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 Swing Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

This course is intended to help the aspiring mandolinist build up repertoire and find ways of creating new solos over swing tunes; 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  swing standard tunes with a particular concept in mind—Dominant 7 chords, ii/V/Is etc.  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).  Ways of playing the chord progressions will also be suggested, so students will have a guide for playing backup as well as lead and improv on all four tunes.  

Classes meet Tuesday evenings from July 7 to July 28 at 9 pm eastern time.  There will also be 45-minute review sessions every Saturday morning from July 11 to August 1 at 11 am eastern time.

Register for Swing Mandolin Jamming with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Mandolin Jamming curriculum

See the Mandolin Picking Technique Intensive curriculum

SWING MANDOLIN JAMMING CURRICULUM:

WEEK 1 (7/7)

Using 7th chords

Scales and arpeggios for 7th chords

Moving from chord to chord in soloing

It Had to Be You

Sweet Georgia Brown

Lady Be Good

Up a Lazy River

WEEK 2 (7/14) 

ii-V-I Progressions

A couple of ii-V-I lines

Chord inversions on ii-V-Is

Sweet Sue

Take the “A” Train

Three Little Words

Honeysuckle Rose

WEEK 3 (7/21) 

Modulations

Some more ii-V lines

Chord tones as target notes

How High the Moon

Blue Moon

Have You Met Miss Jones

I Can’t Give You Anything but Love

WEEK 4 (7/28) 

Minor keys

Scales and arpeggios for minor chords

Minor ii-V progressions

Summertime

I’ve Found a New Baby

It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing

Topsy

The course fee is $125.   

Register here.

See the Bluegrass Jamming (July 6-August 1) curriculum 

See the Mandolin Picking Technique Intensive (July 8-August 1) curriculum

Questions?  Email bluegrassmando101@gmail.com

“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 Picking Technique Intensive course with Matt Flinner

See the Bluegrass Jamming Curriculum (July 6-August 1)

See the Swing Jamming Curriculum (July 7-August 1)

This course is intended to help students with the fundamentals of tone and picking technique while learning the fretboard.  Various picking exercises will be looked at, along with double stop exercises (which will incorporate concepts from the picking exercises) to help improve efficiency and speed.  And we’ll focus quite a bit on improving our tone and getting the most sound out of our instruments that we can.  Each week, we’ll also learn a tune and focus on the various aspects of picking technique we’ve been looking at as applied to that tune.  The course is intended for players of all levels who want to go deeper into the fundamentals of playing the mandolin, especially tone, picking ability and double stops.  Register here. 

Register for the Mandolin Picking Intensive Course  

Here is the curriculum:

WEEK 1 (7/8)

Picking Exercise I on single strings

Picking Exercise I on double strings

Double Stop Exercise I in G

Double Stop Exercise II in G

Practicing with a metronome

Leather Britches

WEEK 2 (7/15) 

Picking Exercise II on single strings

Picking Exercise II on double strings

Double Stop Exercise I in D

Double Stop Exercise II in D

Moving between double stops to create solos

Soldier’s Joy

WEEK 3 (7/22)

Tremolo Exercise I 

Tremolo Exercise II

Picking Exercise III on double strings

Double Stop Exercise I in A

Double Stop Exercise II in A

Maiden’s Prayer

WEEK 4 (7/29)

Speed exercise I 

Picking Exercise III on single strings

Moving double stops to change positions

Double Stop Exercise I in C

Double Stop Exercise II in C 

Billy in the Lowground

The course fee is $125.  

Register for the Mandolin Picking Technique Intensive course with Matt Flinner

Hi everyone,

Here are the tunes we’ll be playing in our Drink Up and Stay Home Bluegrass Jam on Thursday, May 14th.  

Facebook Jam 9

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 the link where you’ll find it: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/631257157425786/?event_time_id=631257170759118

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

And donations are welcome!  

Paypal: matt@mattflinner.com  or  

Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando 

Hope to see you on Thursday!

Thanks,
Matt

Need more mandolin?  Try out a 4-week summer course in Bluegrass Jamming, Swing Jamming or Picking Technique.  Save $50 through the end of May!  More info: https://www.mattflinner.com/2020/05/save-50-on-summer-courses-through-5-31-bluegrass-jamming-swing-jamming-and-mandolin-picking-intensive-start-7-6/

Hi everyone,

Here are the tunes we’ll be playing in our Social Distancing Bluegrass Jam on Thursday, April 23rd.  

