Matt Flinner

These courses have concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Hone your mandolin skills this summer with online technique-focused lessons with Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner.  Each week, students will be given seven exercises (one for each day of the week) focusing on picking technique, fingering technique, arpeggios, scales, double stops, chords and licks.  Students will also be given a new tune to learn, along with several suggestions on how to incorporate ideas from the week’s exercises to create variations.  There will be two four-week courses offered: the 101 Level for beginner/intermediate level students, and the 201 Level for intermediate/advanced students.  Courses start June 30 and July 1; visit the Summer Intensives info page to learn more!

As a bonus, we’ll also be discussing how to play better in any given playing situation.  Here’s a relevant video:

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Register for Summer Intensive 201

The 201 level course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level, and will use swing  and jazz-related material as examples and exercises.  Some material may be more easy or more challenging for individual students.  Students are encouraged to prioritize certain exercises according to their ability level, and are given the option of adding to many of the exercises in order to further challenge themselves if they wish to.  Part of the intent of the course is to challenge students at a variety of levels, and to help students advance their playing, learn new musical ideas and have more fun playing the mandolin regardless of their ability level.

Here is the 201 Curriculum:

WEEK 1

Picking Exercise: 2-string exercises across the strings

Fingering Exercise: finger combinations on one string, full range of the string

Scale Exercise: Closed position scales in D

Arpeggio Exercise: Major 7 Arpeggios, 3 inversions

Double Stop Exercise: Double stops in E

Chord Exercise: 3 note major chords

Lick: Two arpeggio licks on one string

Tune: Herman’s Rag

WEEK 2

Picking Exercise: 3-string picking exercise

Fingering Exercise: finger combinations on two strings

Scale Exercise: Mixolydian scales and patterns

Arpeggio Exercise: Dominant 7th Arpeggios, 2 octaves

Double Stop Exercise: Double Stops in A—various inversions on I-IV-V

Chord Exercise: Inversions of 7th chords

Lick: Mixolydian lick around the circle of 5ths

Tune: Right or Wrong

WEEK 3

Picking Exercise: 3 string picking/chord exercise

Fingering Exercise: Chromatic fingering exercise

Scale Exercise: Playing Dorian scales and patterns

Arpeggio Exercise: Minor 7 Arpeggios, 2 octaves

Double Stop Exercise: creating smooth ii-V-I double stops

Chord Exercise: ii7-V7-I progressions in 6 keys

Lick: “‘Round Midnight” lick in 6 keys

Tune: Lady Be Good

WEEK 4

Picking Exercise: Triplets

Fingering Exercise: Chromatic fingering exercise II

Scale Exercise: F Major scale and pattern in thirds

Arpeggio Exercise: Minor, Dominant and Major Arpeggios in a key

Double Stop Exercise: Double Stops in F

Chord Exercise: Diatonic 3 note chords

Lick: V-I triplet lick

Tune: Straight, No Chaser

The fee for the course is $120.

Students can resister for both the 101 and 201 courses at a discounted rate of $200.  You can go ahead and sign up for both and we’ll apply the discount afterwards, or email Matt at [email protected] if you want to make other payment arrangements or have questions.

You can register for the 201 course here.

To view the 101 level curriculum, click here.

To return to the Summer Mandolin Intensive 101 and 201 page, click here.

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Register for Summer Intensive 101

The 101 level course is intended for students at a beginner to intermediate level.  Some material may be more easy or more challenging for individual students.  Students are encouraged to prioritize certain exercises according to their ability level, and are given the option of adding to many of the exercises in order to further challenge themselves if they wish to.  Part of the intent of the course is to challenge students at a variety of levels, and to help students advance their playing, learn new musical ideas and have more fun playing the mandolin regardless of their ability level.

