American Roots Mandolin Curriculum (10/5-12/3)
By Theme Admin on August 28th, 2022 at 1:20 PM
“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.
“I started playing the mandolin a little over two years ago. I played the piano as a child, but having never played a stringed instrument before, my intention was to study as much as I could about technique, theory, improvisation and the various genres of music for the mandolin.
To that end, I have taken nearly every course Matt has offered, even three at a time! Matt is a brilliant teacher. Every course is deep and rich with information. The material is thoughtfully explained, allowing a student to slowly transform the class material into music. I can’t imagine this journey without Matt Flinner. His courses are a true life changing musical experience!”—Lisa S.
Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner
See the Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/3-12/3)
See the Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/4-12/3)
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is excited to offer a new course exploring the many sounds of early 20th Century mandolin styles from (mostly) rural America. Blues, ragtime, Dixieland, old-time and early swing will be explored in this course, and we’ll look at the common threads between these styles as well as the differences. Two tunes will be given each week for students to choose from, along with exercises to help students improve their technique, learn the fretboard and gain tools for playing lead and rhythm in the various styles.
The course is intended for intermediate students, or for students simply interested in expanding their musical horizons!
Classes meet online on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time. The week of November 23 will be off due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Eight class sessions and eight practice sessions will be held over the course of nine weeks.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (10/5)
Blues
Picking exercise I
Blues rhythm patterns
Seventh chords
Blue notes and licks
Stack-o-Lee
Cypress Grove Blues
WEEK 2 (10/12)
Blues and the Carter Family
Picking Exercise II
Double stops I
Mixing lead and rhythm
Coal Miner’s Blues
It’s a Long Road to Travel Alone
WEEK 3 (10/19)
Jimmie Rodgers
Some more complex chord progressions
Chord inversions
Hitting important notes in solos
Miss the Mississippi and You
Train Whistle Blues
WEEK 4 (10/26)
Blues with a bit more
Double stops II
Some more blues licks
Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues
Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
WEEK 5 (11/2)
Some rag progressions
Picking exercise III
Rhythm exercise I
More melodic lines
Skeedie Lou Doo Blues
Travelin’ Man
WEEK 6 (11/9)
String band blues
Double stops in rhythm playing
Mixing lead and rhythm II
Sittin’ on Top of the World
Blues in a Bottle
WEEK 7 (11/16)
Dixieland & early swing
Picking Exercise IV
A few melodic runs
Chromatic melody exercise
West End Blues
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
WEEK 8 (11/30)
Bringing various styles together
Soloing in blues, swing and Appalachian styles
Comparing rhythm in blues, swing and Appalachian styles
My Creole Belle
Some of These Days
The course fee is $225.
Bebop Mandolin Curriculum (10/4-12/3)
By Theme Admin on August 28th, 2022 at 1:16 PM
“I have done some online courses, some one-on-one instruction and some camps. The course I just finished with you has been the most useful by a pretty large margin. Thanks for both the thought and effort that went into the design and material preparation and for the personal presence you bring to it.”—Steve F
“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.
Register for Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner
See the Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/3-12/3)
See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/5-12/3)
This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced jazz concepts and the “bebop” musical language. We’ll learn two bebop standards each week, and look at the harmonic flow and phrasing of bebop melodies, learn ways of navigating chord progressions including blues progressions and ii-V-Is, and look at some solos and licks by several of the bebop masters of the 40s and 50s. Tunes by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Horace Silver, Miles Davis and others will be taught each week, and bits of melody will be transposed to various keys to help students be able to better hear and understand bebop melodies and how they relate to keys and chords. Students will also be given supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts on other tunes they may already play or encounter in the future. The course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.
Class sessions take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm and 9 pm eastern time (both sessions will be the same, and students are welcome to join either or both sessions), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 11 am eastern time.
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (10/4)
Blues
A couple of licks
Neighbor tone exercises
Now’s the Time
Blue Monk
WEEK 2 (10/11)
Some ii-V-Is
ii-V-I licks transposed
Changing ii-V-I licks to different target notes
Scrapple from the Apple
Groovin’ High
WEEK 3 (10/18)
Using some blues licks and ii-V-Is
Melodic Exercise I
Chord tones in melodic phrasing
In Walked Bud
Blues for Alice
WEEK 4 (10/25)
Modulations
Using ii-V-Is in modulating
Some more ii-V-I licks
Move
Stablemates
WEEK 5 (11/1)
Funky bebop
Melodic Exercise II
A few double stops
Sidewinder
Song for My Father
WEEK 6 (11/8)
More advanced blues
Chord tones in melodic lines
More target notes
Sandu
Opus de Funk
WEEK 7 (11/15)
Some more advanced modulations
Using substitutions
Lydian dominant ideas
Good Bait
Yeah
WEEK 8 (11/29)
Putting it all together
Blues, licks, ii-V-Is and chord tones in soloing
Melodic Exercise III
Donna Lee
A Night in Tunisia
The course fee is $225.
