New Lessons for October 2024

Great new tunes, techniques, and exercises from Peghead Nation instructors.

By: Dan Gabel

October 2, 2024

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for October 2024. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn24 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar with Grant Gordy – NEW COURSE!

The Basics of Alternate Picking There are many approaches to flatpicking technique, but having a good grasp of alternate (down-up) picking is essential. And having the regular grid of alternate picking is a great way to conceptualize rhythm.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

The Sailor’s Bonnet “The Sailor’s Bonnet” is the third of the three reels in the Tarbolton Set. It’s in the key of D and Flynn’s arrangement uses trebles on the high F# and open B string. In the B part, you’ll shift between second and third position.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri

Twinkle Little Star There are numerous versions of the fiddle tune “Twinkle Little Star.” Matt’s version comes from the great western swing fiddler Johnny Gimble. It’s in the key of G, but Matt plays it all in closed position.

MANDOLIN COURSES

Weekly Mandolin Workout with Ethan Setiawan

In Weekly Mandolin Workout, Ethan Setiawan walks you through a series of workouts that will help you learn the fingerboard, strengthen and increase the dexterity of your fingers, expand your knowledge of chord and scale theory, and improve your picking and fretting techniques. He explores cross-picking, playing scales over chords, perfecting hammer-on and pull-off techniques, and much more, breaking up different mandolin concepts into bite-sized pieces that will help you steadily improve your playing. We are adding new lessons each month, so the course library continues to grow as you build your skills. The high-quality video includes multiple camera angles so you can see close-ups of both hands in action, and you get detailed notation, tab, and chord diagrams for each lesson.

Chord Shapes In this series of workouts, you’ll learn various kinds of chord shapes, including chop chords, a wide variety of barre chords, seventh chord shapes that are great for swing playing, and more.

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Old-Fashioned Love “Old-Fashioned Love” was written in 1923 and it became a favorite of western swing and trad jazz bands. You’ll learn the melody and chords in the key of D and then Joe shows you how to transpose the melody to the keys of A, G, and C.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Journey’s End Bill Monroe recorded the Ernest Tubb song “Journey’s End” on November 30, 1961. The solo (in the key of C) is one of Mike’s all-time favorites. Monroe plays it with a light touch and the solo has a raggy sound.

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials with Aaron Weinstein

Deed I Do “Deed I Do” is a 1920s jazz standard and was one of Benny Goodman’s first recordings. You’ll learn the chord progression and a melodic solo for “Deed I Do” in the key of F.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Cherokee Trail “Cherokee Trail” was written by old-time banjo player and fiddler John Herrmann, and was featured on the album Songs from the Mountain. The first part of “Cherokee Trail” is in the key of G, while the second part moves to E minor.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Carroll County Blues “Carroll County Blues” is an old fiddle blues from the 1920s that has evolved and been adopted by bluegrass musicians. Joe teaches it to you the way it’s most often played in bluegrass circles these days.

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

Cute “Cute” is a classic swing tune recorded by Count Basie and others. It was also recorded by Homer and Jethro, featuring Jethro Burns on mandolin. Aaron’s arrangement harmonizes much of the melody with double stops.

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Skyward “Skyward” was written by pianist Jed Wilson. It’s a simple tune in the key of F and it lays out well on the octave mandolin with a capo at the third fret. It’s also a fun tune to improvise on.

BANJO COURSES

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Sourwood Mountain Bruce’s version of the square dance tune “Sourwood Mountain” comes from the playing of Glen Smith, who recorded it on a fretless banjo in eBEBE tuning, which puts it in the key of E.

FIDDLE COURSES

Folk and Bluegrass Songs with Lauren Rioux

Learn to craft your own fiddle solos to folk and bluegrass songs by creating melodic and rhythmic interest using pickups, double stops, licks, and fills. You’ll work through each song in multiple keys so you can become comfortable with transposition on the fly, a crucial component for successful jamming.

Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” is a traditional song that has become a jam session favorite. Lauren gives you ideas for soloing in the keys of A, D, C, and G, and you’ll work a lot on playing in second position in the keys of C and G.

Western Swing Fiddle with Chad Manning

I’m Confessin’ “I’m Confessin’” is a popular jazz standard that has been recorded by western swing bands. In this lesson, you’ll learn the melody to “I’m Confessin’” and get ideas about playing backup to the somewhat complex chord progression.

Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky

Mississippi Breakdown “Mississippi Breakdown” comes from the Mississippi fiddle and guitar duo of William Narmour and Shell Smith. It’s a syncopated dance tune in the key of G with some interesting circular bowing.

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.