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.

“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 discipline 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.

Weeks 1 and 2 have already concluded.  Registration is still open for Weeks 3 and 4.  

Register for Week 3 (January 20-24)

Register for Week 4 (February 10-14)

Join Matt Flinner for a series of 5-day courses this winter which are geared toward helping the aspiring mandolin student practice more efficiently and improve their playing skills more quickly.  Every day for five days, students will run through a series of exercises and one tune, with Matt guiding them in a live 30-minute online practice session.  Students who are unable to make the live sessions can view them later that day or evening on the class website, as all sessions will be recorded. 

NOTE: It is not necessary to have taken the Week 1 course to register for Week 2 and subsequent weeks.  All material from week to week will be unique and will challenge students in different ways!

Students will be given exercises in the following areas: picking exercises, arpeggios, scales, fingering exercises, double stops, and a tune for the week.  Students will receive the materials in PDF form four weeks ahead of time (or whenever they sign up) so that they have a chance to learn them before the course begins. ÂMatt will then guide them through daily practice sessions for five straight days, giving them tips on how to improve and how to practice more effectively. 

All class sessions take place from 10-10:30 am eastern time.

The four weeks’ courses are different from one another, with different materials and a different tune being given for each week.  Students can take any single course on its own or take any combination of courses to establish a routine and build on knowledge from one course to the next. 

The registration fee for each course is $40. 

Students can view all materials (videos and PDFs) on a class website any time, and they can also download and keep all PDFs and videos (including recordings of the class sessions) to practice with on their own time if they wish to. 

Register here for Week 3 (January 20-24)

Register here for Week 4 (January 27-31) 

WEEK 3 Curriculum (1/20-24)

Picking Exercise III

Fingering Exercise III

Double Stop Exercise III in A

Scale and Pattern Exercise III

Minor 7 Arpeggio Exercise

Lick #3 in All Keys 

Tune: Double File

Register here for Week 3

WEEK 4 Curriculum (2/10-14)

Picking Exercise IV

Fingering Exercise IV

Double Stop Exercise IV 

Scales and Patterns in C

Arpeggio Exercise IV

Lick #4 in All Keys

Tune: Pikes Peak

Register here for Week 4 

Find out about 8-week courses offered in Winter 2020, including Rhythm Mandolin, Advanced Swing Mandolin and American Roots Mandolin

“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.

Rhythm Mandolin                                                  Curriculum               Registration

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing                           Curriculum               Registration

American Roots Mandolin                                       Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on rhythm, roots and swing!  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.   Rhythm Mandolin, Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing and American Roots will start up January 6, 7 and 8.

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!  

Rhythm Mandolin (January 6-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn and improve in various styles of rhythm playing.  Students will start with basic chord forms and rhythms and gradually expand into various inversions, double stops and melodic “fills.”  Songs will be taught in various keys to help students learn the fretboard and be better prepared for playing along in jam sessions, and various styles from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues will be explored to help students improve their sense of time and expand their musical pallette.  This course is intended for beginning to intermediate students, or for ay students who want to improve their backup playing skills.  Register here.  

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing (January 7-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced concepts in swing mandolin.  Solos by jazz mandolin masters Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble will be taught each week, along with some solos by other string instrumental masters including Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti.  Students will be given two transcribed solos on jazz standards to choose from each week, along with some analyses of the solos and supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts in their own playing.  This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.  Register here.

American Roots Mandolin (January 8-March 21): 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 intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various under-explored mandolin styles!  Register here.

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Rhythm Mandolin), Tuesday (Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing) or Wednesday (American Roots Mandolin) evening from January 6, 7 or 8 to March 10, 11 or 16 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from January 11 to March 21.  There will be two weeks off due to Matt’s tour schedule; each course will have eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.  

ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soling 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).

The course fee is $225 for the American Roots and Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing courses, and $175 for the Rhythm Mandolin course.   

