Looking to expand your skills on the mandolin? Whether you’re diving into bluegrass, exploring other genres, or building a strong foundation in music theory and technique, my workshops are designed to help players at all levels gain confidence, develop musicality, and master essential skills.
These hands-on sessions cater to music festivals, bluegrass jams, music camps, private groups, and individual learners. Workshops cover everything from fundamental techniques to advanced improvisation, with instruction that applies across bluegrass, folk, jazz, classical, and beyond.
Want to bring one of these interactive, skill-building workshops to your festival or jam? Contact me today! Have a question? Leave a comment below.
Included in Workshops
🎼 Practical exercises to develop technique and musical fluency
📄 Take-home and pre-workshop materials (tab, standard notation, and study guides)
🎶 Real-world applications for jamming, soloing, and composing
💻 Bonus: Free 20-minute Zoom follow-up lesson for attendees
Workshop Details
🎶 Intro to Bluegrass Jamming (Beginner)
Keywords: bluegrass jam workshop, beginner bluegrass, learning to jam
Jamming is the heart of bluegrass, but it can be intimidating when fast-paced tunes or complex chord changes come up. This workshop is for all instruments and helps beginning bluegrass players feel confident at jams by covering:
✔️ Common bluegrass standards and fiddle tunes
✔️ How to follow chord progressions by ear
✔️ Tips for playing rhythm and simple melodies in a jam setting
📄 Includes: Chord and melody charts for essential bluegrass tunes
🎸 Prerequisite: A good attitude and basic pick-hand technique
🎵 How to Play Songs You Don’t Know (Beginner / Intermediate)
Keywords: learning by ear, improvisation in bluegrass, soloing techniques
Ever been at a jam and had no idea what song was coming next? Instead of sitting out, learn to quickly identify song structure, chord patterns, and melody notes—even if you’ve never heard the tune before!
Topics include:
✔️ Breaking down chord progressions by ear
✔️ Finding key melody notes using arpeggios and pentatonic scales
✔️ Building simple yet effective solos on the fly
📄 Includes: Charts for arpeggios, pentatonics, and key melody notes
🎸 Prerequisite: Basic chords, simple solos, and familiarity with major scales
🎻 Double Stops I: What They Are & How to Use Them (Intermediate – Advanced)
Keywords: mandolin double stops, bluegrass lead playing, fiddle tune techniques
Double stops add rich harmony and depth to your playing. Learn how to:
✔️ Find double stops in six main positions across the fretboard
✔️ Use them for both rhythm and soloing
✔️ Incorporate them into common bluegrass standards
📄 Includes: Double stop charts in tab & standard notation
🎸 Prerequisite: Understanding of major scales and ability to play basic solos
🎼 Double Stops II: Extended Double Stops (Advanced)
Keywords: advanced mandolin techniques, bluegrass harmony, playing in a band
Take your double stop knowledge to the next level! We’ll explore:
✔️ Extensions like 7ths, 9ths, and 13ths for more expressive solos
✔️ How to use double stops for comping behind singers
✔️ Practical applications in fiddle tunes and bluegrass breaks
📄 Includes: Extended double stop charts and exercises
🎸 Prerequisite: Major scales, basic breaks, and knowledge of standard double stops
🎸 All About Chords I: Basic Chord Shapes & Positions (Beginner)
Keywords: mandolin chord shapes, bluegrass rhythm playing, beginner mandolin chords
Mastering major and minor chords is an essential step in becoming a strong rhythm player. This workshop covers:
✔️ Basic open and closed chord positions for G, C, D, A, and E
✔️ The “1-3-5” formula for building chords
✔️ Chord transitions and strumming patterns for bluegrass
📄 Includes: Easy chord charts and finger placement guides
🎸 Prerequisite: Ability to play simple open chords
🎶 All About Chords II: Multiple Positions & Inversions (Beginner – Intermediate)
Keywords: mandolin chord inversions, bluegrass backup playing, fretboard mastery
Once you know your basic chord shapes, it’s time to move up the neck! This workshop explores:
✔️ How to play each chord in three different positions
✔️ The relationship between inversions and melody playing
✔️ How to use different chord voicings for variety in jam sessions
📄 Includes: Chord progression charts with multiple positions
🎸 Prerequisite: Knowledge from All About Chords I
🎵 Basic Music Theory for Bluegrass (Beginner – Intermediate)
Keywords: music theory for mandolin, understanding chord progressions, Nashville Number System
Music theory isn’t just for jazz and classical musicians—understanding the basics makes you a better bluegrass player! In this workshop, we’ll cover:
✔️ How chords are built and why they work together
✔️ The difference between major, minor, and dominant chords
✔️ The Nashville Number System and how to use it in jams
📄 Includes: Guided notes and practice exercises
🎸 Prerequisite: A curious mind and a notebook!
What People Are Saying
⭐️ “That was a great workshop! It’s a lot of info, but nice and clear and useful. It will take quite some time to digest for this beginner, but it will be excellent practice for me.”
— Dave J.
⭐️ “Matt has a talent for making complicated concepts clear. His stepwise exercises are great: start here, then next do this, and after that put them together like so. I’m looking for ways to bridge the gap between beginner and intermediate, and Matt’s offering some of the puzzle pieces.”
— Sue R.
⭐️ “Great lesson, Matt! Quite a challenge to cover so much ground – but you cracked it! It would be great to see minor double stops in the same way – maybe a future lesson!”
— Rob B.