Tunes for Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Thanksgiving Bluegrass Jam, 11/27/20
By Theme Admin on October 30th, 2020 at 7:53 PM
Hi everyone,
Tunes are up for our weekly Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Bluegrass Jam which happens FRIDAY, November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving here in the U.S.
Click here to download the zip file of PDFs for this week: Facebook Jam 34
As always, we’ll play one Norman Blake song, one John Hartford song, one song from the psychedelic rock era, and, new this week, something from the great bluegrass singer Hylo Brown. And lots of songs of thanks and home. The jam will take place on Facebook Live at 8 pm eastern time. Feel free to bring a mandolin, or guitar, or banjo, or accordion, spoons, autoharp. Or just hang out and listen.
Here’s where you can find the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/225830528891462
We’ll play for about an hour. Bring a beverage and comfy chair and we’ll try to ease our sense of isolation at least for a bit.
And donations are welcome!
Paypal: [email protected] or
Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando
Hope to see you on Friday!
Thanks,
Matt
Need more mandolin? Winter courses are on sale at $50 off through December 1st! Check them out here: https://www.mattflinner.com/2020/10/4014/
By Theme Admin on October 25th, 2020 at 9:01 AM
“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.
Sale extended! Register by December 1st and save $50!
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online lessons program continues this winter with courses intended to help students improve their skills in bluegrass mandolin playing and perhaps branch out into some other related styles. Bluegrass Mandolin 101, Advanced Bluegrass Soloing and Newgrass Mandolin will help students improve their fundamentals, learn the fretboard, improve their rhythm playing as well as soloing—all while learning a couple of new tunes each week. And all with the goal of having more fun playing the mandolin!
Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 4-March 6): this course will introduce students to the use of double stops and various positions on the neck, as well as various picking and fingerboard exercises to help develop good mandolin technique and knowledge of the fretboard. Each week, students are given two standard bluegrass tunes (and encouraged to learn at least one of them); that weeks exercises are correlated to the tunes during the week’s practice session so that students find practical ways of using the exercises in their playing.
The course is intended for players at a beginning to intermediate ability level (though absolute beginners will have a difficult time keeping up—knowledge of basic chords and rhythm playing will help!). Register here.
The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 5-March 6): in this course, we’ll examine the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Doyle Lawson, Adam Steffey and many others. Each week, students will look at two recorded solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.
The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players. Register here.
The Newgrass Mandolin course (January 6-March 6): this course leads students from the world of modern bluegrass mandolin into some other “newgrass” styles, giving them a broad variety of approaches to soloing and playing backup. Following the example of players like Sam Bush and David Grisman, the course will explore ways of adding new elements to the students’ playing in both lead and backup, from bluegrass to some Rock & Roll influence to a bit of jazz and more. Expand your horizons, and learn some new tunes along the way! In addition to the above mentioned titans of mandolin, we’ll also look at some solos by the likes of Tim O’Brien, John Duffey, John Reischman and others.
The course is intended for intermediate to advanced players. Register here.
The course fee for any winter course is $225. Register by December 1st for just $175!
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
Register for Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 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. Monday class sessions will take place from January 4-March 1, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place from January 9-March 6. The week of January 18 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! 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 Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 5-March 6) meets on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time. Students will have eight Tuesday class sessions (January 5-March 2) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 9-March 6). The weeks of January 19 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! 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 Newgrass Mandolin course (January 6-March 6) 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 (January 6-March 3) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 9-March 6). 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 any winter course is $225. Save $50 when you register by December 1st!
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
The course fee for any winter course is $225. Register by December 1st for just $175!
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 Mandoin 101 with Matt Flinner
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum (1/6-3/6)
By Theme Admin on October 25th, 2020 at 8:16 AM
“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.
Sale extended! Register by December 1st and save $50!
Register for Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner
See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 curriculum
See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing curriculum
Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner returns! This course leads students from the world of modern bluegrass mandolin into some other “newgrass” styles, giving them a broad variety of approaches to soloing and playing backup. Following the lead of players like Sam Bush and David Grisman, the course will explore ways of adding new elements to the students’ playing in both lead and backup, from bluegrass to some Rock & Roll influence to a bit of jazz and more. Expand your horizons, and learn some new tunes along the way! In addition to the above mentioned titans of mandolin, we’ll also look at some solos by the likes of Tim O’Brien, John Duffey, John Reischman and others.
