Online Lessons

On-line or face-to-face, no matter where you live

I specialize in Monroe style bluegrass, old-time fiddle tunes and country blues. If you are looking for a lesson on how to play “Ode to a Butterfly” you made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Lessons are $50 per 30 minute slot, $100 per hour. Invoices are sent the first of each month via PayPal.

I use Skype mostly but have used Google Chat, Zoom and Messages to initiate video chat, so you need to have a high speed connection. I used to have a student who got in her van and rode around town until she found a strong wifi signal she could jump on, but it seems most everybody has adequate internet these days so you probably won’t have to be that industrious. Satellite is not advisable and dial-up is out of the question. Lessons in person can be arranged if you are in the Nashville region, or if I have time when on tour.

Your schedule is your own call. Some take every week, some every other, some once a month. I have a number of people on the list and everybody seems to learn differently. I make an effort to accommodate each person’s learning style. To do this I use audio, video, tablature, standard notation and whatever else is necessary to get the info across.

I do not have an agenda that I try to force on people. I prefer that you have some idea where you want to go with your playing and I will help guide you. I see my job as more of a coach. I'm here to help you get ahead faster, not to tell you what to play. If you’re interested in one of the genres I’m familiar with all the better.

Usually, I try and keep Friday, Saturday and Sunday open because of road work. When I have to be on the road I send out a notice saying as much. You will get an opportunity to reschedule in the event that I have to be gone. If you miss a scheduled lesson due to your own schedule you will be given one opportunity to reschedule.

Please show up on time. I will wait 10 minutes beginning at our scheduled time. After that you will be charged regardless of if you show up or not.

So if this all suits you I'll be happy to send along my calendar link and you can find a slot that works for you. Then we can decide how often you'd like to get together and we'll go from there. I am happy to help you as much as I can.

Life is good. MC

More Opportunities To Learn

Peghead Nation

In addition to private lessons, Mike also teaches a Monroe-style mandolin course through Peghead Nation. His course features nearly fifty instructional videos detailing Monroe’s style and technique through classic tunes, kickoffs, and solos. In addition to the high-quality video archive, students also have access to Mike’s own note-for-note transcriptions of Monroe’s playing. You can take a sample lesson or learn more about signing up for the course by clicking the logo on the right.

Monroe Mandolin Camp

Fully immerse yourself in the world of traditional Bluegrass through the Monroe Mandolin Camp. Founded by Mike and meticulously curated each year to give students one of the most well-rounded camp experiences, MonManCamp mixes group and individual classes, history lessons from architects of the genre, and plenty of jamming and tomfoolery. The camp has grown over the years to include some of the best traditional teachers on mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass, singing, instrument crafting and repair. Information: www.monroemandolincamp.com