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

Register here:

Register for Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum

American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

“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 the American Roots Mandolin course

See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum

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, stomps 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 weeks of February 19th and March 4th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule.  Eight class sessions and eight practice sessions will be held over the course of 10 weeks.  

Register here.

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/8)

Blues

Picking exercise I

Blues rhythm patterns

Seventh chords

Blue notes and licks

Sliding Delta

Midnight Special

WEEK 2 (1/15)

Dixieland

Picking Exercise II

A few melodic runs

Chromatic melody exercise

Ole Miss

Muskrat Ramble

WEEK 3 (1/22)

Ragtime

Finding roots in chord progressions

Melodic lines for rags

Picking Exercise III

Red Pepper Rag

1919 Rag

WEEK 4 (1/29)

String Band Rags

Picking exercise IV

Rhythm exercise I

More melodic lines 

Mandolin Rag

Dallas Rag 

WEEK 5 (2/5)

Stomps

Rhythm exercise II

Down-picking exercise I

Some more blues ideas

1944 Stomp

Jackson Stomp

WEEK 6 (2/12)

Early Swing

Swing rhythm exercise

A few basic swing chords

Chord tone exercise

Grandpa’s Spells 

Sheik of Araby

WEEK 7 (2/26)

Swing

More chord tones

A couple of ways to navigate jazz progressions

Chord inversions

I’m Confessin’

My Melancholy Baby

WEEK 8 (3/11)

Bringing various styles together

Soloing in blues, swing and Appalachian styles 

Comparing rhythm in blues, swing and Appalachian styles

Careless Love

Sittin’ on Top of the World

The course fee is $225.  Register here.

“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 the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing course

See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

Brand new for the new year is a course exploring swing mandolin playing by many of the masters: Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble (you may know him as a great fiddler, but he was a monstrous mandolinist as well!). Two swing standards will be taught each week, along with transcribed solos by one 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.  Other non-mandolinists (but still string instrument players) will be explored as well, including guitarists Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and violinists Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti.  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  February 4th and 18th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule.  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 here.

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/7)

Jethro Burns

Arpeggios as melodic devices

Scales to use on dominant 7 chords

Arpeggio pattern I

Melodic pattern I

Autumn Leaves

Willow Weep for Me 

WEEK 2 (1/14)

Charlie Christian

A few chromatic runs

Some blues ideas

A few guitar riffs

Swing to Bop

Rose Room

WEEK 3 (1/21)

Johnny Gimble

Ragtime licks

Arpeggios and extensions

Melodic pattern II

Mandolopin’ 

Rural Riffin’ 

WEEK 4 (1/28)

Joe Venuti

Pentatonic ideas

Melodic pattern III

Melodic pattern IV

Farewell Blues

I’ve Found a New Baby 

WEEK 5 (2/11)

Tiny Moore

Diatonic arpeggio ideas

Melodic pattern V

Triplet pattern I

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

Stumbling

WEEK 6 (2/25)

Stuff Smith

A bit more blues

Descending patterns over ii-V-Is

A few fiddle licks

Bugle Call Rag 

Sweet Lorraine 

WEEK 7 (3/3)

Django Reinhardt

Arpeggio Studies I

Triplet Exercise II

More descending lines on ii-V-Is

Diminished chords as substitutions

Dinah 

After You’ve Gone

WEEK 8 (3/10)

Jethro and Tiny

Some more arpeggio ideas

Triplet exercise III

Navigating some more ii-V-Is

In a Mellow Tone

Groovin’ High

The course fee is $225.  Register here.

“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.”—Randy R.

“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 Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing curriculum

See the American Roots Mandolin curriculum

New this winter is a course focusing 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 setting!  So why not learn some new approaches?  This course will help students learn various styles of rhythm, from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues.  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.  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, or to any students wanting to explore various styles of backup playing.  

Classes meet every Monday at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time.  The weeks of February 3 and 17 and March 9 are off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  There will be a total of eight class sessions and eight practice/review sessions over the course of 11 weeks.  

