No one can be told what the matrix is...you must see it for yourself.
What I mean is, you don't understand how they work. They're set up so that only one LED is being powered through its own resistor at a time...say you have 8 columns, each with a resistor. Now you switch in one of the eight rows, and turn the columns on and off as needed. Current is flowing from each LED through one resistor.
The original poster could get away with just one LED...IF they made sure that only one LED could be on at any time.