Facebook Jam 5

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 the link where you’ll find it: https://www.facebook.com/events/1034649983599194/

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

And donations are welcome!  

Paypal: matt@mattflinner.com  or  

Venmo: @Matt-Flinner-Mando 

Hope to see you on Thursday!

Thanks,
Matt

“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.

In light of current events, all spring courses will remain $50 off through the sign-up period (and after!).  Let’s play some tunes and help each other get through these difficult times!

Mandolin for Beginners                                               Curriculum               Registration

Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing                          Curriculum               Registration

Rock and Roll Mandolin                                              Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this spring focusing on bluegrass, basics and rock and roll!  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.   Mandolin for Beginners, Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing and Rock and Roll Mandolin will start up March 30th and 31st and April 1st.

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!  

Mandolin for Beginners (March 30-May 30): This eight-week online program is designed to give the beginning mandolin student a solid foundation in basic mandolin technique, and help students start playing actual songs and tunes from the start. Chords, picking exercises, fingering exercises, rhythm exercises as well as tunes and songs will be taught each week in a progressive curriculum to help students establish good habits and enable them to advance more quickly in their mandolin playing..  Register here.  

Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing (March 31-June 6): This course is intended to help students learn some more advanced concepts in bluegrass mandolin.  Solos by bluegrass mandolin masters Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds and many others will be taught each week.  Students will be given two transcribed solos on bluegrass standards to choose from, along with some analyses of the solos and supplementary exercises to help them learn more of the fretboard and apply various musical concepts in their own playing.  This course is intended for intermediate to advanced level students.  Register here.

Rock and Roll Mandolin (April 1-June 6): This course will explore the wide and wonderful world of Rock & Roll, 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 focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms with a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, strengthening fundamentals such as picking and fingering, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes along the way.  Songs by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones (to name a few) will be part of the curriculum.  Register here. 

SCHEDULE:

60-minute classes take place online every Monday (Mandolin for Beginners), Tuesday (Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing) or Wednesday (Rock and Roll Mandolin) evening from January 6, 7 or 8 to March 10, 11 or 16 at 9 pm eastern time, and 45-minute practice/review sessions take place every Saturday morning/afternoon from April 3 to Ma7 30 (for Rhythm Mandolin) or June 6 (Advanced Bluegrass and Rock and Roll).  The shcedule will vary a bit due to Matt’s tour schedule; each course will have eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over the course of 9-10 weeks.  

NOTE: It is helpful, but not essential, to be present for the live sessions.  All class sessions are recorded and available to view on the class website by the following day.

WHAT STUDENTS GET FROM THE COURSE

All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with.  Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently.  All class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted on the class website (usually by the following day) so that students who were unable to attend the live sessions may view them at their own convenience, and all students may review the class videos as often as they wish.

Students will also be given a Recommended Listening list each week for the material covered.  A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded old-time and bluegrass music.

HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?

During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window.  The instructor responds to all questions immediately (or between teaching exercises, etc.) on the spot.

Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism.  Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to.  Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.

There is also a class website where registered students can find all class materials (videos, PDFs, mp3s) anytime.  The site also has a Forum section, where students can ask questions, bring up topics for discussion, etc., in an open forum where the instructor and other students can respond.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:

1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device (such as iPhone) in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.

2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions.  Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).

3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.

4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).

The course fee is $225 for the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing and Rock and Roll courses, and $200 for the Mandolin for Beginners course.   

In light of current events, all courses will be discounted at $50 off.  

If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at bluegrassmando101@gmail.com.

Register here:

Register for Mandolin for Beginners with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Mandolin for Beginners with Matt Flinner Curriculum 

Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum 

Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum 

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

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

NOTE: This course has concluded, but can be accessed through our archives.  Email bluegrassmando101@gmail.com for more information.

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing curriculum

See the Rock and Roll Mandolin curriculum

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

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

The eight-week course begins on March 30th and runs until May 30th.  Class sessions will take place every Monday evening from 9-9:45 pm eastern time, and follow-up practice sessions will take place every Saturday morning from 10-10:45 am eastern time (Matt will be taking off the weeks of May 11 for the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp) there will be eight class sessions and eight practice sessions over a nine-week period.  All class sessions and practice sessions will be recorded so that students can revisit the lessons as often as they’d like to, and students who are unable to attend any of the live sessions can view the lessons at their own convenience.