The course runs from January 6-March 6, and is intended for intermediate to advanced players. Classes take place Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and practice/review sessions take place on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.
Register by December 1st for just $175! That’s $50 off the normal course fee of $225.
Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum:
Week 1 (1/6)
Bluegrass just outside the box
Melodic Exercise I
A few Sam Bush licks
Dancin’ with the Angels
Prince of Peace
Week 2 (1/13)
Some John Duffey rock and roll licks
Blues licks in a few keys
Using different chord forms
Lay Down Sally
Breaking New Ground
Week 3 (1/27)
Rock & Roll grooves
The Rock & Roll chop feel
Adding ornaments in backup playing
Some more bluesy licks
Me and My Guitar
Funk 55
Week 4 (2/3)
Some more advanced progressions
Picking Exercise I
A few David Grisman licks
Chord tones in solos
Plastic Banana
West Bank of the Eno
Week 5 (2/10)
More advanced harmony
Some picking exercises
Using double stops on advanced chord progressions
A bit of crosspicking
In the Plan
Wild Horses
Week 6 (2/17)
Jazz influenced progressions
A couple of chord forms
More work with chord tones
Arpeggio Exercise I
Swing 51
EBA
Week 7 (2/24)
More work with target notes
Picking Exercise II
A few Tim O’Brien licks
Brother Wind
Hey Joe
Week 8 (3/3)
Tying it all together
Varying grooves on the same tune
Approaches to improv: double stops, positions, scales and arpeggios
Pack of Fools
Bonus tune: Goin’ to the Fair
The course fee is $225. Register by December 1st for just $175!
Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing Curriculum (1/5-3/6)
By Theme Admin on October 25th, 2020 at 8:13 AM
“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.
“Your classes are moving me forward so very much. Thank you.” —Jean C.
“It was nice there were various assignments which pushed my ability. Never felt I had “mastered” ALL the homework so never got bored. Always something to work on or do next.”—Joe S.
Sale extended! Register by December 1st and save $50!
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/4-3/6)
See the Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/6-3/6)
Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Doyle Lawson, Adam Steffey and many others. Each week, students will look at two recorded solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.
The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.
Week 1 (1/5)
Bill Monroe
Melodic Pattern I
Chord Tone Exercise in a Few Keys
Rhythms using down-strokes
Picking Exercise I
Travelin’ Down this Lonesome Road
In Despair
Week 2 (1/12)
Doyle Lawson
Melodic development in a couple of positions
A few triplet licks
Picking Exercise II
Chord Tone Exercise II
Mighty Mississippi
Redwood Hill
Some in-between tunes:
Ira Louvin: Let Her Go, God Bless Her
Nate Bray: East Virginia Blues
Week 3 (1/26)
Bobby Osborne
A few syncopated bluegrass licks
Switching positions in various keys
Open style double stop licks
My Cabin in Caroline
Once More
Week 4 (2/2)
Roland White
Slides within positions
Double Stop Exercise II
Connecting chord tones with chromatic runs
If I Should Wander Back Tonight
Head Over Heels
Week 5 (2/9)
Buck White
Picking Exercise III
Closed position playing
Connecting double stops
Each Season Changes You
Buck’s Run
Week 6 (2/16)
Jesse McReynolds
Crosspicking Exercises I and II
Double stops up the neck in the keys of G and F
How to create crosspicking solos
Where the Soul Never Dies
Better Times a-Coming
Week 7 (2/23)
David McLaughlin
More licks in chop chord position
Shifting between positions continued
Using chord tones in soloing
Unwanted Love
Long Journey Home
Week 8 (3/2)
Adam Steffey
Picking Exercise IV
Open strings in various keys
Chromatic runs in B
Every Time You Say Goodbye
No Place to Hide
The course fee is $225. Register by December 1st for just $175!
Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner
Bluegrass Mandolin 101 Curriculum (1/4-3/6)
By Theme Admin on October 25th, 2020 at 8:09 AM
“This is the best learning format ever and I like your approach very much.”—Marty C.
“I’ve learned so much from your courses and have improved greatly due to learning some basic skills and music theory.”—Jamie J.
“Your method, approach, pace and materials are the best I’ve seen in my years of perpetual learning.”—Jim H.
Sale extended! Save $50 when you register by December 1st!
