Music Theory for Mandolin Players II Curriculum (8/27-10/4)

“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.

“Your classes are the best and most successful learning approach for me, Thank you.”—-Eric B.

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II curriculum (8/25-9/27)

See the Mandolin Tune Studies II curriculum (8/26-10/4)

Welcome to the Music Theory for Mandolin Players II online course! This course is intended to help students learn more about the mandolin fretboard and learn some music theory along they way as they progress through a series of exercises week by week. Students will be given a mix of scale, arpeggio, chord, transposition and ear training exercises each week to help them find their way around the fretboard in various keys. We’ll also do a bit of musical analysis on some familiar melodies and chord progressions from the songs of the Beatles—a band that had a remarkable variety in melody and chord writing that ranged from simple to complex to sublime. Students at all levels are encouraged to participate, though the course will likely be most beneficial to students at an upper beginner to higher intermediate level.

Class sessions meet every Wednesday evening from August 27th to October 1st at 9 pm eastern time (the weeks of 9/4 and 9/25 will be off due to Matt’s tour schedule), and practice/review sessions meet every Saturday from August 30th to October 4th at 12:30 pm eastern time (again, with the weeks of 9/6 and 9/27 off).

Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions to be able to interact more directly with the instructor, but live attendance is NOT required. Students will be able to view the recordings of all of the sessions any time afterward as often as they want through the class website.

Students are encouraged to prioritize certain exercises according to their ability level, and are given the option of adding to many of the exercises in order to further challenge themselves if they wish to. Part of the intent of the course is to challenge students at a variety of levels, and to help students advance their playing, learn new musical ideas and have more fun playing the mandolin regardless of their ability level.

NOTE: This is a continuation of the Music Theory for Mandolin Players I course, which concludes August 9. Students do not need to have taken that course in order to take this one—they’re welcome to jump right in!

The course fee is $125. Register by 7/27 and save $50!

WEEK 1 (8/27)

More interval studies

Double stops as chord tones

Ear training exercise #1

Scale Exercise III

Arpeggio Exercise II

Melodic Exercise I: Mother Nature’s Son

WEEK 6 (9/10)

Dominant 7 chords

Types of cadences

Voice leading in cadences