During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window.

All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with.  Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently.

Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism.  Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to.  Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.

Students will also be given a “Recommended Listening” list each week for the material covered.  A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded bluegrass and old-time music.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:

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

2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions.  Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).

3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.

4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).

The fee for the course is $200.  But in light of current events, we’re keeping the fee at $150.  

If you have questions about the course, email Matt at bluegrassmando101@gmail.com.

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

MANDOLIN FOR BEGINNERS CURRICULUM

WEEK 1 (3/30/20)

Getting familiar with the mandolin

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

A Few Chords

A Few Picking Patterns

Fingering Position

Playing chords on Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Bonus material: This Land is Your Land

WEEK 2 (4/6)

Playing melodies

Picking Pattern 2

Chords in A

A Major scale

Bile Them Cabbage Down

Bonus material: Woody’s Rag

WEEK 3 (4/13)

Picking pattern 3

Fingering Exercise I

D major scale

Angeline the Baker

Bonus material: Wildwood Flower

WEEK 4 (4/20)

Picking pattern 4

A few minor chords

Rhythm patterns

G major scale

Old Joe Clark

Bonus material: Shady Grove

WEEK 5 (4/27)

Adding ornaments, Slides and Hammer-ons

Fingering Exercise II

Playing rhythm in Waltz time

Rhythm on Goodnight Irene

Muddy Roads

Bonus material: Eighth of January

WEEK 6 (5/4)

Getting to know the neck a little better

Closed position A major scale

Three Closed position chords

Red Haired Boy

Bonus material: Over the Waterfall

WEEK 7 (5/18)

Intro to position playing

A few double stops

Bluegrass “Chop Chords”

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Bonus material: I’ll Fly Away

WEEK 8 (5/25)

Transitions between lead and rhythm

Trying other keys (with tunes from week 7)

Soldier’s Joy

Bonus material: Blackberry Blossom

The course fee is $200.  Register any time for $150, as we’re living in some strange times!

Register for Mandolin for Beginners

Questions?  Email Matt: bluegrassmando101@gmail.com.

“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.

Rock and Roll Mandolin will begin on April 8th! 

Register any time for $50 off.  In light of current events, we’re keeping the discount in place. 

Register for Rock and Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner

See the Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum (3/30-6/6)

See the Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Soloing Curriculum (3/31-6/6)

Welcome to Rock & Roll Mandolin with Matt Flinner!  This course will explore the wide and wonderful world of Rock & Roll, 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 focus on a few main areas: learning various rhythms with a consistent picking hand technique, learning new ways of playing chords, strengthening fundamentals such as picking and fingering, and getting to know the fretboard better in various keys—as well as learning some great tunes along the way.  Songs by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones (to name a few) will be part of the curriculum.

Each week, students will be given exercises related to picking technique, chords, licks or double stops, along with a couple of standard Rock & Roll songs.  Students will also be given a simple “riff” tune each week (though they’ll gradually get more complicated over the 8-week course) to explore the fingerboard with.  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.

The course will run from March 20 to June 6, with class sessions on Wdnesday evenings at 9 pm eastern time and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturdays at 12:30 pm eastern time.  

Register for $50 off.  Let’s get through these difficult times together!

Here is the schedule:

Week 1 (4/8):

Chuck Berry

Some Basic Blues-Rock Rhythms

A Few Chuck Berry Riffs

Monroe-style Playing in Rock & Roll

Rock and Roll Music

Bonus tune: Memphis

Riffs: Satisfaction

Week 2 (4/15)

More rhythms

Rhythm exercise II

Picking Exercise II

Down on the Corner

Bonus Tune: Going to California

Riffs: Sunshine of Your Love

Week 3 (4/22):

More Blues in Rock and Rockabiily

Some Scotty Moore Solos

Using Picking Patterns Over Various Rhythms

Ways of Playing Chords in A and E

Good Rockin’ Tonight

Bonus Tune: Hound Dog

Riffs: Day Tripper

Week 4 (5/6):

Rhythm II—Bo Diddley Rhythm

More Chord Forms

Creating a Groove

Who Do You Love

Bonus tune: Hey Bo Diddley

Riffs: Voodoo Child

Week 5 (5/13):