Here is the 101 Curriculum:

WEEK 1 (June 30):

Picking Exercise on one string

Fingering exercise: finger combinations across the strings

Scale exercises: major scales in 6 keys and broken thirds

Arpeggio Exercises: Major 7 Arpeggios in 6 keys

Chord Exercises: “Guitar-style” rhythm on I-IV-V in 6 keys

Double Stop Exercise: Double Stops in G

Lick: V-I Monroe-style lick

Tune: Blue Ridge Cabin Home

WEEK 2 (July 7):

Syncopated picking exercise

Fingering exercise: finger combinations on one string in first position

Scale exercises: Mixolydian scales in 6 keys, broken thirds

Arpeggio exercises: Dominant 7 Arpeggios in 6 keys

Chord Exercise: I-vi-IV-V exercise

Double Stop Exercise: Double Stops in G (I-IV-V) around the neck

Lick: V-I lick in 6 keys

Tune: Dill Pickle Rag

WEEK 3 (July 14):

Picking exercise on 2 strings

Fingering exercise: finger combinations across three strings at a time

Scale exercises: Dorian scales in 6 keys, broken thirds

Arpeggio exercises: Minor 7 Arpeggios in 6 keys

Chord Exercise: Minor i-iv-V progressions

Double Stop exercise: Double stops in C

Lick: Bluesy lick in 6 keys

Tune: Shady Grove

WEEK 4 (July 21):

Picking exercise on 3 and 4 strings

Fingering exercise: Chromatic fingering exercise

Scale exercise: Blues scales in 6 keys

Arpeggio exercise: Arpeggiating through a blues progression

Chord Exercise: 7th chords over a blues progression

Double Stop exercise: Double Stops in A

Lick: Monroe bluesy lick

Tune: Milk Cow Blues

The fee for the course is $120.

Students can register for both the 101 and 201 level courses at a discounted rate of $200.  You can go ahead and register for both and we’ll refund the discounted amount afterwards, or you can email Matt at [email protected] to make other payment arrangements or get more information.  We suggest you use the $40 savings for a nice gift for yourself (or therapy!).

Register for 101 here.

To view the 201 level curriculum, click here.

To visit the Summer Intensive 101 and 201 program page, click here.

These courses have concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online lessons program continues this summer with two four-week long intensive courses designed to help your overall mandolin playing technique.  Each week, we’ll look at seven exercises intended to increase your knowledge of the fretboard and help your picking hand control as we look at seven different areas: picking exercises, fingering exercises, scale exercises, arpeggios, chord exercises, double stops, and licks.  We’ll also learn a new tune each week and apply the ideas from each of the exercises to that week’s tune; by practicing these exercises in this context, students get some practical applications for the exercises as well as some ideas for variations on tunes.

Register for 101

Register for 201

The 101 level course, which takes place on Tuesday evenings, is intended for beginner to intermediate students, and students will learn one bluegrass or old-time tune in conjunction with the exercises.  The 201 level course, which takes place on Wednesday evenings, is intended for intermediate to advanced level students, and students will learn one swing or jazz-style tune in conjunction with the exercises.  Both courses will also address fundamentals which should be beneficial to players of all ability levels.  And both courses will also have practice/review sessions on Saturday mornings.

101 Curriculum

201 Curriculum

Here’s a description of the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 online experience that I hope will give you a good idea of what this exciting style of mandolin lessons is all about.

BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN 101 (and 201!)

The Bluegrass Mandolin 101 program is a unique approach to online mandolin lessons that gives students the best of both worlds: access to live lessons as well as recorded mandolin instructional videos.  These courses focus on helping mandolin students get to the next level in their playing and broaden their understanding of the bluegrass, old-time and fiddle tune traditions.

A UNIQUE APPROACH: LIVE INSTRUCTION PLUS 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-week course.  The live lessons get a little more challenging each week, and students are encouraged to practice during the week in order to get comfortable with that week’s concepts in order to be more prepared for the next class session.  Students also have unlimited access to several short instructional videos each week (usually about 8 or 9) but are also following a regular schedule which encourages them to actually practice the material regularly during the eight week period.  The archive of short instructional videos plus the video recordings of each class session and practice session give the student plenty of material to work with during the course and on into their future mandolin endeavors!

THIS QUARTER’S COURSES

For Summer Quarter, there will be TWO 4-week courses offered from June 30-July 25.  Two more follow up 4-week courses will also be offered from August 11-September 5.  All of these courses will focus on technique; each week, students will receive seven exercises (one for each day of the week) relating to various aspects of technique: picking exercises, fingering exercises, arpeggios, scales, double stops, chord exercises, and licks.  Students will also be given one new tune each week, along with some ideas on how to apply that week’s exercises to the tune in order to create variations.