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/5-3/6)
See the Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/6-3/6)
Bluegrass Mandolin 101 will start at a beginning/intermediate level and progress to a solidly intermediate level. This course will introduce students to the use of double stops and various positions on the neck, as well as various picking and fingerboard exercises to help develop good mandolin technique and knowledge of the fretboard. Each week, students are given two standard bluegrass tunes (and encouraged to learn at least one of them); that weeks exercises are correlated to the tunes during the week’s practice session so that students find practical ways of using the exercises in their playing.
Classes take place Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and review sessions take place on Saturday mornings at 10 am eastern time (note: the week of January 18th is off)
Register by December 1st for just $175; that’s $50 off the normal course fee!
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum:
Week 1 (1/4)
Three warmup exercises
Intro to position playing
Intro to double stops
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Bonus Material: Down to the Valley to Pray
WEEK 2 (1/11)
Moving to the key of A
Some tag licks to add to your solos
Backup playing and fills
I’ll Fly Away
Bonus Material: Long Black Veil
WEEK 3 (1/25)
Small position shifts
Adding some more licks to your solos
Double stop exercises in D
Gotta Travel On
Bonus material: Keep on the Sunny Side of Life
WEEK 4 (2/1)
Position playing II
Three different kickoffs
Chord tones in position playing
Man of Constant Sorrow
Bonus Material: Evening Prayer Blues
WEEK 5 (2/8)
Shifting from Position I to Position II
Transposing to other keys
Bury Me Beneath the Willow
Bonus Material: You Are My Sunshine
WEEK 6 (2/15)
More position shifts
Turnarounds: I-V-I progressions
Double stop exercises in C
Sittin’ On Top of the World
Bonus material: Gold Watch and Chain
WEEK 7 (2/22)
Moving double stops around to create melody
An approach to improvising
Soldier’s Joy
Bonus material: Panhandle Country
Week 8 (3/1)
Tying it all together
Adding some licks and improvising
Combining double stops and licks
My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains
Bonus tune: Foggy Mountain Top
The course fee is $225. Register by December 1st for just $175!
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
Tunes for Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Bluegrass Jam, 10/23/20
By Theme Admin on October 9th, 2020 at 6:49 PM
Hi everyone,
Tunes are up for our weekly Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Bluegrass Jam which happens FRIDAY, October 23rd.
Click here to download the zip file of PDFs for this week: Facebook Jam 29
This week, we’ll be playing tunes related to rain and snow (including the actual song “Rain and Snow”) in hopes we can collectively send some good vibes to our friends in Colorado and elsewhere out west who are being threatened and even displaced by wildfires.
As always, we’ll play one Norman Blake song, one John Hartford song, one song from the psychedelic rock era, and one song from the repertoire and/or pen of Curly Ray Cline (the great fiddler and longtime member of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys).
The jam will take place on Facebook Live at 8 pm eastern time. Feel free to bring a mandolin, or guitar, or banjo, or accordion, spoons, autoharp. Or just hang out and listen.
Here’s where you can find the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/839680190173863
We’ll play for about an hour. Bring a beverage and comfy chair and we’ll try to ease our sense of isolation at least for a bit.
And donations are welcome!
Paypal: [email protected] or
Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando
Hope to see you on Friday!
Thanks,
Matt
Need more mandolin? Fall courses in rhythm playing and music theory for mandolin players have started, but you can still get caught up! Click here for more info.
By Theme Admin on August 24th, 2020 at 5:08 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 more three eight-week long courses focusing on rhythm playing (something we tend to neglect in our practice!) and music theory. All three courses are designed to give students practical tools they can use in playing music with other people and/or to better understand melody and harmony as they relate to the mandolin fretboard—all with the goal of having more fun playing the mandolin.
Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Swing Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Music Theory for Mandolin Players with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
The Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm course (September 28-December 5): this course will help students learn ways of playing rhythm in bluegrass and folk music, with a bit of blues and “newgrass” mixed in. 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. Some of those exercises will be more basic, and as we go through the class session, the exercises will get more advanced. Each week, students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises that best suit their ability level. 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 players at a beginning to intermediate ability level (though absolute beginners will have a difficult time keeping up—knowledge of basic chords and rhythm playing will help!), or for players at any level who are looking to improve their chord vocabulary and rhythm playing. Register here.
The Swing Mandolin Rhythm course (September 29-December 5): this course is intended to help students learn how to play backup on 16 swing/jazz standards, using various chord forms in various keys to get a handle on how to play rhythm smoothly and learn more of the fretboard along the way. Basic chord forms will be given, and the course will gradually build on these into chord inversions, extensions, typical movement within common progressions and, eventually, even a bit of chord melody playing. 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, develop a more solid sense of timing, and to be able to add chords into melodic soloing.
