Mr Sun: “Blackbird” | Peghead Nation Exclusive
The virtuosic four-piece that includes Peghead instructors Joe K. Walsh and Grant Gordy showcases their playful arrangement of a Beatles classic.
Mr Sun is the progressive acoustic string band that features Peghead Nation mandolin instructor Joe K. Walsh, fiddle legend Darol Anger, jazz/roots bassist Aidan O’Donnell, and guitar master Grant Gordy, who has just released his first course on Peghead Nation, Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar. Mr. Sun’s 2022 release, Extrovert, features the bands’ virtuosic interplay on inventive original compositions and refreshing renditions of other tunes and songs, including their beautiful take on The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” We caught up with Mr Sun for a few exclusive performances while they were playing multiple sets and teaching workshops at the Wintergrass Festival in February 2022, and they treated us to this intimate performance of “Blackbird.” They walk on with style, too!
In Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar, Grant shows you his modern approach to flatpicking and how he combines a wide array of musical influences to create his unique style with advice on theory and navigating the fingerboard and how to use that knowledge to create your own solos. He’ll share his thoughtful and analytical approach to the fundamentals of melody, harmony, and rhythm, and delve into fingerboard mapping by using triads and their inversions and relating them to scale patterns. Throughout his course, Grant teaches you contemporary arrangements of bluegrass classics, fiddle tunes, and newgrass favorites, with new lessons to work on each month.
Take a look at another Peghead Nation exclusive video from this session, with Mr Sun playing the old-time favorite “Farewell Trion.”
To learn mandolin from Joe, enroll in his Advancing Mandolinist, Swing and Jazz Mandolin, Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites, Octave Mandolin, or Improvising for Mandolin and Fiddle courses, and use promo code JoeLand at checkout and get your first month free!
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