Using Some Double Stops

Typical Double Stop Forms

Some Pentatonic Licks

Time Is On My Side

Bonus tune: Revolution

Riffs: E-Pro (Beck)

Week 6 (5/20):

Complex Picking Patterns

Picking Exercises Across the Strings

Message in a Bottle

Bonus tune: Clocks (Coldplay)

Riffs: Heartbreaker

Week 7 (5/27):

The Blues in Rock II

Blues Scales

Blues Licks

Jimi Henrdix and Stevie Ray Vaughan

Pride and Joy

Bonus tune: Purple Haze

Riffs: Money (Pink Floyd)

Week 8 (6/3):

More Complex Chord Progressions

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

Little Wing

Bonus tune: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Riffs: Layla

The course fee is $225.  Register for $175 any time.  Strange times call for lower prices! 

“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 $50 off any time.  Let’s get through these difficult times together! 

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner

See the Mandolin for Beginners Curriculum

See the Rock and Roll Mandolin curriculum

Join Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner for a look into the mandolin styles of many of the bluegrass masters: Bill Monroe, Jesse McReynolds, Sam Bush, David Grisman 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 (3/31)

Bill Monroe

Melodic Pattern I

Picking Exercise I

A Few Licks in the chop chord position

Heavy Traffic Ahead

White House Blues

WEEK 2 (4/7)

Bobby Osborne

Pentatonic patterns in closed position

A Few Triplet licks

Picking Exercise II

One Tear

Sally Ann

WEEK 3 (4/14)

Frank Wakefield

Fingering patterns in 4ths

Descending Melodic Pattern I

Picking Exercise III

Little Maggie

Glendale Train 

WEEK 4 (4/21)

Dempsey Young

A Few Chromatic Runs

Melodic Pattern II

Melodic Pattern III

Double Stop Licks

Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool

Home Sweet Home

WEEK 5 (5/5)

Ricky Skaggs

Syncopated Picking Exercise 

Tremolo Exercise

A few licks in open and “index on the root” position

Roving Gambler 

Midnight on the Stormy Deep

WEEK 6 (5/19)

Sam Bush

Scale Pattern I

Melodic Pattern IV

Double Stop Exercise II

Blue Ridge Cabin Home

Watermelon Man

WEEK 7 (5/26)

Jesse McReynolds

Cross-Picking Pattern I 

Cross-Picking Pattern II

Double Stops Up the Neck

Look for Me

Stoney Creek

WEEK 8 (6/2)

David Grisman

Picking Exercise IV

Melodic Pattern V

More Positions Up the Neck

On and On

My Little Georgia Rose

The course fee is $225.  In light of current events, we’re keeping the fee at $175.   Register here. 

Register for Advanced Bluegrass Soloing with Matt Flinner

“All your courses are really good, very well designed, and you have a great teaching style and a relaxed, open, while also serious, approach, which really comes across with the live lessons; thank you for being so encouraging always!“—Penny J.

“After buying six mandolins and umpteen books, I am convinced your course is best $100 I have invested in my mandolin journey to date.  Finally, I’m getting the discipline I need with your exercises to learn scales, arpeggios, double stops, fingering techniques, learn the fretboard (the essential tools I need) ¦and most importantly to learn how those things fit into playing tunes.”—Rick D.

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

Register for Week 3 (January 20-24)

Register for Week 4 (February 10-14)

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

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

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

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

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

The registration fee for each course is $40. 

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

Register here for Week 3 (January 20-24)

Register here for Week 4 (January 27-31) 

WEEK 3 Curriculum (1/20-24)

Picking Exercise III

Fingering Exercise III

Double Stop Exercise III in A

Scale and Pattern Exercise III

Minor 7 Arpeggio Exercise

Lick #3 in All Keys 

Tune: Double File

Register here for Week 3

WEEK 4 Curriculum (2/10-14)

Picking Exercise IV

Fingering Exercise IV

Double Stop Exercise IV 

Scales and Patterns in C

Arpeggio Exercise IV

Lick #4 in All Keys

Tune: Pikes Peak

Register here for Week 4 

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

“I have done some online courses, some one-on-one instruction and some camps.  The course I just finished with you has been the most useful by a pretty large margin.  Thanks for both the thought and effort that went into the design and material preparation and for the personal presence you bring to it.”—Steve F

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

Rhythm Mandolin                                                  Curriculum               Registration

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing                           Curriculum               Registration

American Roots Mandolin                                       Curriculum               Registration

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is pleased to offer three courses this fall focusing on rhythm, roots and swing!  Courses are offered for a variety of ability levels and interests, and are intended to help students improve their technique and learn the fretboard while learning some great tunes.   Rhythm Mandolin, Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing and American Roots will start up January 6, 7 and 8.

