Matt Flinner

Swing Mandolin 101, Advanced Swing Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore and Blues Mandolin Start 10/4-6

By Theme Admin on August 23rd, 2021 at 10:12 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 fall with three eight-week long courses in swing, jazz and blues. 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!

Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

Advanced Swing Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore Curriculum Registration

Blues Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

The Swing Mandolin 101 course (October 4-December 11) will dive into the wonderful world of swing mandolin. Students will 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 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.

The Advanced Swing Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore course (October 5-December 11) will explore swing mandolin playing by two great masters: Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore. Two swing standards will be taught each week, along with transcribed solos from each 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. 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.

The Blues Mandolin course (October 6-December 11) will explore a variety of blues styles and grooves on the mandolin. We’ll go deep into recordings from the 1920s and 30s, drawing from the playing of Carl Martin, Charlie McCoy, Yank Rachell, Johnny Young and Howard Armstrong, among others. Rhythm playing, lead playing and improvising will all be covered, with suggestions on chord forms, rhythmic patterns and licks across a variety of blues tunes in various keys and tempos.

The course is intended for players at any level who are interested in blues mandolin.

Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore with Matt Flinner

The Swing Mandolin 101 course (October 4-December 11) course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time. We’ll also have practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. Students will have eight Monday class sessions (October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 8, 15, 29 and December 6) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 13, 20 and December 4 and 11). 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 Swing Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore course (October 5-December 11) 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 5, 12, 19, 26, November 9, 16, 30 and December 7, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 13, 20 and December 4 and 11. 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 Blues Mandolin course (October 6-December 11) 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 6, 13, 20, 27, November 10, 17 and December 1 and 8) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 13, 20 and December 4 and 11). 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.

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 summer 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 Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore with Matt Flinner

Advanced Swing Mandolin: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore Curriculum (10/6-12/11)

By Theme Admin on August 23rd, 2021 at 9:33 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 Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore

See the Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum

See the Blues Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

Brand new this fall is a course exploring swing mandolin playing by two great masters: Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore. Two swing standards will be taught each week, along with transcribed solos from each 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. 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 November 2nd and 23rd will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule and the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. 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.

Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (10/5)

Some blues

A few blues licks

Arpeggios and chord tones in soloing

One O’Clock Jump (Jethro Burns)

Three Guitar Special (Tiny Moore)

WEEK 2 (10/12)

ii-V-Is

Some ii-V-I licks

Triplets

Arpeggio Exercise I

Swing 42 (Jethro)

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Tiny)

WEEK 3 (10/19)

Chord tones in soloing

Arpeggio Exercise II

Avalon (Jethro)

Out of Nowhere (Tiny)

WEEK 4 (10/26)

A few cool licks

Chromatic runs

Using neighbor tones in soloing

Tiny’s Rag (Tiny)

I iWant to Be Happy (Jethro)

WEEK 5 (11/9)

Minor progressions

Minor ii-V-is

Blues licks in minor keys

Jethro’s Tune (Jethro)

I Surrender, Dear (Tiny)

WEEK 6 (11/16)

Some diminished ideas

Arpeggio Exercise III

Double Stop Exercise II

Airmail Special (Tiny)

Don’t Be That Way (Jethro)

WEEK 7 (11/30)

Some more triplet licks

Arpeggio Exercise IV

Diatonic arpeggio licks

Back to Back (Tiny)

Diane (Jethro)

WEEK 8 (12/7)

Tying it all together

Some more cool licks

Whole tone ideas

If Dreams Come True (Jethro)

Stumbling (Tiny)

The Course fee is $225.

Blues Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum (10/7-12/11)

By Theme Admin on August 23rd, 2021 at 9:32 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.

“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. In addition to the wonderful tunes we learned in class, I started to pick out other melodies like Christmas carols, simple gifts, harry potter, star wars; anything I hear I want to find it on the mandolin.”—Randy R.

See the Swing Mandolin 101 curriculum

See the Advanced Swing Soloing: Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore curriculum

Blues mandolin returns to the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online program! In this course, we’ll be learning how to play a variety of blues styles and grooves on the mandolin. We’ll go deep into recordings from the 1920s and 30s, drawing from the playing of Carl Martin, Charlie McCoy, Yank Rachell, Johnny Young and Howard Armstrong, among others. Rhythm playing, lead playing and improvising will all be covered, with suggestions on chord forms, rhythmic patterns and licks across a variety of blues tunes in various keys and tempos.

Class sessions will meet up on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.

The course is intended for players at any level who are interested in blues mandolin. Register here.

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1

Basic blues

Blues scales

Some blues licks

Basic blues backup

Picking Exercise I

Let My Peaches Be (Charlie McCoy)

Carl’s Blues (Carl Martin)

WEEK 2

Some more blues licks

Tremolo exercises

3-note chords in backup

Four Day Blues (Eddie Dimmiitt)

Baby Got the Rickets (Vol Stevens)

WEEK 3

Slow blues backup

Open style double stops in backup

Some triplet licks on slow tunes

Picking Exercise II

Trouble on Your Hand No. 1 (Carl Martin)

Going to Pack Up My Things and Go (Yank Rachell)

WEEK 4

Some more double stop shapes

Picking Exercise III

Some syncopated licks

You Got Me Rollin (Will Weldon)

Vol Stevens Blues (Vol Stevens)

WEEK 5

Open Style double stops II

More double stop licks

Barnyard Dance (Carl Martin)

Do the Boogie Mama (Yank Rachell)

WEEK 6

Blues in D

Some Johnny Young Licks

Tremolo exercise II

Mandolin Rock (Johnny Young)

Stealin’ (Johnny Young)

WEEK 7

Ragtime Progressions

More 3-Note chords

State Street Rag Picking Exercise

Too Long (Charlie McCoy)

New State Street Rag (Howard Armstrong)

WEEK 8

Tying it all together

Picking exercise IV

Double-time picking exercise

Wading Through Deep Water (Howard Armstrong)

Smokey Joe (Yank Rachel)

The course fee is $225.

Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum (10/4-12/11)

By Theme Admin on August 23rd, 2021 at 9:32 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.

“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.

See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing: the Solos of Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore curriculum

See the Blues Mandolin curriculum

Explore the wonderful 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 for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

SWING MANDOLIN 101 CURRICULUM:

Week 1 (10/4): Starting out simple

Major scales and patterns

Major 6 and 7 chords

Dominant 7 chords

Dinah

Bonus Tune: Believe It, Beloved

Week 2 (10/11): The ii-V-I progression

Two ways of playing ii-V-Is

Dorian scales and patterns

Mixolydian Scales and patterns

Undecided

Bonus tune: I Want to Be Happy

Week 3 (10/18): The Blues

Blues scales

A few blues licks

Dominant 7 chord inversions

Dominant 7 arpeggios

Route 66

Bonus tune: Blues Walk

Week 4 (10/25): 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

When You’re Smiling

Bonus tune: Satin Doll

Week 5 (11/8): Going Around the Circle of 5ths

Patterns around the circle

Some Dominant 7 licks

Arpeggiating through chord progressions

Up a Lazy River

Bonus tune: The Sheik of Araby

Week 6 (11/15): Target notes

Some more ii-V-I licks and patterns

Using target notes over chord changes

Scale exercises and ii-V-Is

It Had to Be You

Bonus tune: Night and Day

Week 7 (11/29): The I-VI-ii-V-I progression

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

Finding smooth chord tones from chord to chord

Just You, Just Me

Bonus tune: Them There Eyes

Week 8 (12/6): Rhythm changes

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

Two approaches to rhythm changes

Oleo

Bonus tune: Don’t Be That Way

The course fee is $225.

Bluegrass Jamming II, Scale & Arpeggio Intensive II, Chord & Rhythm Intensive II Start 8/9-11!

By Theme Admin on July 6th, 2021 at 9:43 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 summer with three four-week long intensive courses designed to help you improve your technique, learn the fretboard, learn some tunes and help you have more fun playing the mandolin!

Note that all three courses are follow-up courses to early summer courses (Bluegrass Jamming I, Scale and Arpeggio Intensive I and Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive I), but students do not need to have taken the earlier course in order to take any of the follow-up courses. Students are welcome to jump in any time!

Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 9-September 4) is intended to help students play bluegrass music with other people. Each week, students will receive four new tunes (from beginner to advanced level) along with ways of playing rhythm, approaches to creating variations on the tune, and some exercises to help with fundamental technique. The goal is to help students learn more tunes, learn practical approaches to playing those tunes, and get out and play with other people! Register here.

The Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II course (August 1o-September 4) will help students learn the fundamental building blocks of melody, harmony and improvisation. The course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level, and will use swing and well as bluegrass material as examples in conjunction with exercises in scales and patterns, modes and arpeggios. Students will get a lot of material to help them learn the fretboard, and will learn one song per week with some suggestions on how to incorporate that week’s exercises and concepts into creating new solos and improvising over chord progressions. Register here.

The Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II course (August 11-September 4) is intended to help students with playing rhythm—something we do all the time when we play with other people, but tend to neglect in our practice! Various styles of rhythm will be touched on, including folk, bluegrass, swing and blues. Students will be given practical guides to playing in various keys using a variety of chord styles and shapes (open chords, chop chords, 7th chords, 3-note chords, etc.) to be able to approach playing rhythm in various styles and settings. Chord progressions to four songs will be given each week, and students will explore applying the various styles of chords while looking at smooth chord movement, basslines and voice leading in various rhythms. The course is intended for players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult) who want to expand their possibilities in rhythm playing. Register here.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

Register for the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II with Matt Flinner

Register for the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II with Matt Flinner

The Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 9-September 4) course takes place on Monday afternoons and evenings at 2 and 9 pm eastern time. We’ll also have practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. NOTE: Monday 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 Monday sessions each week (they will be essentially identical to one another in content). Monday class sessions will take place August 9, 16, 23 and 30, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place August 14, 21, 28 and September 4. 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 Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II course (August 10-September 4) meets on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time. Students will have four Tuesday class sessions (August 10, 17, 24 and 31) and four Saturday follow-up practice sessions (August 14, 21, 28 and September 4). 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 Chord and Rhythm Intensive II course (August 11-September 4) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. Students will have four Wednesday class sessions (August 11, 18, 25 and September 1) and four Saturday follow-up practice sessions (August 14, 21, 28 and September 4). 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.

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 $125.

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 4-week summer courses are $125 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 Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

Register for the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II with Matt Flinner

Register for the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II with Matt Flinner

4 Comments

Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II Curriculum (8/11-9/4)

By Theme Admin on July 6th, 2021 at 7:38 PM

“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.

“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.

Register for the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive II course with Matt Flinner

This course is intended to help students with playing rhythm—something we do all the time when we play with other people, but tend to neglect in our practice! Various styles of rhythm will be touched on, including folk, bluegrass, swing and blues. Students will be given practical guides to playing in various keys using a variety of chord styles and shapes (open chords, chop chords, 7th chords, 3-note chords, etc.) to be able to approach playing rhythm in various styles and settings. Chord progressions to four songs will be given each week, and students will explore applying the various styles of chords while looking at smooth chord movement, basslines and voice leading in various rhythms. It’s a great way to learn more about the fretboard while getting some practical guides to accompaniment. The course is intended for players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult) who want to expand their possibilities in rhythm playing.

Class sessions meet on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and practice/review sessions meet on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions (via Zoom), but all sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website so that students can review them any time if they are unable to attend the sessions.

This course is a continuation of the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive I course which just finished up, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive II course.

Register for the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II curriculum

See the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II curriculum

WEEK 1 (8/11)

Playing rhythm in D, E and F

Open chords & basslines in E and F

Adding some fills

Brown’s Ferry Blues

Solid Gone

Blackjack Davey

Trouble in Mind

WEEK 2 (8/18)

Waltzes

Chord movement and baselines in waltz time

Adding some fills in 3/4

Looking at chord tones as bass notes

Short Life of Trouble

Are You Lonesome Tonight

Black Waters

Blue-Eyed Boston Boy

WEEK 3 (8/25)

Revisiting minor keys

Basslines in Minor keys II

Moving between inversions

The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore

Jackaroo

Wade in the Water

House Carpenter

WEEK 4 (9/1)

More Complex Chord Progressions

Adding more 7th chords

Moving smoothly between chord inversions

Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

Travelin’ Man

Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)

The course fee is $125.

Register for the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive II course with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Jamming II (August 9-September 4) curriculum

See the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II (August 10-September 4) curriculum

Questions? Email [email protected]

Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II Curriculum (8/10-9/4)

By Theme Admin on July 6th, 2021 at 7:30 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 is the best learning format ever and I like your approach very much.”—Marty C.

Register for the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II with Matt Flinner course

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II curriculum

See the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II curriculum

The Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II course is intended to give students a more solid understanding of the fretboard while getting ideas of the “tools” used in soloing and improvisation. Each week, students will be given a handful of exercises using various types of scales and arpeggios in various keys, along with a tune from either the bluegrass or swing/jazz repertoire as a vehicle for using ideas from that week’s exercises in creating solos. The goal is to help students gain a better understanding of how music works, and to get ideas to help them advance more quickly and have more fun playing with others. The course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level.

The course is a continuation of the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive I course, which concludes in July, but students are not required to have taken the first course in order to enroll in (and benefit from) the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II course.

Classes meet every Tuesday from August 10th to 31st at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions every Saturday from August 14 to September 4 at 11 am eastern time. 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.

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (8/10)

Major Scales in Seven Positions

Major Scale Patterns in 3rds II

Major 7 Arpeggios from the 3rd, 5th and 7th

Major Arpeggio Exercise I

Leather Britches as Improv Landscape

WEEK 2 (8/17)

Natural Minor (Aeolian) Scales in All Keys

Aeolian Scale Pattern I

Diminished Scales

Diminished Scales and Arpeggios as Substitutions

Minor 7 Arpeggios from the 3rd, 5th and 7th

Minor Swing as Improv Landscape

WEEK 3 (8/24)

Mixolydian Scales in Various Positions on the Neck

Mixolydian Scale Pattern I

Dominant 7 Arpeggios in Various Positions

Dominant 7 Arpeggios from the 3rd, 5th and 7th

Diminshed 7 Arpeggios

Salty Dog Blues as Improv Landscape

WEEK 4 (8/31)

Harmonic Minor Scales in All Keys

Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern I

Finding Chord Tones in Minor Tunes

Augmented Arpeggios

Augmented Chords as V Chords

Caravan as Improv Landscape

The course fee is $125.

Register for the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II curriculum

See the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive II curriculum

Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II Curriculum (8/9-9/4)

By Theme Admin on July 6th, 2021 at 7:25 PM

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

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

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

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

See the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II Curriculum

See the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive II Curriculum

This course is intended to help the aspiring mandolinist build up repertoire and find ways of creating new solos over commonly played bluegrass 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 and suggestions from Matt).

This course is a continuation of the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming I course which will conclude in late July, but students do not need to have taken that course in order to take the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course.

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (8/9)

Starting off in the key of A

Open position and positions up the neck

Double stops in A

Someone Took My Place with You

Sunny Side of the Mountain

Way Downtown

The Road to Columbus

WEEK 2 (8/16)

Keys of E and F

Adding the blues in E and F

Moving double stop exercises

Nellie Kane

Footprints in the Snow

Traveling Down This Lonesome Road

Lonesome Wind Blues

WEEK 3 (8/23)

Keys of B and Bb

More moving double stops

Some Monroe-style ideas

Blue Moon of Kentucky

Roving Gambler

Blue Night

Drifting with the Tide

WEEK 4 (8/30)

Some “modern” classics

More difficult chord progressions

Finding chord tones and double stops

Combining double stops and licks

One More Dollar

Thirsty in the Rain

Colleen Malone

Wait a Minute

The course fee is $125.

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

See the Scale and Arpeggio Intensive II curriculum

See the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive II curriculum