Swing Mandolin 101 Curriculum (10/3-12/3)
By Theme Admin on August 28th, 2022 at 1:01 PM
“All your courses are really good, very well designed, and you have a great teaching style and a relaxed, open, while also serious, approach – which really comes across with the live lessons – thank you for being so encouraging always!”—Penny J.
“I got a lot out of it! Everyday I have a practice routine based on the summer intensive. You have helped me by leaps and bounds.”—Sandy N.
Register for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
See the Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/4-12/3)
See the American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (10/5-12/3)
Explore the world of swing mandolin with Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner. Learn a new swing tune (or two) each week and get pointers on how to play chords and backup as well as approaches to improvising. This course will be very much into chord voicings, scales, arpeggios and how they all relate to one another. It’s a great way to expand your playing and musicianship (and learn some great tunes)!
The course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. The course is recommended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, and assumes some knowledge of chords and the ability to play some melodies. Rudimentary knowledge of scales and arpeggios is also helpful.
SWING AND JAZZ MANDOLIN 101 CURRICULUM:
Week 1 (10/3)
The Blues
Dominant 7 Chords
Blues Scales
C Jam Blues
Bonus Tune: Route 66
Week 2 (10/10)
The ii-V-I progression
Major Scales and patterns in a few keys
Two ways of playing ii-V-Is
Major 7 Arpeggios in all keys
Bye Bye Blackbird
Bonus tune: Confessin’
Week 3 (10/17)
Adding blues to non-blues tunes
Some more blues licks
Dominant 7 arpeggios
Mixolydian Scales and patterns
It’s Only a Paper Moon
Bonus tune: Undecided
Week 4 (10/24)
Some more ii-V-Is
A couple of ii-V-I licks
Two more ii-V-I inversions
Minor 7 arpeggios
Dorian scales and patterns
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Bonus tune: I Saw Stars
Week 5 (10/31)
Going Around the Circle of 5ths
Patterns around the circle
Arpeggiating through chord progressions
It Had to Be You
Bonus tune: Up a Lazy River
Week 6 (11/7)
Target notes
Some more ii-V-I licks and patterns
Using target notes over chord changes
Scale exercises and ii-V-Is
All of Me
Bonus tune: I Can’t Give You Anything but Love
Week 7 (11/14)
The I-VI-ii-V-I progression
Two ways of playing the I-VI-ii-V-I progression
Finding smooth chord tones from chord to chord
Stormy Weather
Bonus tune: Blue Moon
Week 8 (11/28)
Tying it all together: inversions, chord tones, arpeggios and scales
Satin Doll
Bonus tune: Pennies from Heaven
The course fee is $225.
Swing Mandolin 101, Bebop Mandolin and American Roots Mandolin Start 10/3-5!
By Theme Admin on August 25th, 2022 at 10:01 PM
“I have done some online courses, some one-on-one instruction and some camps. The course I just finished with you has been the most useful by a pretty large margin. Thanks for both the thought and effort that went into the design and material preparation and for the personal presence you bring to it.”—Steve F
“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had. And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format: DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R.
Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on swing/jazz and roots music! Courses are offered for a variety of ability levels and interests, and are intended to help students improve their technique and learn the fretboard while learning some great tunes. Swing Mandolin 101, Bebop Mandolin and American Roots Mandolin will start up October 3, 4 and 5.
Each course lasts eight weeks, with class sessions on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings (depending on which course it is) and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturday mornings or afternoons to help you solidify the material while learning practice techniques and getting tips on practice routines.
Students DO NOT need to tune in to the live online sessions, as all class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted to the class website by the next day for viewing at the students’ convenience. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions whenever possible, as they can ask questions during the session—plus we’ve found that many students are more likely to practice when they show up for the live sessions!
Swing Mandolin 101 (October 3-December 3): this course is an introduction to swing and jazz on the mandolin which will give students the basics on how to solo and play chord progressions on several jazz standards. Melodic ideas, scales, arpeggios and chord inversions will be explored in-depth to give students the vocabulary they need to play melodies, improvise, play rhythm and, in general, have more confidence and fun playing the mandolin with other and in swing jam sessions. The course is intended for advanced beginner to intermediate students, or for any students who want to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of swing mandolin.
Bebop Mandolin (October 4-December 3): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced jazz concepts and the “bebop” musical language. We’ll learn two bebop standards each week, and look at the harmonic flow and phrasing of bebop melodies, learn ways of navigating chord progressions including blues progressions and ii-V-Is, and look at some solos and licks by several of the bebop masters of the 40s and 50s. Students will also be given supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts on other tunes they may already play or encounter in the future. This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.
American Roots Mandolin (October 5-December 3): This course will focus on mandolin music from the early part of the 20th century, when the mandolin was commonly heard played in string bands as well as ragtime bands, jug bands and by blues artists. Each week, students will receive two tunes to choose from along with several related exercises and suggestions for playing rhythm in various styles including blues, Dixieland, ragtime, old-time, stomps and early swing. The course is recommended for students at an advanced beginner to intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various early American under-explored mandolin styles!
SCHEDULE:
60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Swing Mandolin 101), Tuesday (Bebop Mandolin) or Wednesday (American Roots Mandolin) evening from October 3, 4 or 5 to November 28, 29 or 30 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from October 8 to December 3. There will be two weeks off due to Matt’s tour schedule and the Thanksgiving holiday; each course will have eight class sessions (except the Bebop Mandolin course, which will have eight class sessions which will each occur twice for a total of 16 class sessions—see below) and eight practice sessions over the course of 10 weeks.
ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Bebop Mandolin course! Class sessions will take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in the UK and most of Europe) in addition to the 9 pm eastern time class time. Students are invited to attend either or both of the sessions (both will be essentially the same).
NOTE: It is helpful, but not essential, to be present for the live sessions. All class sessions are recorded and available to view on the class website by the following day.
WHAT STUDENTS GET FROM THE COURSE
All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with. Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently. All class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted on the class website (usually by the following day) so that students who were unable to attend the live sessions may view them at their own convenience, and all students may review the class videos as often as they wish.
Students will also be given a Recommended Listening list each week for the material covered. A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded old-time and bluegrass music.
HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?
During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window. The instructor responds to all questions immediately (or between teaching exercises, etc.) on the spot.
Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism. Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to. Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.
There is also a class website where registered students can find all class materials (videos, PDFs, mp3s) anytime. The site also has a Forum section, where students can ask questions, bring up topics for discussion, etc., in an open forum where the instructor and other students can respond.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device (such as iPhone) in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.
2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions. Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).
3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.
4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).
Course fees are $225 per course.
If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at [email protected]
Register here:
Register for Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner
Register for Bebop Mandolin with Matt Flinner
Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner
View curricula for each course here:
Swing Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum
Mandolin Tune Studies II Curriculum (8/15-9/10)
By Theme Admin on July 2nd, 2022 at 11:52 PM
“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 Curriculum (August 16-September 10)
See the Everything Mandolin Jamming II Curriculum (August 17-September 10)
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.
Class sessions will take place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time from August 15 to September 5, and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time from August 20 to September 10. Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions, but they can also review the recordings of any and all sessions at their convenience.
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 Everything Mandolin Jamming II course.
The course fee is $125. Register here.
TUNE STUDIES CURRICULUM
Tunes (sent in advance):
Cotton Eyed Joe
Road to Columbus
WEEK 1 (August 15)
Octave Variations
Picking Exercise II
Finding scale tones
Melodic patterns
Throwing in some added licks
WEEK 2 (August 22)
Double stops
Double Stop Exercise I (in A)
Double Stop Exercise II (in A)
WEEK 3 (August 29)
Positions on the neck in A
Licks in various positions
Shifting between positions
WEEK 4 (September 6)
Adding some blues
Mixing blues and double stops
Combining blues, double stops, licks, patterns and rhythms
Everything Mandolin Jamming Curriculum (8/17-9/10)
By Theme Admin on July 2nd, 2022 at 11:42 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 the Everything Jamming course with Matt Flinner
See the Mandolin Tune Studies Curriculum (August 15-September 10)
See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming Curriculum (August 16-September 10)
This course is intended to help students expand their musical horizons with familiar songs that
seem to work their way into jam sessions now and then (and you walk away thinking “I wish I
had learned that one”). Various styles of lead playing and rhythm playing will be explored,
including folk, rock and a bit of swing and blues. Students will be given the melodies and
chords to four songs each week, along with suggestions for creating their own solos, practical
guides to playing the chords and rhythmic exercises to help students feel comfortable with the
various grooves and rhythmic feels. Students will be encouraged to learn the chords to all four
songs and to especially focus on one song for the melody and soloing suggestions (whichever
song best suits their ability level, or whichever song they like best!). Songs by Bob Dylan,
the Beatles, Bob Marley, Bo Diddley and many more will be explored.
It’s a great way to learn more about the fretboard while getting some practical guides to lead
and accompaniment—and most of all, to have fun playing music! The course is intended for
players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult) who want to
expand their musical possibilities.
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.
This course is a continuation of the Everything Mandolin Jamming I course which concludes on
July 16, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Everything Mandolin
Jamming II course.
The course fee is $125.
Register for the Everything Jamming course with Matt Flinner
EVERYTHING JAMMING II CURRICULUM:
WEEK 1 (August 17)
Folk rhythms II
Getting around the neck in G
Mixing rhythm into your lead playing II
I’ve Just Seen a Face
Wildflowers
Landslide
Heart of Gold
WEEK 2 (August 24)
Bo Diddley rhythms
Blues licks in various keys and positions
Not Fade Away
Who Do You Love
Magic Bus
Desire
WEEK 3 (August 31)
Songs with Reggae rhythms
Double stops in melody
One Love
I Can See Clearly Now
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
Walking on the Moon
WEEK 4 (September 8)
Tying it all together—blues, double stops, licks and rhythms in lead playing
More complex chord progressions
Mixing in various chord and rhythm styles
Like a Rolling Stone
Tuesday Afternoon
Hey Jude
Scarlet Begonias
Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II Curriculum (8/16-9/10)
By Theme Admin on July 2nd, 2022 at 11:28 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
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner
See the Mandolin Tune Studies Curriculum (August 15-September 10)
See the Everything Mandolin Jamming Curriculum (August 17-September 10)
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!
This course is offered at Europe-friendly times! Class sessions take place 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.
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 Tuesday from August 16 to September 6 at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in
the UK and Europe) as well as 9 pm eastern time. We hope this will be convenient for folks in
various time zones, including Europe and around the world! There will also be 45-minute review
sessions every Saturday at 11 am eastern time (4 or 5 pm in the UK and Europe).
This course is a continuation of the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming I course which concludes on
July 16, but students do not to have taken that course in order to take the Everything Mandolin
Jamming II course.
The course fee is $125.
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (August 16)
Starting off in the key of A
Open position and positions up the neck
Double stops in A
That High Lonesome Sound
My Walking Shoes
Knockin’ on Your Door
Gold Rush
WEEK 2 (August 23)
Keys of E and F
Adding the blues in E and F
Moving double stop exercises
Won’t You Come and Sing for Me
Rock Salt and Nails
Is It Too Late Now
If I Should Wander Back Tonight
WEEK 3 (August 30)
Keys of B and Bb
More moving double stops
Some Monroe-style ideas
Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine
This World Is Not My Home
Mary Ann
Drifting with the Tide
WEEK 4 (September 7)
Some “modern” classics
More difficult chord progressions
Finding chord tones and double stops
Combining double stops and licks
Lonesome Pine
Roses in the Snow
No Place to Hide
Walk the Way the Wind Blows
Mandolin Tune Studies II, Bluegrass Jamming II & Everything Jamming II Courses Start August 15-17!
By Theme Admin on June 30th, 2022 at 10:55 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 summer with three four-week long intensive courses designed to help you improve your technique, learn the fretboard, learn some tunes and help you have more fun playing the mandolin!
Note that all three courses are follow-up courses to early summer courses (Mandolin Tune Sudies I, Bluegrass Jamming I and Everything Mandolin Jamming I), but students do not need to have taken the earlier course in order to take any of the follow-up courses. Students are welcome to jump in any time!
Mandolin Tune Studies II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
Everything Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner Curriculum Registration
The Mandolin Tune Studies II course (August 15-September 10) 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: 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 Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 16-September 10) 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!
The Everything Mandolin Jamming II course (August 17-September 10) is intended to help students expand their musical horizons with familiar songs that seem to work their way into jam sessions now and then (and you walk away thinking “I wish I had learned that one”). Various styles of lead playing and rhythm playing will be explored, including folk, rock and a bit of swing and blues. Students will be given the melodies and chords to four songs each week, along with suggestions for creating their own solos, practical guides to playing the chords and rhythmic exercises to help students feel comfortable with the various grooves and rhythmic feels. Students will be encouraged to learn the chords to all four songs and to especially focus on one song for the melody and soloing suggestions (whichever song best suits their ability level, or whichever song they like best!). Songs by Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, the Beatles, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones and many more will be explored. It’s a great way to learn more about the fretboard while getting some practical guides to lead and accompaniment—and most of all, to have fun playing music! The course is intended for players of all ability levels (though absolute beginners will likely find it too difficult) who want to expand their musical possibilities.
Register for the Mandolin Tune Studies II course with Matt Flinner
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner
Register for Everything Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner
The Mandolin Tune Studies II course (August 15-September 10) meets on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 10 am eastern time. Students will have four Monday class sessions (August 15, 22, 29 and September 5) and four Saturday follow-up practice sessions (August 20, 27, September 3 and 10). 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 Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II course (August 16-September 10) course takes place on Tuesday afternoons and evenings at 2 and 9 pm eastern time. We’ll also have practice/review sessions on Saturdays 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 16, 23, 30 and September 6, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place August 20, 27, September 3 and 10. 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 Everything Mandolin Jamming II course (August 17-September 10) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 12:30 pm eastern time. Students will have four Wednesday class sessions (August 17, 24, 31 and September 6) and four Saturday follow-up practice sessions (August 20, 27, September 3 and 10). 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 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.
The course fee for each course is $125.
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 the Mandolin Tune Studies II course with Matt Flinner
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner
Register for Everything Mandolin Jamming II with Matt Flinner
Mandolin Tune Studies Curriculum (June 13-July 16)
By Theme Admin on April 27th, 2022 at 6:33 PM
“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
See the Everything Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner curriculum
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: Dry and Dusty and the Bluegrass Stomp, 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 Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time from June 13 to July 11 (with the week of June 27 off due to Matt’s touring schedule), and practice/review sessions will take place on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time from June 18 to July 16 (again, with the week of June 27 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
Dry and Dusty
Bluegrass Stomp
WEEK 1 (June 13)
Octave Variations
Blue notes
Throwing in some blues licks
Picking Exercise I
WEEK 2 (June 20)
Double stops
Double Stop Exercise I
Double Stop Exercise II
Quarter note triplet rhythms
WEEK 3 (July 5)
Chord tones
Arpeggio Exercise I
Creating musical lines using chord tones
Eighth note triplet rhythms
WEEK 4 (July 11)
Getting up high on the neck
Positions II, III and IV in D
Licks in various positions
Combining blues, double stops and rhythms
Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner curriculum (June 14-July 16)
By Theme Admin on April 27th, 2022 at 6:33 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
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner
See the Mandolin Tune Studies Curriculum
See the Everything Mandolin Jamming Curriculum
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!
This course is offered at Europe-friendly times! Class sessions take place 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.
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 Tuesday from June 14 to July 12 (the week of June 27 is off due to Matt’s touring schedule) at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in the UK and Europe) as well as 9 pm eastern time. We hope this will be convenient for folks in various time zones, including Europe and around the world! There will also be 45-minute review sessions every Saturday at 11 am eastern time (4 or 5 pm in the UK and Europe).
The course fee is $125.
Register for Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner
Here is the curriculum:
WEEK 1 (6/14)
Key of G
Positions in G
Double stops in G
Going between single notes and double stops
Long Journey Home
I Believe in You Darling
You Don’t Know My Mind
Long Gone
WEEK 2 (6/21)
Adding some blues
Using bluesy double stops
A few bluesy licks
The Whole World Round
Rocky Road Blues
Those Memories of You
Hear Jerusalem Moan
WEEK 3 (7/6)
Tunes Using Minor Chords
A Variety of Minor Chord shapes
E Minor Scales and Patterns
Throwing in Some Minor Double Stops
Wait a Minute
Sweet Thing
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Fair and Tender Ladies
WEEK 4 (7/12)
Some more challenging chord progressions
Finding double stops in chord progressions (r-3 as a starting point)
Using chord tones in soloing
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
I Wonder How the Old Folks Are at Home
Redwood Hill
Kentucky Waltz
The View From Here
Walking on the Moon
Latitude
Music du jour
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