1. Summer Intensive 101, which is geared toward upper beginner to intermediate students.  Students will be given seven exercises per week plus a bluegrass or old-time tune, along with suggestions on how to relate the exercise to that week’s tune.

2. Summer Intensive 201, which is geared toward upper intermediate to advanced students.  Students will receive seven exercises plus a swing or jazz-oriented tune, along with suggestions on how to relate the exercises to that week’s tune.

THE SCHEDULE

The live lessons for the Summer Intensive 101 course take place every Tuesday night from 8-9 pm Central time from June 30 to July 25, and for the Summer Intensive 201 course every Wednesday from 8-9 pm Central time from July 1 to July 25.  Both courses will also have Saturday practice/review sessions; 101 will be from 9-10 am central time, and 201 will be from 10:15-11:15 am central time.

It is NOT imperative that students be able to attend the live mandolin class sessions.  As all sessions will be recorded, students can revisit the recorded sessions during the week to catch up on that week’s material at their own leisure.  Students attending the live lessons will be able to ask questions on the spot (and get immediate answers and interaction), while those watching the recorded sessions will be able to ask questions via email or on the class forum page.

VIDEOS, WRITTEN MATERIALS AND RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Students have access to video recordings of all of the class sessions and practice sessions as well (generally by the following morning, or, in the case of the Saturday practice sessions, later that afternoon).  In addition, shorter practice videos of the material are immediately available for viewing after each class session, along with PDFs of the all of the material in standard notation and tablature.  All of these videos (about eight or so per week) are available to view as many times as the student would like.  Students can also download all materials (including videos and PDFs) to keep as long as they wish.

Students will also be given a list of recommended recordings for each week’s tunes.  A variety of mp3 recordings will be suggested in the hope that students will broaden their musical horizons and get a better idea of how the tunes are played by the masters!

HOW INTERACTIVE IS THE COURSE?

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 in the 102 class), 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 Summer Intensive 101 and 201  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 fee for each four-week course is $120.  This gives you access to all live online lessons and practice sessions as well as access to all recorded videos, written materials and mp3s (which are yours to keep).  Students opting to take more than one course at a time will receive a $40 discount for the two courses (for a total fee of $200).  Email [email protected] for info on receiving the discounted rate.

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

“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:

Summer Intensive 101 Registration

Summer Intensive 201 Registration

You can always ask questions about the courses via email ([email protected]), and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.  I hope to see you this spring!

All the best,

Matt

101 Curriculum

201 Curriculum

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Monroe Style Mandolin with Matt Flinner.  This course is intended for students at an intermediate to advanced level who want to focus more exclusively on the distinct mandolin style of Bill Monroe.  Students will learn many concepts covered in the 101 and 102 courses, but with a uniquely “Monroe” take on them.  Focus will be on rhythmic drive, the bluesy side of bluegrass, and learning the fretboard in various keys while learning many classic Monroe mandolin solos.

Register here.

Week 1

Starting with double stops

Picking Exercise I

Using positions on the neck to create melody

Bluegrass “Chop” chords

Gotta Travel On

Bonus Material: It’s Mighty Dark to Travel

Week 2

The Blues: some blues licks and fills

Finding blue notes in position playing

Bluegrass Special

Bonus material: Honky Tonk Swing

Week 3

Some classic Monroe licks

Moving double stops around the neck

Picking Exercise II

Y’All Come

Bonus Material: White House Blues

Week 4

Downstroke melodies

Picking Exercise III

New Muleskinner Blues

Bonus material: Columbus Stockade Blues

Week 5

Turnarounds and Fills

Playing in G, A, Bb and B

Working on a Building

Bonus material: The Old Crossroads

Week 6

A diversion into triple fiddle (and mandolin)

Creating harmony parts

Using chord tones to create melodic lines

Scotland

Bonus material: Stoney Lonesome

Week 7

Getting Up the Neck

Playing in C, D, E and F

Highway of Sorrow

Bonus material: Memories of Mother and Dad

Week 8

Sliding around Monroe-style

Moving between positions in various keys

My Little Georgia Rose

Bonus material: Live and Let Live

Register here.