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/6)

Basic open style rhythm

Open chords

Keys of D, G and A

Waltz rhythm & 4/4 rhythm

You Are My Sunshine

Morning Has Broken

WEEK 2 (1/13)

“Open” style chords in other keys

Playing in C, Bb and F

Minor keys

Adding some bass lines

Banks of the Ohio

Scarborough Fair

WEEK 3 (1/20)

Moving between chord inversions

Major scale and corresponding chords

Chord inversion exercises

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Norwegian Wood

WEEK 4 (1/27)

Adding 7th chords

Two 7th chord inversions

Using bluegrass “chop” chords

Blues style rhythm and fills

I Am A Pilgrim

Lonesome Road Blues

WEEK 5 (2/10)

Bluegrass in eight different keys

Adding some more fills to your backup

Long Journey Home

Eight More Miles to Louisville

WEEK 6 (2/24)

Double stops in backup

Going between chords and double stops

Double stop exercises in two keys

Picking exercise I

Take This Hammer

Wichita Lineman

WEEK 7 (3/2)

Swing rhythm

Three-note 7th chords

Adding minor ii chords

Using ii and V inversions

I Want to Be Happy

Dinah

WEEK 8 (3/16)

Putting it all together

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

Adding fills in various styles

Transposing to various keys

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Midnight Special

The course fee is $175.  Register here.

“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 really enjoy your courses and your teaching style. It works for me nicely.  You obviously put a great deal of effort and thought in to the classes.”—Mike B.

Mandolin for Beginners is an eight-week online program designed to give the beginning mandolin student a solid foundation in basic mandolin technique, and help students start playing actual songs and tunes from the start. Chords, picking exercises, fingering exercises, rhythm exercises as well as tunes and songs will be taught each week in a progressive curriculum to help students establish good habits and enable them to advance more quickly in their mandolin playing.

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

The eight-week course begins on March 23rd and runs until December 10th.  Class sessions will take place every Monday evening from 9-9:45 pm eastern time, and follow-up practice sessions will take place every Saturday morning from 10-10:45 am eastern time (Matt will be taking off the weeks of May 11 for the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp) there will be eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over a nine-week period.  All class sessions and practice sessions will be recorded so that students can revisit the lessons as often as they’d like to, and students who are unable to attend any of the live sessions can view the lessons at their own convenience.

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.

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.

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.

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 bluegrass and old-time music.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:

1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.  If you’re on a Mac, you’ll need to be using OS 10.8 or later in order to see Matt’s webcam (which is central to the lessons).  It’s also a good idea to update your browser to the most recent version in order for the live lessons to run smoothly.

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.  Register by January 1st for just $150!

If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected]

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

MANDOLIN FOR BEGINNERS CURRICULUM

WEEK 1 (3/23/20)

Getting familiar with the mandolin

How to choose a pick, mandolin set-up and tuning

A Few Chords

A Few Picking Patterns

Fingering Position

Playing chords on Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Bonus material: This Land is Your Land

WEEK 2 (3/30)

Playing melodies

Picking Pattern 2

Chords in A

A Major scale

Bile Them Cabbage Down

Bonus material: Woody’s Rag

WEEK 3 (4/6)

Picking pattern 3

Fingering Exercise I

D major scale

Angeline the Baker

Bonus material: Wildwood Flower

WEEK 4 (4/13)

Picking pattern 4

A few minor chords

Rhythm patterns

G major scale

Old Joe Clark

Bonus material: Shady Grove

WEEK 5 (4/20)

Adding ornaments, Slides and Hammer-ons

Fingering Exercise II

Playing rhythm in Waltz time

Rhythm on Goodnight Irene

Muddy Roads

Bonus material: Eighth of January

WEEK 6 (4/27)

Getting to know the neck a little better

Closed position A major scale

Three Closed position chords

Red Haired Boy

Bonus material: Over the Waterfall

WEEK 7 (5/4)

Intro to position playing

A few double stops

Bluegrass “Chop Chords”

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Bonus material: I’ll Fly Away

WEEK 8 (5/18)

Transitions between lead and rhythm

Trying other keys (with tunes from week 7)

Soldier’s Joy

Bonus material: Blackberry Blossom

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

Questions?  Email Matt: [email protected]

“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.

Sale extended!  Register by November 24th and save $50!  

Register for the American Roots Mandolin course

See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum

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, stomps 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 weeks of February 19th and March 4th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule.  Eight class sessions and eight practice sessions will be held over the course of 10 weeks.  

Register here.

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/8)

Blues

Picking exercise I

Blues rhythm patterns

Seventh chords

Blue notes and licks

Sliding Delta

Midnight Special

WEEK 2 (1/15)

Dixieland

Picking Exercise II

A few melodic runs

Chromatic melody exercise

Ole Miss

Muskrat Ramble

WEEK 3 (1/22)

Ragtime

Finding roots in chord progressions

Melodic lines for rags

Picking Exercise III

Red Pepper Rag

1919 Rag

WEEK 4 (1/29)

String Band Rags

Picking exercise IV

Rhythm exercise I

More melodic lines 

Mandolin Rag

Dallas Rag 

WEEK 5 (2/5)

Stomps

Rhythm exercise II

Down-picking exercise I

Some more blues ideas

1944 Stomp

Jackson Stomp

WEEK 6 (2/12)

Early Swing

Swing rhythm exercise

A few basic swing chords

Chord tone exercise

Grandpa’s Spells 

Sheik of Araby

WEEK 7 (2/26)

Swing

More chord tones

A couple of ways to navigate jazz progressions

Chord inversions

I’m Confessin’

My Melancholy Baby

WEEK 8 (3/11)

Bringing various styles together

Soloing in blues, swing and Appalachian styles 

Comparing rhythm in blues, swing and Appalachian styles

Careless Love

Sittin’ on Top of the World

The course fee is $225.  Register by November 24th for just $175!

“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.  

Sale extended!  Register by November 24th and save $50!

Register for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing course

See the Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum

Brand new for the new year is a course exploring swing mandolin playing by many of the masters: Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble (you may know him as a great fiddler, but he was a monstrous mandolinist as well!). Two swing standards will be taught each week, along with transcribed solos by one 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.  Other non-mandolinists (but still string instrument players) will be explored as well, including guitarists Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and violinists Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti.  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  February 4th and 18th will be off due to Matt’s touring schedule.  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 here.

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/7)

Jethro Burns

Arpeggios as melodic devices

Scales to use on dominant 7 chords

Arpeggio pattern I

Melodic pattern I

Autumn Leaves

Willow Weep for Me 

WEEK 2 (1/14)

Charlie Christian

A few chromatic runs

Some blues ideas

A few guitar riffs

Swing to Bop

Rose Room

WEEK 3 (1/21)

Johnny Gimble

Ragtime licks

Arpeggios and extensions

Melodic pattern II

Mandolopin’ 

Rural Riffin’ 

WEEK 4 (1/28)

Joe Venuti

Pentatonic ideas

Melodic pattern III

Melodic pattern IV

Farewell Blues

I’ve Found a New Baby 

WEEK 5 (2/11)

Tiny Moore

Diatonic arpeggio ideas

Melodic pattern V

Triplet pattern I

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

Stumbling

WEEK 6 (2/25)

Stuff Smith

A bit more blues

Descending patterns over ii-V-Is

A few fiddle licks

Bugle Call Rag 

Sweet Lorraine 

WEEK 7 (3/3)

Django Reinhardt

Arpeggio Studies I

Triplet Exercise II

More descending lines on ii-V-Is

Diminished chords as substitutions

Dinah 

After You’ve Gone

WEEK 8 (3/10)

Jethro and Tiny

Some more arpeggio ideas

Triplet exercise III

Navigating some more ii-V-Is

In a Mellow Tone

Groovin’ High

The course fee is $225.  Register by November 24th for just $175!

“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.”—Randy R.

“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.

Sale extended!  Register by November 24th and save $25!

Register for Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing curriculum

See the American Roots Mandolin curriculum

Register by November 24th and save $25!

New this winter is a course focusing 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 setting!  So why not learn some new approaches?  This course will help students learn various styles of rhythm, from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues.  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.  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, or to any students wanting to explore various styles of backup playing.  

Classes meet every Monday at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time.  The weeks of February 3 and 17 and March 9 are off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  There will be a total of eight class sessions and eight practice/review sessions over the course of 11 weeks.  

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (1/6)

Basic open style rhythm

Open chords

Keys of D, G and A

Waltz rhythm & 4/4 rhythm

You Are My Sunshine

Morning Has Broken

WEEK 2 (1/13)

“Open” style chords in other keys

Playing in C, Bb and F

Minor keys

Adding some bass lines

Banks of the Ohio

Scarborough Fair

WEEK 3 (1/20)

Moving between chord inversions

Major scale and corresponding chords

Chord inversion exercises

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Norwegian Wood

WEEK 4 (1/27)

Adding 7th chords

Two 7th chord inversions

Using bluegrass “chop” chords

Blues style rhythm and fills

I Am A Pilgrim

Lonesome Road Blues

WEEK 5 (2/10)

Bluegrass in eight different keys

Adding some more fills to your backup

Long Journey Home

Eight More Miles to Louisville

WEEK 6 (2/24)

Double stops in backup

Going between chords and double stops

Double stop exercises in two keys

Picking exercise I

Take This Hammer

Wichita Lineman

WEEK 7 (3/2)

Swing rhythm

Three-note 7th chords

Adding minor ii chords

Using ii and V inversions

I Want to Be Happy

Dinah

WEEK 8 (3/16)

Putting it all together

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

Adding fills in various styles

Transposing to various keys

Sittin’ on Top of the World

Midnight Special

The course fee is $175.  Register by November 24th for just $150!

“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.

Sale extended!  Register for any course by November 24th and save up to $50!

Rhythm Mandolin                                                  Curriculum               Registration

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing                           Curriculum               Registration

American Roots Mandolin                                       Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on rhythm, roots and swing!  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.   Rhythm Mandolin, Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing and American Roots will start up January 6, 7 and 8.

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!  

Rhythm Mandolin (January 6-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn and improve in various styles of rhythm playing.  Students will start with basic chord forms and rhythms and gradually expand into various inversions, double stops and melodic “fills.”  Songs will be taught in various keys to help students learn the fretboard and be better prepared for playing along in jam sessions, and various styles from folk to bluegrass to swing to blues will be explored to help students improve their sense of time and expand their musical pallette.  This course is intended for beginning to intermediate students, or for ay students who want to improve their backup playing skills.  Register by November 24th and save $25!  Register here.  

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing (January 7-March 21): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced concepts in swing mandolin.  Solos by jazz mandolin masters Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble will be taught each week, along with some solos by other string instrumental masters including Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti.  Students will be given two transcribed solos on jazz standards to choose from each week, along with some analyses of the solos and supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts in their own playing.  This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.  Register by November 24th and save $50!  Register here.

American Roots Mandolin (January 8-March 21): 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 intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various under-explored mandolin styles!  Register by November 24th and save $50!  Register here.

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Rhythm Mandolin), Tuesday (Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing) or Wednesday (American Roots Mandolin) evening from January 6, 7 or 8 to March 10, 11 or 16 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from January 11 to March 21.  There will be two weeks off due to Matt’s tour schedule; each course will have eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.  

ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soling 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).

The course fee is $225 for the American Roots and Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing courses, and $175 for the Rhythm Mandolin course.  Register for any course by November 24th and save $25 or $50!   

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

Register here:

Register for Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum

American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum