Matt Flinner

“Your classes are moving me forward so very much. Thank you.” —Jean C.

“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 Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

See the Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/8-12/7)

See the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/9-12/7)

The Carter Family Mandolin course will explore the roots of country music from one of the most influential and important groups of the 20th century, the Carter Family.  Students will learn melodies and rhythm for many classic songs that form some of the core repertoire of bluegrass, country and American folk music.  

The course is recommended for advanced beginner (knowledge of basic chords and at least a few songs and tunes s helpful) to intermediate players.  

60-minute class sessions take place online every Monday evening from October 2nd to December 4th at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning from October 7th through December 9th at 10 am eastern time.  The week November 25th is off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  

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.  Here is the curriculum:

Register here

WEEK 1 (10/7)

Playing lead and rhythm in the key of G

Picking Exercise I

Rhythm Exercise I

Going back and forth between lead and rhythm

Getting better tone and volume

Keep on the Sunny Side

My Clinch Mountain Home

WEEK 2 (10/14)

The key of C

Using double stops in soloing

Double Stop Exercise #1

Wildwood Flower

Meet Me Out in the Moonlight Alone

WEEK 3 (10/21)

The key of A

Picking Exercise #2

Double Stop Exercise #2

Hello Stranger

I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes

WEEK 4 (10/28)

Waltzes

Tremolo Exercise #1

Double stop exercise #3

Moving smoothly between double stops

The Storms Are on the Ocean

Cowboy Jack

WEEK 5 (11/4)

A bit of blues

A few blues licks

Rhythm Exercise #2

Cannonball Blues

It’s a Long, Long Road to Travel Alone

WEEK 6 (11/11)

The key of E

Picking Exercise #3

More chord forms for backup

Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone

My Native Home

WEEK 7 (11/18)

The Key of F

Some more bluesy licks

Melodic Pattern I

Double Stop Exercise #4

I Never Will Marry

Girl on the Grenebriar Shore

WEEK 8 (12/2)

Tying it all together: double stops, licks and positions on the neck 

Single Girl, Married Girl

Little Darling Pal of Mine

The course fee is $225.  

Register for the Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

“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 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 the Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

See the Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/7-12/7)

See the Mandolin Fundamentals & Technique curriculum (10/9-12/7)

Welcome to the Grateful Dead  Mandolin course!  As you might expect, this course will explore the wide and wonderful world of the Grateful Dead, enabling students to learn more about mandolin technique, be more versatile in various styles of playing, and have a whole lot of fun along the way.  The course will especially focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms, getting tips on soloing, and especially learning how to navigate tricky and unusual chord progressions!  We’ll also focus on having a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes. 

Each week, students will be given exercises related to picking technique, chords, licks or double stops, along with a couple of Grateful Dead songs.  The goal is to get students to strengthen their fundamental technique, learn more about the fretboard, get better at playing by ear—and do all of the above in a fun way.

This course is offered at Europe-friendly times! Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in most of Europe) and 9 pm eastern time. Students are welcome to join whichever session is more convenient for them…or they can join both! Students who cannot make it to the live sessions are able to view the sessions afterwards on the class website—generally by the following day.  Tuesday class sessions will run from October 8 to December 3 (with the week of November 26 off due to the Thanksgiving holiday), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time from October 12 to December 7 (with November 30 off).  

Register here

Here is the schedule:

Week 1 (10/8):

Some bluegrassy tunes

Picking Exercise I

Melodic Pattern I for Soloing

Rhythm Exercise I

Friend of the Devil

Dire Wolf

Week 2 (10/15)

Basic rock  rhythms

Rhythm exercise II

Picking Exercise II

Black Muddy River

Fire on the Mountain 

Week 3 (10/22):

Some Minor and Blues Ideas

Melodic Pattern II

Using Picking Patterns Over Various Rhythms

Althea

Mountains of the Moon

Week 4 (10/29):

Some complex chord progressions

Finding roots

Using melodic patterns over a variety of chords

More Chord Forms

Black Peter

Candyman

Week 5 (11/5):

Using Some Double Stops

Typical Double Stop Forms

Tremolo exercises

Ripple

Broke Down Palace

Week 6 (11/12):

More rock grooves

Bo Diddley Rhythm

Picking Exercise III

Aiko Aiko

Scarlet Begonias

Week 7 (11/19):

Getting up and down the neck

Complex chord progressions II

Arpeggios in soloing

Lazy River Road

Cumberland Blues

Week 8 (12/3):

Complex Chord Progressions III

Bringing Blues Licks, Double Stops and Various Rhythms into Your Playing

So Many Roads

If I Had the World to Give

The course fee is $225.  

Register for the Grateful Dead Mandolin course with Matt Flinner

“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’ve learned so much from your courses and have improved greatly due to learning some basic skills and music theory.”—Jamie J.

“Your courses have opened my musical mind, focused my practice and expanded my skill far beyond expectation.”—-Steve F

Register for the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner course

See the Carter Family Mandolin  curriculum (10/7-12/7)

See the Grateful Dead Mandolin curriculum (10/8-12/7)

The Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course is intended to help students improve their technique in both the right and left hand, and to give students a more solid understanding of the fretboard while getting ideas of the “tools” used in soloing and rhythm playing.  Each week, students will be given a handful of exercises in the areas of picking technique, fingering technique, scales, arpeggios, chords, double stops and tremolo.  We’ll also look at a tune each week—from old-time, bluegrass, swing, classical or the Beatles—and try applying concepts from the exercises to them.  The goal is to help students play with more ease and better tone, and to get ideas to help them advance more quickly and have more fun playing with others.  The course is intended for students at any level who want to improve their skills, though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult.  Knowledge of some fiddle tunes and basic chords and rhythm playing is a must!

Classes meet every Wednesday from October 9th to December 4th at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions every Saturday from October 12th to December 7th at 12:30 pm eastern time.  The week of November 27th will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions, but will be able to view the sessions afterwards on the class website in the event they cannot attend live. 

Register here.

Here is the curriculum: 

Week 1 (10/9)

Picking exercises

Picking Exercise I

Picking Exercise II 

Major Scale Exercise I

Lick #1

Music for a Found Harmonium

Week 2 (10/16)

Fingering exercises

Fingering Exercise I (one string)

Fingering Exercise II (across the strings)

Major Arpeggio Exercise I 

Lick #2

Blackberry Blossom (and variations)

Week 3 (10/23)

Double stop exercises

Double Stop Exercise II

Double Stop Exercise III

Major Scale Exercise II

Lick #3

Eight More Miles to Louisville

Week 4 (10/30)

Picking exercises—tremolo

Tremolo Picking Exercise I

Tremolo Picking Exercise II

Lick #4

Tennessee Waltz

Week 5 (11/6)

Chord exercises

Chord Exercise I

Chord Exercise II (diatonic chords)

Diatonic Double Stop Exercise

Lick #5

Home Sweet Home

Week 6 (11/13)

Scale exercises

Major Scale Exercise III (various positions)

Minor Scale Exercise I (low position)

Lick #6

Position shifts

Liza Jane

Week 7 (11/20)

Arpeggio exercises

Major Arpeggio Exercise II

Minor Arpeggio Exercise II

Lick #7

Jackson’s Hornpipe

Week 8 (12/4)

Position shifts II

Picking Exercise IV

Fingering Exercise III

Minor Scale Exercise II

Lick #8

Jethro’s Tune

The course fee is $225.  

Register for the Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner course

“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 spring with three eight-week long courses in a variety of styles and techniques.  Courses for a variety of levels from advanced beginner to intermediate to advanced students will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with follow-up practice sessions on Saturdays from early October through early December.  Show up live for the streamed sessions on Zoom or stream them later on the class website.  Or both!  

Carter Family Mandolin with Matt Flinner                                                          Curriculum         Registration

Grateful Dead Mandolin with Matt Flinner                                                         Curriculum         Registration

Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique with Matt Flinner                                   Curriculum         Registration

The Carter Family Mandolin course (October 7-December 7) will explore the songs of the Carter Family from the 1920s and 30s—songs that make up a significant part of the standard bluegrass and American folk repertoire.  Students will learn basic melodies and chords, along with various approaches to embellishing those melodies using double stops, tremolo, licks and various positions on the neck.  Songs will be in a variety of keys (G, C, A, D, E and F) so that students get experience in common and slightly less-common bluegrass keys.  It’s a great way to expand your playing and musicianship (and learn some great tunes)!  

The course is recommended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, and assumes some knowledge of basic chords and the ability to play some melodies. 

Register here. 

The Grateful Dead Mandolin course (October 8-December 7) will explore the songs of the Grateful Dead on the mandolin!  We’ll look at songs from the repertoire of the Dead to help students with a broad array of musical concepts including various approaches to soloing, playing rhythm in different types of grooves, learning various positions up the neck, using double stops in soloing, tremolo, etc.  And many of the songs of the Grateful Dead use unusual and unpredictable chord progressions; we’ll talk about ways of soloing effectively over these difficult progressions, as well as approaches to playing the chords.  The hope is that students will expand their musicality and have fun along the way!  

The course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.  

Register here.  

The Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course (October 9-December 7) will focus (as the name implies) on fundmentals of mandolin playing: picking, fingering technique, double stops, scales and patterns, arpeggios, chords and licks.  Each week, we’ll focus on a different aspect of technique and apply it to a tune we’ll learn.  We’ll also learn a new lick each week and move it around the fretboard to various keys.  Students will get a good workout each week in a variety of areas to help them strengthen their fundamentals and have more fun playing the mandolin.  

The course is intended for players at a beginner to intermediate level, or to players at any level who want to improve their fundamental skills!

Register here. 

The Carter Family Mandolin course (October 7-December 7) course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time.  Students will have eight Monday class sessions (October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18 and December 2) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7).  The week of November 25 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  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 often available to view later that day).  Register here.

The Grateful Dead Mandolin course (October 8-December 7) meets on Tuesday afternoons and evenings at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time.  NOTE: Tuesday 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 Tuesday sessions each week (they will be essentially identical to one another in content).  Tuesday class sessions will take place October 8, 15, 22, 29, November 5, 12, 19 and December 3, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7.  The week of November 26 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  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 Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique course (October 9-December 7) 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 (October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6, 13, 20 and December 4) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23 and December 7).  The week of November 27 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  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 often 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 each course is $225.  

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

Fees for the 8-week spring courses are $225 each.  

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 the Carter Family Mandolin Course with Matt Flinner

Register for the Grateful Dead Mandolin Course with Matt Flinner

Register for Mandolin Fundamentals and Technique Course with Matt Flinner

“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

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

See the Mandolin Tune Studies II Curriculum (August 20-September 21)
See the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive Curriculum (August 21-September 21)

This course is intended to help the aspiring mandolinist build up repertoire and find ways of creating new solos over commonly played standards; it’s also designed in the hope that it will encourage students to get out and jam with other players!

Each week, we’ll look at four bluegrass standard tunes. Students will be given lead sheets (in standard notation and tablature) for each song, as well as a few exercises to help them learn more about the fretboard and start incorporating new ideas into their solos. Concepts and tunes will be taught during the class session, and all tunes will be revisited during Saturday practice sessions in a “jam session” format, where each song is played several times though, and students have the opportunity to try out some of the week’s concepts on the tunes (with guidance from Matt).

Classes meet every Monday from August 19 to September 16 at 9 pm eastern time, with the week of August 26 being off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  There will also be 45-minute review sessions every Saturday at 10 am eastern time.  This course is a continuation of the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming I course which concludes on July 13, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course.

The course fee is $125. 

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (August 19)
Starting off in the keys of A and D
Open position and positions up the neck
Double stops in A
Wild Bill Jones
I’ll Stay Around
Dig A Hole in the Meadow
Summer Wages

WEEK 2 (September 2)
Keys of E and F
Adding the blues in E and F
Moving double stop exercises
The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake
Memories of Mother and Dad
The Last Thing on My Mind
Why You Been Gone So Long

WEEK 3 (September 9)
Keys of B and Bb
More moving double stops
Some Monroe-style ideas
White House Blues
Roving Gambler
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Old Home Place

WEEK 4 (September 16)
Some “modern” classics
More difficult chord progressions
Finding chord tones and double stops
Combining double stops and licks
Redwood Hill
Old Train
Nellie Kane
Wait a Minute

The course fee is $125.  

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

“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.

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II Curriculum (August 19-September 21)
See the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive Curriculum (August 21-September 21)

This course will get in-depth in helping students create variations and improvise on fiddle tunes and bluegrass songs—though the concepts will apply to any style of music.  Upon registering, students will receive PDFs in tablature and standard notation for two tunes: Cotton Eyed Joe and the Road to Columbus, along with mp3s of each tune and links to videos of the tunes played slowly.  During the four-week course, we’ll look at various ways of playing the melodies to both tunes as well as various ways of getting outside the melodies using double stops, positions up the neck, blues ideas and different rhythms and licks.  Each week, we’ll explore a different approach to soloing and talk about how to use these approaches on our two tunes and relate these concepts to other tunes and songs students may already know.  The goal is to create more possibilities in our soloing and to have more fun playing music with other people—and to learn two tunes REALLY well!

The course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level.  Exercises at a variety of levels will be given each week; students will be encouraged to focus on the exercise(s) that they feel best suits their ability level and/or interest.  

This course is offered at Europe-friendly times! Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in most of Europe) and 9 pm eastern time. Students are welcome to join whichever session is more convenient for them…or they can join both! Students who cannot make it to the live sessions are able to view the sessions afterwards on the class website—generally by the following day.  Tuesday class sessions will run from August 20 to September 17 (with the week of August 27 off due to Matt’s tour schedule), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time from August 24 to September 21 (with August 31 off).  

This course is a continuation of the Mandolin Tune Studies I course which concludes on July 16, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Mandolin Tune Studies II course. 

The course fee is $125.  

Register for Mandolin Tune Studios II with Matt Flinner

TUNE STUDIES CURRICULUM

Tunes (sent in advance):

Forked Deer

Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine 

WEEK 1 (August 20)

Octave Variations

Picking Exercise II

Finding scale tones

Melodic patterns

Throwing in some added licks

WEEK 2 (September 3)

Double stops

Using double stops to create variations

Double Stop Exercise I (in D)

Double Stop Exercise II (in D)

WEEK 3 (September 10)

Positions on the neck in D

Licks in various positions

Shifting between positions

WEEK 4 (September 17)

Adding some blues

Mixing blues and double stops

Combining blues, double stops, licks, patterns and rhythms

The course fee is $125. 

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner

“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 the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive course with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Jamming II Curriculum (August 19-September 21)

See the Mandolin Tune Studios II Curriculum (August 20-September 21)

This course is intended to help students with playing rhythm—something we do all the time when we play with other people, but tend to neglect in our practice!  Various styles of rhythm will be touched on, including folk, bluegrass, swing and blues.  Students will be given practical guides to playing in various keys using a variety of chord styles and shapes (open chords, chop chords, 7th chords, 3-note chords, etc.) to be able to approach playing rhythm in various styles and settings.  Chord progressions to four songs will be given each week, and students will explore applying the various styles of chords while looking at smooth chord movement, basslines and voice leading in various rhythms.  It’s a great way to learn more about the fretboard while getting some practical guides to accompaniment.  The course is intended for players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult)  who want to expand their possibilities in rhythm playing.  

Class sessions meet on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and practice/review sessions meet on  Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.  Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions (via Zoom), but all sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website so that students can review them any time if they are unable to attend the sessions.  

Register for the Mandolin Chord and Rhythm Intensive course

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (August 21)

Basic Folk & bluegrass rhythm styles in G and A

Open chords

Chop chords

Adding basslines

Billy Gray

I’m Troubled

Winter’s Come and Gone

Louis Collins

WEEK 2 (September 4)

Waltzes

Waltz rhythm

Using 3-note major chords

The Cowboy’s Lament

The Storms Are on the Ocean

And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda

No Ash Will Burn

WEEK 3 (September 11)

Minor Keys

Open Minor Chords

3-Note Minor Chords

Minor basslines

Look Up Look Down that Lonesome Road

The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore 

The Thrill Is Gone

Jackaroo

WEEK 4 (September 18)

More complex chord progressions

More chord inversion movement

Using a variety of styles: folk, bluegrass, swing, blues

Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor

Corrina, Corrina

Peach Picking Time in Georgia

Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning

The course fee is $125. 

Register for the Chord and Rhythm Intensive course with Matt Flinner

“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 summer with three four-week long intensive courses designed to help you improve your technique, learn some tunes and help you have more fun playing the mandolin!

Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner                       Curriculum         Registration 

Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner                                Curriculum         Registration

Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive with Matt Flinner                 Curriculum         Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 19-September 21) is intended to help students play bluegrass music with other people.  Each week, students will receive four new tunes (from beginner to advanced level) along with ways of playing rhythm, approaches to creating variations on the tune, and some exercises to help with fundamental technique.  The goal is to help students learn more tunes, learn practical approaches to playing those tunes, and get out and play with other people!   

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner. 

The Mandolin Tune Studies II course (August 20-September 21) is intended to help students create variations and improvise on fiddle tunes and bluegrass songs—though the concepts will apply to any style of music.  Upon registering, students will receive PDFs in tablature and standard notation for two tunes: “Forked Deer” and “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine,” along with mp3s of each tune and links to videos of the tunes played slowly.  During the four-week course, we’ll look at various ways of playing the melodies to both tunes as well as various ways of getting outside the melodies using double stops, positions up the neck, blues ideas and different rhythms and licks.  Each week, we’ll explore a different approach to soloing and talk about how to use these approaches on our two tunes and relate these concepts to other tunes and songs students may already know.  The goal is to create more possibilities in our soloing and to have more fun playing music with other people—and to learn two tunes REALLY well!   

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner 

The Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive course (August 21-September 21) is intended to help students with playing rhythm—something we do all the time when we play with other people, but tend to neglect in our practice!  Various styles of rhythm will be touched on, including folk, bluegrass, swing and blues.  Students will be given practical guides to playing in various keys using a variety of chord styles and shapes (open chords, chop chords, 7th chords, 3-note chords, etc.) to be able to approach playing rhythm in various styles and settings.  Chord progressions to four songs will be given each week, and students will explore applying the various styles of chords while looking at smooth chord movement, basslines and voice leading in various rhythms.  The course is intended for players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult) who want to expand their possibilities in rhythm playing.  

Register for the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive course with Matt Flinner

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner

Register for the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive with Matt Flinner

The Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 19-September 21) 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 on August 19, September 2, 9 and 16, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place August  24, September 7, 14 and 21.  The week of August 26 will be off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  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 Mandolin Tune Studies II course (August 20-September 21) meets on Tuesdays at 2 and 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time.  NOTE: Tuesday 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 Tuesday sessions each week (they will be essentially identical to one another in content).  Tuesday class sessions will take place August 20, September 3, 10 and 17, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place August  24, September 7, 14 and 21.  The week of August 27 will be off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  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 Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive course (August 21-September 21) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 12:15 pm eastern time.  Students will have four Wednesday class sessions (August 21, September 4, 11 and 18) and four Saturday follow-up practice sessions (August  24, September 7, 14 and 21).  The week of August 28 will be off due to Matt’s tour schedule.  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 each course is $125.  Just register at the link(s) for the course(s) you want to take, and we’ll email you an invoice via PayPal for the course fee(s) ($125 per course).  

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

Fees for the 4-week summer courses are $125 each. 

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 Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner (8/19-9/21)

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner (8/20-9/21)

Register for the Mandolin Chord & Rhythm Intensive with Matt Flinner (8/21-9/21)

“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

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

See the Mandolin Tune Studies Curriculum (6/11-7/13)

See the Mandolin Picking Intensive Curriculum (6/12-7/13)

This course is intended to help the aspiring mandolinist build up repertoire and find ways of creating new solos over commonly played standards; it’s also designed in the hope that it will encourage students to get out and jam with other players!

