Matt Flinner

Hi everyone,

Tunes are up for our weekly Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Bluegrass Jam, which happens FRIDAY, April 16th.

Click here to download the zip file of PDFs for this week: Facebook Jam 54

As always, we’ll play some Norman Blake, John Hartford, Hazel Dickens, Hylo Brown, Tony Rice and, new to us  this week, the Blue Sky Boys….plus a little something from the psychedelic rock era.  And plenty of bluegrass classics.

The jam will take place on Facebook Live at 8 pm eastern time.  Feel free to bring a mandolin, or guitar, or banjo, or accordion, spoons, autoharp.  Or just hang out and listen.  

Here’s where you can find the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/274008107434875

We’ll play for about an hour or so.  Bring a beverage and comfy chair and we’ll try to ease our sense of isolation at least for a bit.  

And donations are welcome!  

Paypal: [email protected]  or  

Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando 

Hope to see you on Friday!

Thanks,
Matt

Need more mandolin?  Spring online courses have started up, and you can still get caught up!   Fiddle Tunes 101, Advanced Fiddle Tunes and Improvisation and Octave Mandolin Techniques courses will continue through the end of May. Click here for more info.

“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.

Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101                                    Curriculum               Registration

Advanced Fiddle Tunes and Improv for Mandolin          Curriculum               Registration

Octave Mandolin Techniques                                      Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer courses this spring focusing on the American fiddle tune repertoire!  Plus a brand-new course on playing the octave mandolin.  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.   Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101, Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin and Octave Mandolin Techniques will start up March 29, 30 and 31.

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!  

Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 (March 29-May 29): This course will introduce students to the core of bluegrass/fiddle tune repertoire and help them improve their mandolin technique along the way.  Exercises in scales, arpeggios double stops, backup, and creating variations will give students the tools they need to move forward in their playing and enable them to play more comfortably on their own or with other players in jam sessions.  The course is recommended for students at a beginner (though absolute beginners may find it too difficult) to intermediate level.  Register here.

Advanced Fiddle Tunes and Improvisation for Mandolin (March 30-May 29): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced tunes and get tips on how to create variations and/or improvise.  Students will be given new concepts and exercises each week, along with a new tune (plus a bonus tune for more ambitious students) to help improve technique, make better use of practice time, get more familiar with bluegrass and old-time fiddle tunes and have more fun jamming with others.  The course is recommended for students at an intermediate to advanced level.  Register here.

Octave Mandolin Techniques (March 31-May 29): This course will explore the wonders of that rare but fun-to-play instrument, the octave mandolin.  This course will teach students how to play backup in various keys plus lead on fiddle tunes, folk melodies, Irish tunes and more.  Hints on how to get around on this bigger instrument will help students play melodies and backup with more facility and flexibility.  The course is intended for students of all ability levels.  Exercises will be given at a variety of levels each week, and students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises and/or tunes that are best suited to their level.  Students do not necessarily need to have an octave mandolin to take the course; all exercises and tunes can be played on a regular mandolin (though the fingering will be a bit different).  Register here. 

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101), Tuesday (Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin) or Wednesday (Octave Mandolin Techniques) evening from March 29, 30 or 31 to May 24, 25 or 26 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from April 3 to May 29.  The week of April 26th will be off.

ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Advanced Fiddle Tunes for 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).

The course fee is $225 for each course.  

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

Register here:

Register for Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Fiddle Tunes and Improvisation for Mandolin with Matt Flinner

Register for Octave Mandolin Techniques with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Octave Mandolin Techniques with Matt Flinner Curriculum

“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.

“The biggest strides I have made in my playing have been when I was taking your class.”—Chris M.

“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 Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

See the Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin curriculum

See the Octave Mandolin Techniques curriculum

Welcome to Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101!  This course will introduce students to the core of bluegrass/fiddle tune repertoire and help them improve their mandolin technique along the way.  Exercises in scales, arpeggios double stops, backup, and creating variations will give students the tools they need to move forward in their playing and enable them to play more comfortably on their own or with other players in jam sessions.  Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 will start at a beginner/intermediate level and progress to a solidly intermediate level.