The course is intended in general for intermediate-level students, or to any students wanting to improve their swing backup playing. Register here.
The Music Theory for Mandolin Players course (September 30-November 21): this course is intended to help students learn more about the mandolin fretboard and learn lots of 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 folk and rock/pop music (leaning heavily toward the Beatles). 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. Register here.
The course fee for the Folk and Bluegrass Rhythm and Swing Rhythm courses is $225. The course fee for the Music Theory for Mandolin Players course is $175.
Register for Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
Register for Swing Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
Register for Music Theory for Mandolin Players with Matt Flinner
The Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm 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 from September 28-November 30, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place from October 3 to December 5. The weeks of November 3 and November 24 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! 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 Swing Mandolin Rhythm course (September 29-December 5) meets on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time. Students will have eight Tuesday class sessions (September 29-December 1) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 3-December 5). The weeks of November 3 and November 24 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review! 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 Music Theory for Mandolin Players course (September 30-November 21) 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 (September 30-November 18) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 3-November 21). 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 the Folk and Bluegrass Rhythm and Swing Rhythm courses is $225. The course fee for the Music Theory for Mandolin Players course is $175.
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
The course fee for the Folk and Bluegrass Rhythm and Swing Rhythm courses is $225. The course fee for the Music Theory for Mandolin Players course is $175.
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 Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
Register for Swing Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
Register for Music Theory for Mandolin Players with Matt Flinner
Music Theory for Mandolin Players Curriculum (9/30-11/21)
By Theme Admin on August 24th, 2020 at 4:39 PM
“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.
Register for Music Theory for Mandolin Players
See the Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm curriculum
See the Swing Mandolin Rhythm curriculum
Welcome to the Music Theory for Mandolin Players 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 folk and rock/pop music (leaning heavily toward the Beatles). 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 September 30th to November 18th at 9 pm eastern time, and practice/review sessions meet every Saturday from October 3rd to November 21st at 12:30 pm eastern time.
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.
Register for Music Theory for Mandolin Players
WEEK 1 (9/30)
Major Scales
Numbering notes in the scale
Transposing melodies
Chord study #1
I-IV-V Progressions
Melodic exercise I: You Are My Sunshine
WEEK 2 (10/7)
Minor Scales
Chord study #2
Ear training exercise #1
Scale exercise I
Melodic Exercise II: Shady Grove
WEEK 3 (10/14)
Modes
Diatonic chord exercise
Closed position scales
Scale Exercise II
Chord study #3
Melodic Exercise III: Eleanor Rigby
WEEK 4 (10/21)
Chord Inversions
Chord tones as melodic devices
Chord tones as improv devices
Arpeggio Exercise I
Melodic Exercise IV and analysis: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
WEEK 5 (10/28)
Interval studies
Double stops as chord tones
Ear training exercise #2
Scale Exercise III
Arpeggio Exercise II
Melodic Exercise V: Layla (outro)
WEEK 6 (11/4)
Dominant 7 chords
Types of cadences
Voice leading in cadences
Secondary dominants
Ear training exercise #3
Melodic Exercise VI: Something
WEEK 7 (11/11)
Modulation
Common tones in chords
Chord exercise #3 (using common tones to find chords)
Scale Exercise III
Arpeggio Exercise III
Melodic Exercise VII: Penny Lane
WEEK 8 (11/18)
Chromaticism
More with modulation
Scale and arpeggio review
Ear Training Exercise #4
Melodic Exercise VIII: Yesterday
The course fee is $175.
Swing Mandolin Rhythm Curriculum (9/29-12/5)
By Theme Admin on August 24th, 2020 at 4:18 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., Bluegrass Mandolin 101 student
“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., Bluegrass Mandolin 101 student
See the Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm Curriculum
See the Music Theory for Mandolin Players Curriculum
New this fall is a course focusing solely on playing rhythm in swing and jazz—something we do probably 90% of the time when we’re playing with other people in a swing jam session or other group setting! This course will help students learn how to play backup on 16 swing/jazz standards, using various chord forms in various keys to get a handle on how to play rhythm smoothly and learn more of the fretboard along the way. Basic chord forms will be given, and the course will gradually build on these into chord inversions, extensions, typical movement within common progressions and, eventually, even a bit of chord melody playing 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, develop a more solid sense of timing, and to be able to add chords into melodic soloing.