To view other courses offered, click here.

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Here is the Curriculum for Bluegrass Mandolin 102, which will run from March 31 to June 6, 2015.  Class sessions take place online every Tuesday evening from 8-9 pm CST, and practice/review sessions take place online every Saturday morning from 10-10:45 am CST.  For more info about the course or to see other courses offered this spring, visit the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 and 102 page.   To go to the registration page, click here.

Week 1:

Re-introduction to double stops

Picking Exercises I

Playing some fills

Keys of G, A, and D

I’m Going Back to Old Kentucky

Bonus tune: Doin’ My Time

Week 2: Shifting positions

Double Stop Exercises in C and F

Adding some V-I Licks

Nine Pound Hammer

Bonus tune: My Rose of Old Kentucky

Week 3:

Minor Keys

Minor Double Stop Exercises

There Is a Time

Bonus tune: Lonesome Moonlight Waltz

Week 4:

The Blues in Bluegrass

Finding blue notes

Blues licks you can throw into a tune or backup

Blue Yodel #4

Bonus tune: Sad and Lonesome Day

Week 5:

Waltz Time

Tremolo exercises

Double stops in E and B

Tag licks in 3/4 time

Somebody Loves You, Darling

Bonus tune: Blue Moon of Kentucky

Week 6:

Crosspicking with double stops

Picking Exercises II

A few licks to throw in at the end of solos

Goin’ Across the Sea

Bonus tune: Are You Missing Me?

Week 7:

Using Diatonic Double Stops in Creating Melody

Diatonic Double Stop Exercise

A Few Scales

Hard Hearted

Bonus tune: Sin City

Week 8:

Tying it all together

Adding some licks and improvising

Combining double stops and licks 

Freeborn Man

Bonus tune: Rabbit in the Log

Register here.

Check out other courses here.

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Here is the Curriculum for Bluegrass Mandolin 101, which will run from March 30 to June 6, 2015.  Class sessions take place online every Monday evening from 8-9 pm CST, and practice/review sessions take place online every Saturday morning from 9-9:45 am CST.  For more info about the course, visit the Bluegrass Mandolin 101 and 102 page.   To go to the registration page, click here.

WEEK 1 (3/30/15)

Three warmup exercises

Intro to position playing

Intro to Double stops

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Bonus material: Down to the River to Pray

WEEK 2 (4/6)

Moving to the Key of A

Some tag licks to add to your solos

Backup playing and fills

I’ll Fly Away

Bonus material: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

WEEK 3 (4/13)

Small Position Shifts

Adding some more licks to your solos

Double Stop Exercises in D

Banks of the Ohio

Bonus material: Keep on the Sunny Side of Life

WEEK 4 (4/20)

Position Playing II

Three different kickoffs

Chord tones in position playing

Man of Constant Sorrow

Bonus material: Redwing

WEEK 5 (5/4)

Shifting from Position I to Position II

Transposing to Other Keys

You Are My Sunshine

Bonus material: Where the Soul of Man Never Dies

WEEK 6 (5/18)

More Position Shifts

Turnarounds: I-V-I Progressions

Double Stop exercises in C

Sittin’ On Top of the World

Bonus material: Gold Watch and Chain

WEEK 7 (5/25)

Moving Double Stops Around to Create Melody

An Approach to Improvising

Soldier’s Joy

Bonus material: Panhandle Country

WEEK 8 (6/1)

Other keys: B, E, F, Bb.

A few licks using “open” style double stops

My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains

Bonus material: Goin’ Up Home to Live in Green Pastures

Register here.

To view other courses offered, click here.

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

Explore the wonderful 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 eight online lessons will take place every Monday or Tuesday night (your choice) from January 5th or 6th until March 3rd (with February 3rd off due to Matt’s touring schedule) and eight follow-up practice sessions will take place on Saturday mornings from January 10th to March 7th (again, with a week off on February 7th).

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.

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 andsave the recording in MP3 format.

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

The fee for the course is $200.  If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected].

Register for Swing Mandolin with Matt Flinner on Mondays here.

Register for Swing Mandolin with Matt Flinner on Tuesdays here.

To view other online mandolin courses being offered this winter, click here.

CURRICULUM

Week 1: the Blues

finding the important notes (3rds and 7ths)

7th Chord Inversions

Playing a Blues Chord Progression Smoothly

Dominant 7 Arpeggios

Mixolydian scales

The Blues Scale

Route 66

Blues in the Closet

Week 2: the ii-V-I

Some ii-V-I licks

Getting our basic tools: Major 7 Arpeggios + Minor 7 Arpeggios

Major Scales + Dorian Scales

How High the Moon

When You’re Smiling

Week 3: Going Around the Circle of 5ths

Identifying notes in the circle

Playing a few musical lines around the circle

3-note Seventh Chords around the circle

The Bebop Scale

It’s Only a Paper Moon

Caravan

Week 4: More ii-V-I Progressions

ii-V-I chords in two different inversions

Some More ii-V-I Licks in Various Keys

Combining Major, Dorian and Mixolydian Scales

Honeysuckle Rose

Satin Doll

Week 5: The I-VI-ii-V-I Progession

More chord inversions

Finding Common Tones Between Chords

Arpeggiating Through a Chord Progression

Back Home in Indiana

Charleston

Week 6: Some Ballads

Navigating Ballads with Tremolo, Triplets and Sixteenth Notes

Triplet Exercises

Stormy Weather

Georgia on My Mind

Week 7: Minor Keys

Harmonic minor scales

The minor ii-V-i

Half-diminished arpeggios

Dark Eyes

I’ve Found a New Baby

Week 8: A Bit of Chord Melody

Adding ornaments to various chord inversions

Throwing some chord melody fragments into your solos

Swanee River

Tea For Two

Questions?  Email [email protected].

This course has concluded.  To view the current list of courses offered, visit the Winter Online Course page.

APPALACHIAN MANDOLIN TUNES AND TECHNIQUE WITH MATT FLINNER

Register here.

This course will focus on getting students more familiar with Appalachian fiddle music and old-time songs, and help them improve their mandolin tone and technique.  Students will get pointers on how to maximize their tone, various approaches to rhythm playing and chords, making use of open strings, bits of variations as well as learning a new tune (or two) each week.  The eight online lessons will take place every Wednesday evening from January 7th to March 5th (the last lesson will be on a Thursday evening), with February 4th off due to Matt’s touring schedule.  Eight follow-up practice sessions will be held every Saturday morning from January 10th to March 7th, with February 7th being a week off.

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.

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 andsave the recording in MP3 format.

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

The fee for the course is $200.  If you have questions about the course, email Matt at [email protected].

Register for Appalachian Mandolin Tunes and Technique with Matt Flinner here.

To view other mandolin courses offered this winter, click here.

CURRICULUM

WEEK 1: Getting the groove

Rhythm playing Using Open Chords

Maximizing Your Tone

Picking Exercise I

Adding Open Strings in D

Chilly Winds

Bonus Tune: Bonaparte’s Retreat

WEEK 2: Making the most of open strings in A

Picking Exercise II

Adding Some Notes in Backup Playing

Tater Patch

Bonus Tune: The Falls of Richmond

WEEK 3: Some Double Stops

Rhythm playing using double stops

Incorporating Double Stops into Your Solos

Double Stop Exercise in G

Roustabout

Bonus Tune: Double File

WEEK 4: Waltz Time

Tremolo Exercises

Double Stops in A

Drunkard’s Hiccups

Bonus Tune: All the Good Times Are Past and Gone

WEEK 5: Using open strings in G

Picking Exercise III

A Few Licks Thrown In

Adding Some Runs and Licks to Backup Playing

Fly Around My Pretty Little MIss

Bonus Tune: Elk River Blues

WEEK 6: Early Monroe Style

More Double Stops

“Open Style” Double Stop Exercise

My Long Journey Home

Bonus Tune: New River Train

WEEK 7: A Little Norman Blake

Adding Extra Notes to Open Chords

Minor chords and Double Stops

Walnut River

Bonus Tune: Peezlewister

WEEK 8: Tying it all together: Octaves, Double Stops, Licks and Backup

Hell Among the Yearlings

Bonus Tunes: Half Past Four

Hangman’s Reel

Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine

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