Each course lasts eight weeks, with class sessions on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings (depending on which course it is) and follow-up practice/review sessions on Saturday mornings or afternoons to help you solidify the material while learning practice techniques and getting tips on practice routines. 

Students DO NOT need to tune in to the live online sessions, as all class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted to the class website by the next day for viewing at the students’ convenience.  Students are encouraged to attend the live sessions whenever possible, as they can ask questions during the session—plus we’ve found that many students are more likely to practice when they show up for the live sessions!  

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

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

American Roots Mandolin (January 8-March 21): This course will focus on mandolin music from the early part of the 20th century, when the mandolin was commonly heard played in string bands as well as ragtime bands, jug bands and by blues artists.  Each week, students will receive two tunes to choose from along with several related exercises and suggestions for playing rhythm in various styles including blues, Dixieland, ragtime, old-time, stomps and early swing.   The course is recommended for students at an intermediate level, or for any students interested in learning various under-explored mandolin styles!  Register here.

SCHEDULE:

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

ALSO: we’ve added Europe-friendly times for the Advanced Swing Mandolin Soling course!  Class sessions will  take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm eastern time (7 or 8 pm in the UK and most of Europe) in addition to the 9 pm eastern time class time.  Students are invited to attend either or both of the sessions (both will be essentially the same).  

NOTE: It is helpful, but not essential, to be present for the live sessions.  All class sessions are recorded and available to view on the class website by the following day.

WHAT STUDENTS GET FROM THE COURSE

All students will also have unlimited access to short recorded videos of all of the material played at a slow tempo, PDFs of all material in both standard notation and mandolin tablature, and mp3s of all of the tunes at slow and medium speeds that they can practice along with.  Students can access all of this material at any time through the class website, and can also download all materials (videos and class session videos included) to keep them permanently.  All class sessions and practice/review sessions are recorded and posted on the class website (usually by the following day) so that students who were unable to attend the live sessions may view them at their own convenience, and all students may review the class videos as often as they wish.

Students will also be given a Recommended Listening list each week for the material covered.  A variety of versions of each tune will be provided in the hopes that students will listen to recordings and further explore the wide world of recorded old-time and bluegrass music.

HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?

During the live sessions, students can ask questions and/or play examples via their microphone (built-in or external plug-in), or they can ask questions via a built-in chat window.  The instructor responds to all questions immediately (or between teaching exercises, etc.) on the spot.

Students are also encouraged to submit mp3 recordings at any time during the course if they would like to, and the instructor will respond in an mp3 recording with constructive criticism.  Students can submit these mp3s either privately via email or publicly via the class website, where all students can listen and respond if they choose to.  Mp3 submissions are encouraged but not required, and there is no limit on how many mp3 submissions a student can send in.

There is also a class website where registered students can find all class materials (videos, PDFs, mp3s) anytime.  The site also has a Forum section, where students can ask questions, bring up topics for discussion, etc., in an open forum where the instructor and other students can respond.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:

1. A desktop or laptop Mac or PC computer, iPad or Internet-connected mobile device (such as iPhone) in order to view the sessions, plus a good internet connection.

2. An internal microphone and speakers on your laptop or desktop computer, or a phone to listen and speak (if desired) during the sessions.  Instructions for participating by phone are included when you register for the course (long distance charges may apply).

3. During the course, you have the option of submitting recorded examples of your playing to the instructor (and to the group, if desired). In order to do this, you will need your computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged directly into your computer (via built-in ports or an external audio interface), in addition to basic audio recording software, such as Audacity or Garage Band, that will allow you to record yourself playing and save the recording in MP3 format.

4. A mandolin (actually maybe that should have been #1).

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

If you have questions about any of the courses, email Matt at bluegrassmando101@gmail.com.

Register here:

Register for Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner

Register for Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner

Register for American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner

View curricula for each course here:

Rhythm Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum

Advanced Swing Mandolin Soloing with Matt Flinner Curriculum

American Roots Mandolin with Matt Flinner Curriculum