“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.
“The biggest strides I have made in my playing have been when I was taking your class.”—Chris M.
“I have done some online courses, some one-on-one instruction and some camps. The course I just finished with you has been the most useful by a pretty large margin. Thanks for both the thought and effort that went into the design and material preparation and for the personal presence you bring to it.”—Steve F.
Register for Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
See the Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin curriculum
See the Octave Mandolin Techniques curriculum
Welcome to Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101! This course will introduce students to the core of bluegrass/fiddle tune repertoire and help them improve their mandolin technique along the way. Exercises in scales, arpeggios double stops, backup, and creating variations will give students the tools they need to move forward in their playing and enable them to play more comfortably on their own or with other players in jam sessions. Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 will start at a beginner/intermediate level and progress to a solidly intermediate level.
The course runs from March 29 to May 29, with class sessions on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time (except the week of April 26, which will be off), and follow-up practice sessions on Saturday mornings at 10 am eastern time. Students will have a total of eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of nine weeks. Students are NOT required to attend all (or any) of the live sessions; all sessions will be recorded and available to view afterward (generally by the next day) anytime at the students’ convenience.
The course fee is $225.
Here is the curriculum for the Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 online course:
WEEK 1 (3/29)
Picking and rhythm
Picking Exercise I
Fingering Exercise I
Scales: D Major and G Major
Open style backup in D
Eighth of January
Bonus material: Nail that Catfish to a Tree
WEEK 2 (4/5)
Getting a fuller sound using open strings
Picking Exercise II
Fingering Exercise II
Open style backup in G
Leather Britches
Bonus material: Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe?
WEEK 3 (4/12)
Octave variations
Picking Exercise III (three and four string exercises)
Fingering Exercise III
Scale Patterns: thirds in D and G
Open style backup in A
June Apple
Bonus material: The Squirrel Hunters
WEEK 4 (4/19)
Transitions between octaves
Learning Chord Tones
Major Arpeggios
3 Chord Inversions
Playing backup using basslines and moving chords
Liberty
Bonus material: Cuckoo’s Nest
WEEK 6 (5/3)
Throwing in some licks
Scales: A Major and A Mixolydian; D Major and D Mixolydian
Open style chords in C
Dominant Arpeggios
Billy in the Lowground
Bonus Material: Boston Boy
WEEK 6 (5/10)
Creating variations using target notes
Minor Arpeggios
Minor Scales
Cold Frosty Morning
Bonus Material: Cluck Old Hen
WEEK 7 (5/17)
Incorporating Double Stops into Your Solos
Double Stop Exercise in A
Scales: A Dorian, D Dorian
Bill Cheatem
Bonus material: Flop Eared Mule
WEEK 8 (5/24)
Various approaches to improvising
Pulling it all together: octave changes, chord tones, licks and double stops as part of your solos
Blackberry Blossom
Bonus material: Liza Jane
The course fee is $225. Register here.