The course is intended in general for intermediate-level students, or to any students wanting to explore various styles of backup playing.
Classes meet every Tuesday at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 11 am eastern time. The weeks of November 3 and 24 are off, so there will be a total of eight class sessions and eight practice/review sessions over the course of 10 weeks.
Register for Swing Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
WEEK 1 (9/29)
Basic swing rhythm
Major chord inversions
Dominant 7 inversions
Moving between inversions in your backup playing
The Sheik of Araby
Sweet Georgia Brown
WEEK 2 (10/6)
Minor chords
Minor chord inversions
Major 6 and Major 7 chords
St. James Infirmary
St. Louis Blues
WEEK 3 (10/13)
ii-V-Is
ii-V-Is in a couple of positions
Minor 7 chord inversion exercise
Lady Be Good
Broadway
WEEK 4 (10/20)
Adding some diminished passing chords
Continued work on ii-V-Is in various keys
Moving ii-V-I inversions
Honeysuckle Rose
Night and Day
WEEK 5 (10/27)
Diatonic chord movement
Adding extensions on Dominant 7 chords
ii-V-Is using extensions
Pennies from Heaven
This Can’t Be Love
WEEK 6 (11/10)
Minor ii-V-is
Adding extensions continued
Half-Diminished chord inversions
Autumn Leaves
How High the Moon
WEEK 7 (11/17)
I-VI-ii-Vs-Is
Various inversions in I-VI patterns
Variations and chord substitutions
Stormy Weather
Just You, Just Me
WEEK 8 (12/1)
Working toward chord melody
Using inversions to create melody
Improvising with chord inversions
Satin Doll
Rose Room
The course fee is $225.
Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm Curriculum (9/28-12/5)
By Theme Admin on August 24th, 2020 at 3:59 PM
“Your courses have opened my musical mind, focused my practice and expanded my skill far beyond expectation.”-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.
Register for Folk and Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm with Matt Flinner
See the Swing Mandolin Rhythm curriculum
See the Music Theory for Mandolin Players curriculum
This fall we’re offering courses 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 ways of playing rhythm in bluegrass and folk music, with a bit of blues and “newgrass” mixed in. 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. Some of those exercises will be more basic, and as we go through the class session, the exercises will get more advanced. Each week, students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises that best suit their ability level. 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 (though absolute beginners may find it too advanced as we’ll be moving through chord styles fairly quickly in the first few weeks), or to any students wanting to improve their backup playing.
The course is also designed to challenge students who took the Rhythm Mandolin course in winter 2020; each week, exercises ranging from fairly easy to advanced will be given for students at various levels of experience.
Classes meet every Monday at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time (both classes are the same—the 2 pm class time is there for folks across the Atlantic and anyone else who might prefer an earlier class time!), with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. The weeks of November 2 and 23 are off, so there will be eight weeks of classes in 10 weeks time.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (9/28)
Reviewing open style rhythm
Open chords
Basslines between chords
Adding dynamics between phrases
Hard Times
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
WEEK 2 (10/5)
Barre style chords
Minor chords in a couple of styles
Bass notes as target notes
Fall on My Knees
Tennessee Waltz
WEEK 3 (10/12)
Bluegrass Chop chords in various keys
Using fills
More dynamics in rhythm playing
Moving between chord inversions
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Way Downtown
WEEK 4 (10/19)
3-note chords
Moving between inversions
Adding 7th chords
Freight Train
Blues Stay Away from Me
WEEK 5 (10/26)
A bit of blues rhythm
7th chords
Some double stops
Adding some more fills to your backup
Stormy Monday
Bring It on Home
WEEK 6 (11/9)
Newgrass rhythms
Syncopated rhythms
More double stops in backup
Going between chords and double stops
White Freightliner Blues
Watermelon Man
WEEK 7 (11/16)
More advanced chord progressions
Getting smooth transitions between chords
Mixing in different chord styles
Tricky progressions in various positions
Just Because
Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone
WEEK 8 (11/30)
Putting it all together
Trying various rhythm styles: folk, bluegrass, blues and rock
Adding fills and double stops in various styles
Transposing to various keys
Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor
Trouble in Mind
The course fee is $225.
Register for Folk and Bluegrass Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner
The View From Here
Walking on the Moon
Latitude
Music du jour
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