New Lessons Added for February 2022

Hours of new tunes, techniques, and exercises just released in Peghead Nation courses.

By: Dan Gabel

February 2, 2022

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for February 2022. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn22 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Roots of Jazz Guitar with Matt Munisteri

“Up a Lazy River” Melody and Chord Melody In this lesson, Matt analyzes the melody of “Up a Lazy River” and shows you how to play it as a single line melody and as a chord melody arrangement.

Alternate Tunings Fingerstyle Guitar with Doug Young

The Skye Boat Song “The Skye Boat Song” is a traditional Scottish song that was written in the late 1800s. Doug uses it to introduce the idea of using intervals (thirds, sixths, and tenths) in DADGAD.

MANDOLIN COURSES

Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites with Joe K. Walsh

Stoney Lonesome “Stoney Lonesome” is a Bill Monroe tune that he recorded in 1959 with twin fiddles. Kenny Baker’s recording of it on Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe is another popular recording, and that’s the version Joe based his version on.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Jesus Hold My Hand “Jesus Hold My Hand” is one of the gospel songs recorded by Monroe accompanied only by guitar and backup vocals. His solo uses his key-of-A gospel vocabulary with a lot of unison E notes and syncopated phrases.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman – NEW COURSE!

Jeff Sturgeon The three-part fiddle tune “Jeff Sturgeon” comes from fiddler John Morgan Salyer. It’s in A Mixolydian and the form is unusual: the first and third parts are crooked and the second part is four bars long and is only played once.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Elzic’s Farewell “Elzic’s Farewell” is a three-part fiddle tune that is popular in old-time music circles, but has made its way into the bluegrass and world via recordings by Scott Nygaard, Rob Ickes, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, and others.

Melodic Mandolin Tunes with John Reischman

E.M.D. The leadoff track on the debut David Grisman Quintet recording in 1977, “E.M.D.” was originally written for the film Eat My Dust. It’s a fast, exciting tune in the key of E minor and has become a jam session favorite.

Irish Mandolin with Marla Fibish

Toss the Feathers Set You’ve already learned a reel called “Toss the Feathers” in the key of D, but there’s another classic reel with the same name in E minor. It’s a seisiún standard, and both tunes work well together in a set with “Lafferty’s.”

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

Sweet Sue “Sweet Sue” is a popular song from the 1920s that became a jazz standard and has been recorded by numerous jazz icons (Django Reinhardt, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, etc.).

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Gimme a Holler “Gimme a Holler” comes from guitarist Bill Frisell. It’s a beautiful, simple tune with an interesting chord progression that is fun to improvise on.

BANJO COURSES

Bluegrass Banjo with Bill Evans

Ashokan Farewell “Ashokan Farewell” was written by fiddler Jay Ungar and featured in the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War. It’s a beautiful, slow melody and Bill plays it in a “chord solo” style.

Contemporary Bluegrass Banjo with Wes Corbett

Single-String Modules Wes shows you how to play scale patterns in single-string style using two-string modules—closed-position shapes that allow you to move up and down the fingerboard in a linear fashion at fast tempos.

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Twin Sisters “Twin Sisters” comes from Sidna Meyers, who lived near Galax, Virginia. It’s a two-part modal tune played in G modal tuning, gDGCD, and it includes some unusual techniques for both hands.

FIDDLE COURSES

Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky

Rocky Road to Georgia “Rocky Road to Georgia” comes from Missouri fiddler Frank Reed. It’s a straight-ahead square dance tune in the key of D with some nice chordal movement in the second part.

Beginning Celtic Fiddle with Emerald Rae – NEW COURSE!

In Beginning Celtic Fiddle with Emerald Rae, you’ll learn to play the fiddle from scratch using traditional Scottish and Irish melodies. Emerald starts at the very beginning, showing you how to hold the fiddle and bow and breaking down essential techniques for both hands. She then moves into teaching easy versions of popular Celtic tunes and songs, building your skills as you go.

Off She Goes In this lesson, you’ll learn your first Celtic jig: “Off She Goes.” Jigs are one of the most common Celtic dance styles and are in 6/8 time. Emerald starts by explaining jigs and suggests you think “jiggety-jiggety” to understand the 6/8 rhythm.

PLAY-ALONG RHYTHM TRACKS – Available to all subscribers. Guitar accompaniment video, downloadable audio, and chord charts for popular bluegrass, old-time, and roots tunes and songs.