Each week, we’ll look at four bluegrass standard tunes.  Students will be given lead sheets (in standard notation and tablature) for each song, as well as a few exercises to help them learn more about the fretboard and start incorporating new ideas into their solos.  Concepts and tunes will be taught during the class session, and all tunes will be revisited during Saturday practice sessions in a “jam session” format, where each song is played several times though, and students have the opportunity to try out some of the week’s concepts on the tunes (with guidance from Matt).

Classes meet every Monday evening from June 10 to July 8  (the week of July 1 is off due to Matt’s touring schedule) at 9 pm eastern time.  There will also be 45-minute practice/review sessions every Saturday at 10 am eastern time.

The course fee is $125.  

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (6/10)

Key of G

Positions in G

Double stops in G

Going between single notes and double stops

On and On

I’ve Lived a Lot in My Time

Stony Point

Before I Met You

WEEK 2 (6/17)

Adding some blues

Using bluesy double stops

A few bluesy licks

I Am a Pilgrim

Freeborn Man

Carroll County Blues

Mr. Engineer

WEEK 3 (6/24)

Tunes Using Minor Chords

A Variety of Minor Chord shapes

E Minor Scales and Patterns

Throwing in Some Minor Double Stops

500 Miles

Friend of the Devil

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

One More Dollar

WEEK 4 (7/8)

Some more challenging chord progressions

Finding double stops in chord progressions (r-3 as a starting point)

Using chord tones in soloing

I Know What It Means to Be Lonesome

Midnight Moonlight

Cuckoo’s Nest

Raised By the Railroad Line

The course fee is $125.  Register here.

“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.

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies with Matt Flinner 

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner curriculum (6/10-7/13)

See the Mandolin Picking Intensive with Matt Flinner curriculum (6/12-7/13)

This course will get in-depth in helping students create variations and improvise on fiddle tunes and bluegrass songs—though the concepts will apply to any style of music.  Upon registering, students will receive PDFs in tablature and standard notation for two tunes:  “Gold Rush” and “Old Greasy Coat,”  along with mp3s of each tune and links to videos of the tunes played slowly.  During the four-week course, we’ll look at various ways of playing the melodies to both tunes as well as various ways of getting outside the melodies using double stops, positions up the neck, blues ideas and different rhythms and licks.  Each week, we’ll explore a different approach to soloing and talk about how to use these approaches on our two tunes and relate these concepts to other tunes and songs students may already know.  The goal is to create more possibilities in our soloing and to have more fun playing music with other people—and to learn two tunes REALLY well!

The course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level.  Exercises at a variety of levels will be given each week; students will be encouraged to focus on the exercise(s) that they feel best suits their ability level and/or interest.  

Class sessions will take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time from June 11 to July 9 (with the week of July 2 off due to Matt’s touring schedule).   We’re hoping the 2 pm time will be more convenient for students in the UK and Europe, as well as anywhere else in the world that might benefit from an earlier time (and students in the U.S. who prefer an afternoon time slot).  Both sessions will essentially be the same, and students are welcome to attend either class session (or both)!  Additional practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 11 am eastern time from June 15 to July 13 (again, with the week of July 6 off).  Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions, but they can also review the recordings of any and all sessions at their convenience.  

The course fee is $125. 

Register for Mandolin Tune Studies with Matt Flinner

TUNE STUDIES CURRICULUM

The Road to Columbus

Old Greasy Coat

WEEK 1 (6/10)

Octave Variations

Blue notes

Throwing in some blues licks

Picking Exercise I

WEEK 2 (6/17)

Double stops

Adding open strings

Double Stop Exercise I

Double Stop Exercise II

WEEK 3 (6/24)

Chord tones

Arpeggio Exercise I

Creating musical lines using chord tones

Eighth note triplet rhythms

Adding some more licks

WEEK 4 (7/8)

Getting up high on the neck

Positions II, III and IV in A

Licks in various positions

Combining blues, double stops and rhythms

The course fee is $125.  Register here.