The course runs from March 29 to May 29, with class sessions on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time (except the week of April 26, which will be off), and follow-up practice sessions on Saturday mornings at 10 am eastern time.  Students will have a total of eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of nine weeks.  Students are NOT required to attend all (or any) of the live sessions; all sessions will be recorded and available to view afterward (generally by the next day) anytime at the students’ convenience.

The course fee is $225.  

Here is the curriculum for the Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 online course:

WEEK 1 (3/29)

Picking and rhythm

Picking Exercise I

Fingering Exercise I

Scales: D Major and G Major

Open style backup in D

Eighth of January

Bonus material: Nail that Catfish to a Tree

WEEK 2 (4/5)

Getting a fuller sound using open strings

Picking Exercise II

Fingering Exercise II

Open style backup in G

Leather Britches

Bonus material: Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe?

WEEK 3 (4/12)

Octave variations

Picking Exercise III (three and four string exercises)

Fingering Exercise III

Scale Patterns: thirds in D and G

Open style backup in A

June Apple

Bonus material: The Squirrel Hunters

WEEK 4 (4/19)

Transitions between octaves

Learning Chord Tones

Major Arpeggios

3 Chord Inversions

Playing backup using basslines and moving chords

Liberty

Bonus material: Cuckoo’s Nest

WEEK 6 (5/3)

Throwing in some licks

Scales: A Major and A Mixolydian; D Major and D Mixolydian

Open style chords in C

Dominant Arpeggios

Billy in the Lowground

Bonus Material: Boston Boy

WEEK 6 (5/10) 

Creating variations using target notes

Minor Arpeggios

Minor Scales

Cold Frosty Morning

Bonus Material: Cluck Old Hen

WEEK 7 (5/17)

Incorporating Double Stops into Your Solos

Double Stop Exercise in A

Scales: A Dorian, D Dorian

Bill Cheatem

Bonus material: Flop Eared Mule

WEEK 8 (5/24)

Various approaches to improvising

Pulling it all together: octave changes, chord tones, licks and double stops as part of your solos

Blackberry Blossom

Bonus material: Liza Jane

The course fee is $225.  Register here.

“Your method, approach, pace and materials are the best I’ve seen in my years of perpetual learning.”—Jim H.

“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.

“Your course was exactly what I have been looking for.  It was well structured with a ton of good material.  I like that fact that we were given tunes to learn but also tools that allows me expand the lessons beyond the course tunes to others that I already know.”—Todd M.

Register for Octave Mandolin Techniques with Matt Flinner

See the Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 curriculum

See the Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin curriculum

Join Matt Flinner for an online course exploring the wonders of that rare but fun-to-play instrument, the octave mandolin.  This course will teach students how to play backup in various keys plus lead on fiddle tunes, folk melodies, Irish tunes and more.  Hints on how to get around on this bigger instrument will help students play melodies and backup with more facility and flexibility.  Each week, students will be given two songs or tunes to learn lead (if they want to) and backup to, along with exercises to help make more sense of the fretboard and help students make the most of this beautiful instrument.  

The course is intended for students of all ability levels.  Exercises will be given at a variety of levels each week, and students will be encouraged to focus on the exercises and/or tunes that are best suited to their level.  Students do not necessarily need to have an octave mandolin to take the course; all exercises and tunes can be played on a regular mandolin—though the fingering will be different.  

