidence  and  fun playing the mandolin with other and in swing jam sessions.  The course is intended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, or for any students who want to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of swing mandolin.  

Register here.  

Bebop Mandolin (October 4-December 3): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced jazz concepts and the “bebop” musical language.  We’ll learn two bebop standards each week, and look at the harmonic flow and phrasing of bebop melodies, learn ways of navigating chord progressions including blues progressions and ii-V-Is, and look at some solos and licks by several of the bebop masters of the 40s and 50s.  Students will also be given supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts on other tunes they may already play or encounter in the future.  This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.  

Register here.  

American Roots Mandolin (October 5-December 3): 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 advanced beginner to intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various early American under-explored mandolin styles! 

Register here.  

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Swing Mandolin 101), Tuesday (Bebop Mandolin) or Wednesday (American Roots Mandolin) evening from October 3, 4 or 5 to November 28, 29 or 30 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from October 8 to December 3.  There will be two weeks off due to Matt’s tour schedule and the Thanksgiving holiday; each course will have eight class sessions (except the Bebop Mandolin course, which will have eight class sessions which will each occur twice for a total of 16 class sessions—see below) and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.  

ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Bebop Mandolin 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).

Course fees are $225 per course.  

If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at [email protected].

Register here:

Register for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner

Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum