Matt Flinner

Appalachian Tunes and Technique with Matt Flinner, Sept 23-Nov 21

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

 

Register here.

See other fall courses offered here.

This course will focus on getting students more familiar with Appalachian fiddle music and old-time songs, and help them improve their mandolin tone and technique.  Students will get pointers on how to maximize their tone, various approaches to rhythm playing and chords, making use of open strings, bits of variations as well as learning a new tune (or two) each week.

 

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Wednesday evening from September 23 to November at 18 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning from September 26 to November 21 at 12:15 pm eastern time.  The week of October 14-17 is off due to Matt’s touring schedule.

 

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 fee for the course is $200.  If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected].

 

If you register for two or more courses simultaneously, additional discounts apply.

Two courses=$360 ($180 each)

Three courses=$$480 ($160 each)

Email [email protected] for more details.

 

Register for Appalachian Mandolin Tunes and Technique with Matt Flinner here.

To view other mandolin courses offered this fall, click one of these:

Swing and Jazz 101 Curriculum

Swing and Jazz 102 Curriculum

 

APPALACHIAN MANDOLIN TUNES AND TECHNIQUE CURRICULUM:

WEEK 1 (9/23): Getting the groove

Rhythm playing Using Open Chords

Maximizing Your Tone

Picking Exercise I

Adding Open Strings in D

Fall On My Knees

Fortune

 

WEEK 2 (9/30): Making the most of open strings in A

Picking Exercise II

Adding Some Notes in Backup Playing

Squirrel Hunters

Cotton Eyed Joe

 

WEEK 3 (10/7): Some Double Stops

Rhythm playing using double stops

Incorporating Double Stops into Your Solos

Double Stop Exercise in G

Bitter Creek

Drunken Billy Goat

 

WEEK 4 (10/21): Waltz Time

Tremolo Exercises

Double Stops in A and D

Midnight on the Water

Wake Robin

 

WEEK 5 (10/28): Using open strings in G

A Few Licks Thrown In

Adding Some Runs and Licks to Backup Playing

The Girl I Left Behind Me

Ways of the World

 

WEEK 6 (11/4): Early Monroe Style Mandolin

More Double Stops

“Open Style” Double Stop Exercise

Nine Pound Hammer

Where Is My Sailor Boy?

 

WEEK 7 (11/11): Using Open Strings in C

Adding Extra Notes to Open Chords

Minor chords and Double Stops

Farewell to Tryon

Hell Broke Loose in Georgia

Four Cent Cotton

 

WEEK 8 (11/18): Tying it all together: Octaves, Double Stops, Licks and Backup

Meg Gray

Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom

Chinquapin Hunting

Brushy Fork of John’s Creek

 

Register here.