Here is the curriculum for the Octave Mandolin Techniques course: 

WEEK 1 (3/31)

Playing basic chord progressions in G, D and A

Using open chords and some variants

Adding basslines in rhythm playing

Nine Pound Hammer

When You and I Were Young, Maggie

WEEK 2 (4/7)

Using a capo for difficult keys

Fingering melodies I

Scales in G, D and A

Using open strings and chords

Sweet Sunny South

Billy Gray

WEEK 3 (4/14)

Three note chords

Adding some minor chords

More basslines

Cold Frosty Morning

Rights of Man Hornpipe

WEEK 4 (4/21) 

A couple of fiddle tunes

Adding slides to melodies

Crosspicking patterns

Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine

Elk River Blues

WEEK 5 (5/5)

Double stops in lead and backup

Double stop exercise in D

Getting up the neck a little

If I Had a Boat

Poor Ellen Smith

WEEK 6 (5/12)

Irish tunes

Playing lead and rhythm on jigs

Picking Exercise II

Strumming patterns on jigs

Double stops in backup II

Tripping Up the Stairs

Merrily Kiss the Quaker

WEEK 7  (5/19)

Irish Tunes II

Double stops in backup III

Using chord substitutions

The Musical Priest

Mulqueen’s

WEEK 8 (5/26)

Tying it all together

More advanced fingerings

Double stops and 3-note chords in lead playing

Ships Are Sailing

Arthur McBride

The course fee is $225.  Register here.

“This was the best online learning experience I’ve ever had.  And, for the time and money, the best music learning experience in any format:  DVD, video, group, or individual live lessons.”—Christine R. 

“I’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 Advanced Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin with Matt Flinner course

See the Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 101 curriculum

See the Octave Mandolin Techniques Curriculum

This course is intended to help the intermediate to advanced mandolinist learn some new tunes while exploring various ways of learning the fretboard and improving their improvisational skills.  Fiddle tunes in various keys will be taught each week, and students will be given suggestions on how to improvise and/or create variations on these tunes. Scale and arpeggio exercises, picking exercises and fingering exercises will also be given to help students increase their improvisation skills.

Tunes will include East Tennessee Blues, Southern Flavor, Lonesome Fiddle Blues and many others (see below).

Here is the curriculum: 

WEEK 1 (3/30)

Octave variations

Warmup exercises

Adding some ornaments (hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc.)

Ear training exercise I

East Tennessee Blues

Cherokee Shuffle

WEEK 2 (4/6)

Using chord tones in improv

Arpeggio Exercise I

Scale exercise I 

New Century Hornpipe (Norman Blake)

Woodchopper’s Reel 

WEEK 3 (4/13)

Adding some runs to your solos

Using chord tones in improv

Arpeggio exercise I

Some V to I licks

Ear training exercise II

Big Sandy River

Bonus material: Golden Slippers

Extra bonus material: Florida Blues

WEEK 4 (4/20)

Minor keys

Minor and modal tunes

Using some bluesy licks

Blues scales in A and E

Blues licks in two positions

Southern Flavor

Bonus Material: Old Widder Woman (Sam Bush)

Extra bonus material: First Day in Town

WEEK 5 (5/4)

Double Stops

Moving double stops in improv

Double stops as position shifts

Licks up the neck

Tom and Jerry

Bonus material: Howdy in Hickman County

WEEK 6 (5/11)

Some tricky tunes!

More with hammer-ons and pull-offs

More positions up the neck

Jackson’s Hornpipe

Bonus material: Town & Country Fiddler

WEEK 7 (5/18)

Some Raggy chord progressions

Arpeggios

Using arpeggios in improv

More work with chord tones as target notes

Golden Eagle Hornpipe

Bonus material: I Don’t Love Nobody

Extra bonus material: Red Apple Rag

WEEK 8 (5/25)

Tying it all together: using octaves, licks, patterns, positions, target notes and double stops to create variations

Exercises for speed

Some more V-I licks

Hoedown Polka

Bonus material: Lonesome Fiddle Blues

Extra bonus material: Durang’s Hornpipe

The course fee is $225.  Register here.

Hi everyone,

Tunes are up for our weekly Drink Up and Stay Home Virtual Bluegrass Jam, which happens FRIDAY, April 2nd.

Click here to download the zip file of PDFs for this week: Facebook Jam 52

As always, we’ll play some Norman Blake, John Hartford, Hazel Dickens, Hylo Brown, Tony Rice and a little something from the psychedelic rock era.  Plus plenty of bluegrass classics.

The jam will take place on Facebook Live at 8 pm eastern time.  Feel free to bring a mandolin, or guitar, or banjo, or accordion, spoons, autoharp.  Or just hang out and listen.  

Here’s where you can find the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3805882489525782

We’ll play for about an hour.  Bring a beverage and comfy chair and we’ll try to ease our sense of isolation at least for a bit.  

And donations are welcome!  

Paypal: [email protected]  or  

Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando 

Hope to see you on Friday!

Thanks,
Matt

Need more mandolin?  Spring online courses just started up, and you can still get caught up!   Fiddle Tunes 101, Advanced Fiddle Tunes and Improvisation and Octave Mandolin Techniques courses will continue through the end of May. Click here for more info.

NOTE: The dates for this camp have changed.  The camp will now be held January 29-31.  

Join Don Stiernberg, Alan Bibey, David Surette and Matt Flinner for a 3-day online mandolin camp January 29-31. It’s a great opportunity to learn bluegrass, swing and/or Celtic mandolin from some of the best players and teachers in the world! And all from the convenience of your own home.

Each day, students will be able to attend any and all class sessions offered from 11 am to 7 pm eastern time, as well as instructor performances Friday and Saturday nights and a final virtual jam session Sunday evening at 5 pm eastern time. Students will also receive all written materials from each instructor in PDF form via email. It promises to be a great time!

The registration fee for the Winter Virtual Mandolin Camp is $125, which gives students access to all live sessions, written materials and streaming recordings of all sessions after-the-fact.

Register here.

Here’s the schedule:

Friday & Saturday  (January 29 & 30) schedule: 

11 am-12 noon: Matt Flinner Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin class
12:30 pm-1:30 pm: Don Stiernberg Swing Mandolin class
2 pm-3 pm: Lunch break! 
3-4 pm: David Surette Celtic Mandolin class
4:30–5:30 pm: Alan Bibey Bluegrass Mandolin class
6-7 pm: All instructors collective workshop, question/answer period.

Friday 8-8:30 pm: David Surette solo performance
Friday 8:30-9 pm: Alan Bibey solo performance

Saturday 8-8:30 pm: Matt Flinner solo performance
Saturday 8:30-9 pm: Don Stiernberg solo performance

Sunday (January 31) schedule: 

11-11:45 am: Matt Flinner Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin class
12-12:45 pm: Don Stiernberg Swing Mandolin class
1 pm-2 pm: Lunch break! 
2-2:45 pm: David Surette Celtic Mandolin class
3-3:45 pm: Alan Bibey Bluegrass Mandolin class
4-5 pm: Final collective workshop, question/answer period.
5 pm-??? open jam session. All students are welcome to join this “jam” hosted by Matt Flinner in which we’ll play through all of the tunes taught over the course of the weekend! Students will not be able to hear each other (due to internet lags), but they’ll be able to play along with Matt and review all the tunes they learned during the three day camp.

All courses will be geared toward a general intermediate ability level; instructors will assume that students know basic chords and can play at least a few tunes.

Students will only be able to see and hear the instructor(s) during the class sessions, but they can request to have their microphone unmuted and/or webcam turned on in order to ask questions via audio and video as well. Questions will be entertained throughout each class session and especially during the afternoon workshop sessions. Students are encouraged to make the sessions as interactive as they want to!

Register for the Winter Virtual Mandolin Camp here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Gqs2FHZ6QRS5-9Z8MRvv6A

For more information, email [email protected]

“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 winter with courses intended to help students improve their skills in bluegrass mandolin playing and perhaps branch out into some other related styles.  Bluegrass Mandolin 101, Advanced Bluegrass Soloing and Newgrass Mandolin will help students improve their fundamentals, learn the fretboard, improve their rhythm playing as well as soloing—all while learning a couple of new tunes each week.  And all with the goal of having more fun playing the mandolin!

Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner                Curriculum         Registration 

Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner          Curriculum         Registration

Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner                      Curriculum         Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course (January 4-March 6): this course will introduce students to the use of double stops and various positions on the neck, as well as various picking and fingerboard exercises to help develop good mandolin technique and knowledge of the fretboard.  Each week, students are given two standard bluegrass tunes (and encouraged to learn at least one of them); that weeks exercises are correlated to the tunes during the week’s practice session so that students find practical ways of using the exercises in their playing. 

The course is intended for players at a beginning to intermediate ability level (though absolute beginners will have a difficult time keeping up—knowledge of basic chords and rhythm playing will help!).  Register here. 

The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 5-March 6): in this course, we’ll examine the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Doyle Lawson, Adam Steffey and many others. Each week, students will look at two recorded solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.

The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.  Register here.  

The Newgrass Mandolin course (January 6-March 6): this course leads students from the world of modern bluegrass mandolin into some other “newgrass” styles, giving them a broad variety of approaches to soloing and playing backup.  Following the example of players like Sam Bush and David Grisman, the course will explore ways of adding new elements to the students’ playing in both lead and backup, from bluegrass to some Rock & Roll influence to a bit of jazz and more.  Expand your horizons, and learn some new tunes along the way!  In addition to the above mentioned titans of mandolin, we’ll also look at some solos by the likes of Tim O’Brien, John Duffey, John Reischman and others.    

The course is intended for intermediate to advanced players.   Register here. 

The course fee for any winter course is $225.  

Register for Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 course takes place on Monday evenings at 9 pm eastern time.  We’ll also have practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 10 am eastern time.  Monday class sessions will take place from January 4-March 1, and Saturday follow-up practice sessions will take place from January 9-March 6.  The week of January 18 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review!  All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day). Register here.

The Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing course (January 5-March 6) meets on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturday mornings at 11 am eastern time.  Students will have eight Tuesday class sessions (January 5-March 2) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 9-March 6).  The weeks of January 19 will be off, so students will have a little extra time to review!  All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day). Register here.

The Newgrass Mandolin course (January 6-March 6) meets on Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, with follow-up practice sessions Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.  Students will have eight Wednesday class sessions (January 6-March 3) and eight Saturday follow-up practice sessions (January 9-March 6).  All live sessions are recorded and uploaded to a class website, where they are viewable generally by the following day (in the case of Saturday practice sessions, they’re usually available to view later that day).  Register here.

ALL class materials (PDFs, practice mp3s, short practice videos and class session videos) are available for students to download and keep for future use.  

All students access to the live sessions as well as all materials (PDFs, mp3s, practice videos and class session videos), which they can download for future use.  

Here’s a little more info about the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online experience that I hope will give you a good idea of how the program works.

BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN 101 

Matt Flinner started the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program in the fall of 2013.  Along the way, the program has helped hundreds of students improve their mandolin playing in a wide variety of styles.  The program offers a unique approach to online mandolin lessons that gives students the best of both live lessons as well as recorded mandolin instructional videos, audio recordings and written materials.  The courses focus on helping mandolin students get to the next level in their playing and broaden their understanding of a variety of American musical traditions. 

A UNIQUE APPROACH: LIVE INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

Part of what makes the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program unique is the fact that students follow a step-by-step program of live lessons over a four or eight week course.  The courses follow a carefully planned curriculum in the given style or area of technique, and the live lessons get a little more challenging each week as the course progresses.  Classes meet twice per week: on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening, depending on the course, and on Saturday morning/afternoon, when students can join a follow-up practice session to review that week’s material.  Students can view the live lessons via their computer, iPad or smart phone.  Students are encouraged to ask questions during the class sessions via a chat window and/or their external or built-in microphone (this microphone is muted unless the student requests to use it).  And students do not need a webcam.  

All live sessions are also recorded so that students can review them any time if they are unable to make it to the live sessions; this also gives students the added convenience of going through the material as many times as they want to.  Students are given access to a private class website where they can find these recorded sessions and they can also view and download all PDFs of the materials and several practice mp3s of that week’s song(s) recorded at various tempos.  Students will also be given download links for all class videos so that they can view them offline at their convenience on into the future.  In essence, all materials from the course are for the students to keep.  

One aspect of the live class schedule that makes the program so effective is that students are generally more encouraged to practice in order to keep up with the schedule.  Students are given a list of suggested priorities each week, depending on their ability level and amount of practice time, and all material is then reviewed in the Saturday practice session so that students get another chance to run through it with the instructor.  Just by showing up, students will run through the material twice each week—for many of us, that’s already an improvement!  

HOW INTERACTIVE ARE THE COURSES?

All live sessions are interactive; students can ask questions and/or demonstrate tunes or exercises via live microphone or telephone, or via a chat window (most students opt for this approach).  The instructor is able to immediately respond and demonstrate the answers for the whole class.  Another form of interaction comes via mp3 recordings; students can record mp3s on their own time of themselves playing the material (or anything else they want to send in) and send it to the instructor for feedback, which is also recorded in mp3 form and sent back to the student.  Students can post their mp3s on the class site (and likely get encouraging feedback from other students in addition to the instructor) or email them privately to the instructor.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PRACTICE?

That is completely up to the student.  While, say, 30 minutes per day might be a good recommendation for practice time, students can make whatever they choose of this course based on their own schedule and aspirations.  Practicing week to week (again, say 30 minutes per day) will help students keep up with the week’s lessons and concepts, but the instructor knows that people have busy lives!  This is why all instructional material is archived and available for download so that students can learn on their own time after the course has finished as well as during the eight weeks of classes.  However, one advantage to the four-week scheduled course is that by practicing at least somewhat regularly, students are more able to be prepared for the following week’s lessons and therefore take full advantage of the live and recorded mix of lesson material.

Students can decide whether to practice along with the class session or with the shorter individual videos (or both), depending on what they want to focus on for that week.  Material is given each week that is targeted toward various ability levels; a song is given which is playable for beginning to intermediate players (or intermediate to advanced, depending on the course), and various concepts relating to that song are also given to educate and challenge players at beginning, intermediate and even advanced levels.  The student essentially decides how much they want to take on for the week (and the course) based on their ability level and how much practice time they have.  Any material they were unable to get to during the week and want to revisit later will be available in the archived videos and PDFs.  The instructor will also give students a recommended list of priorities each week to help students take the best advantage of their practice time.

THE CLASS WEBPAGE

This is the virtual gathering place for the courses, where students can view the instructional videos, view and/or download all written materials, listen to mp3s of Matt playing the tunes, get listening recommendations, ask questions, submit their own mp3s for feedback and generate forum discussions.  It’s a great place to drop by any time and explore, learn and discuss.  

REGISTRATION FEE

The course fee for any winter course is $225.  

Here are a few quotes from some past students about their experiences in the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program:

“I’ve participated in many online learning programs, but so far, your format is the best I’ve ever seen. I am so pleased I happened upon your courses.”—Gina M.

“I’ve practiced more in two weeks than I have in months!  Really enjoying how it’s going.”—Donna O.

“I have to say that making everything available online is a great convenience for me. Being able to stop and return to a more challenging exercise or a newer phrase is great for learning. I also really appreciate your availability to answer questions offline. This is a great course, and I feel as though I’m improving daily because of it.”—Joe C.

“The level was perfect. Mentally I understand many things that have opened up the fingerboard a lot; now I need some quality time to get it under my hands. I found things challenging without feeling out of reach.”—Stan M.

“I’m really enjoying the course. The first time I’ve actually practiced an instrument in my 60 years!”—Skip H.

To visit the registration pages, click one of these links:

Register for Bluegrass Mandoin 101 with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Newgrass Mandolin 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.

“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.

Register for Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 curriculum

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing curriculum

Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner returns!  This course leads students from the world of modern bluegrass mandolin into some other “newgrass” styles, giving them a broad variety of approaches to soloing and playing backup.  Following the lead of players like Sam Bush and David Grisman, the course will explore ways of adding new elements to the students’ playing in both lead and backup, from bluegrass to some Rock & Roll influence to a bit of jazz and more.  Expand your horizons, and learn some new tunes along the way!  In addition to the above mentioned titans of mandolin, we’ll also look at some solos by the likes of Tim O’Brien, John Duffey, John Reischman and others.  

The course runs from January 6-March 6, and is intended for intermediate to advanced players.  Classes take place Wednesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time, and practice/review sessions take place on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.  

Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum: 

Week 1 (1/6)

Bluegrass just outside the box

Melodic Exercise I

A few Sam Bush licks

Dancin’ with the Angels

Prince of Peace

Week 2 (1/13)

Some John Duffey rock and roll licks

Blues licks in a few keys

Using different chord forms

Lay Down Sally

Breaking New Ground

Week 3 (1/20)

Rock & Roll grooves

The Rock & Roll chop feel

Adding ornaments in backup playing

Some more bluesy licks

Me and My Guitar

Funk 55

Week 4 (2/3)

Some more advanced progressions 

Picking Exercise I

A few David Grisman licks

Chord tones in solos

Plastic Banana

West Bank of the Eno

Week 5 (2/10)

More advanced harmony

Some picking exercises

Using double stops on advanced chord progressions

A bit of crosspicking

In the Plan

Wild Horses

Week 6 (2/17)

Jazz influenced progressions

A couple of chord forms

More work with chord tones

Arpeggio Exercise I

Swing 51

EBA

Week 7 (2/24)

More work with target notes

Picking Exercise II

A few Tim O’Brien licks

Brother Wind

Hey Joe

Week 8 (3/3)

Tying it all together

Varying grooves on the same tune

Approaches to improv: double stops, positions, scales and arpeggios

Pack of Fools

Bonus tune: Goin’ to the Fair

The course fee is $225.  

Register for Newgrass Mandolin 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.

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

“It was nice there were various assignments which pushed my ability. Never felt I had “mastered” ALL the homework so never got bored. Always something to work on or do next.”—Joe S.

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/4-3/6)

See the Newgrass Mandolin with Matt Flinner curriculum (1/6-3/6)

Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Doyle Lawson, Adam Steffey and many others. Each week, students will look at two recorded solos by one of the greats, along with some related exercises to help both improve technique and find ways of using melodic ideas in other solos.

The course is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.

Week 1 (1/5)

Bill Monroe 

Melodic Pattern I

Chord Tone Exercise in a Few Keys

Rhythms using down-strokes

Picking Exercise I

Travelin’ Down this Lonesome Road

In Despair

Week 2 (1/12)

Doyle Lawson

Melodic development in a couple of positions

A few triplet licks

Picking Exercise II

Chord Tone Exercise II

Mighty Mississippi

Redwood Hill

Week 3 (1/19)

Bobby Osborne 

A few syncopated bluegrass licks 

Switching positions in various keys 

Open style double stop licks

My Cabin in Caroline

Once More 

Some in-between tunes:

Ira Louvin: Let Her Go, God Bless Her

Nate Bray: East Virginia Blues

Week 4 (2/2)

Roland White 

Slides within positions

Double Stop Exercise II

Connecting chord tones with chromatic runs

If I Should Wander Back Tonight 

Head Over Heels

Week 5 (2/9)

Buck White

Picking Exercise III

Closed position playing

Connecting double stops

Each Season Changes You

Buck’s Run  

Week 6 (2/16)

Jesse McReynolds

Crosspicking Exercises I and II

Double stops up the neck in the keys of G and F 

How to create crosspicking solos

Where the Soul Never Dies

Better Times a-Coming

Week 7 (2/23)

David McLaughlin

More licks in chop chord position

Shifting between positions continued

Using chord tones in soloing

Unwanted Love

Long Journey Home

Week 8 (3/2)

Adam Steffey

Picking Exercise IV

Open strings in various keys

Chromatic runs in B

Every Time You Say Goodbye

No Place to Hide

The course fee is $225.  

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner