New Lessons Released for July 2023

New lessons, tunes, and techniques to propel your summer playing!

By: Dan Gabel

July 1, 2023

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for July 2023. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn23 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Alternate Tunings Fingerstyle Guitar with Doug Young

EADEAE Tuning EADEAE is part of a family of tunings that are often referred to as “pipe” tunings. Doug shows you chords in EADEAE and teaches you his arrangement of “The Banks of the Bann,” an Irish air from the 19th century.

Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery with Stash Wyslouch

Closed-Position Scales, Position 2D In this lesson, you’ll learn pattern 2D, in which the lowest root of the major scale is played with your second finger on the D string. Starting on the lowest position on the neck puts it in the key of E.

Maybelle Carter-Style Guitar with Cathy Fink

Give Me the Roses While I Live “Give Me the Roses While I Live” is in 3/4 time with an AABA form. Maybelle only plays the first part (A) of the melody, but the B part is pretty easy to play, so Cathy shows you how to play it Maybelle style.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

The Boyne Hunt “The Boyne Hunt” is a reel in the key of D major that is part of the Comhaltas Ceoltoírí Eireann catalog. Flynn plays the entire tune in second position with two different kinds of trebles and a roll in the B part.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri – NEW COURSE!

We’re happy to announce the latest Peghead Nation course, Western Swing Guitar, taught by the great Matt Munisteri. In this course, you’ll learn to play the classic western swing rhythm style pioneered by Eldon Shamblin, as well as “twin guitar” solos from Bob Wills’s guitarists and the soloing styles of greats like Junior Bernard, Jimmy Wyble, and others.

The extensive lessons in Western Swing Guitar include transcriptions of Shamblin’s groundbreaking chordal work, as well as transcriptions of twin guitar solos from songs like “Roly Poly,” “Bob Wills Special,” and “I Hear You Talking.” You’ll learn Western swing classics from Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe, and others, with arrangements of classic songs like “Faded Love,” “Panhandle Rag,” “Right or Wrong,” and more. Matt will add new lessons to the course each month, and all lessons include detailed notation and Play-Along Track videos and audio downloads so you can play along with Matt.

Eldon Shamblin’s Runs: “Take Me Back to Tulsa” Eldon Shamblin credits Bob Wills’s 1940 recording of “Take Me Back to Tulsa” as the origin of his extensive use of runs. Matt shows you the kinds of runs that Eldon played on “Take Me Back to Tulsa.”

MANDOLIN COURSES

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh – NEW COURSE!

Learn to play swing and jazz melodies and classic solos from jazz legends like Lester Young, Miles Davis, and Django Reinhardt, as well as swing mandolinists like Tiny Moore and Jethro Burns. For each song, you’ll learn the melody and a solo, along with tips on technique, phrasing, and improvisation.

But Not for Me “But Not for Me” is a beautiful ballad that has been recorded by many great musicians. In this lesson, you’ll learn the melody and chords as well as Chet Baker’s trumpet solo from his classic album Chet Baker Sings.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

You Live in a World All Your Own The first part of Monroe’s solo on “You Live in a World All Your Own” focuses on the rhythmic aspect of the melody, and the second half uses a lot of Monroe’s typical vocabulary in the key of B.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Jacky Wilson “Jacky Wilson” is a fiddle tune in the key of D that comes from North Carolina fiddler John Salyer, who called it “Jack Wilson.” John recorded it with Butch Baldassari and Robin Bullock and they called it “Little Jacky Wilson.”

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Old French “Old French” is, as the title implies, an old French-Canadian fiddle tune. It’s in the key of D, with a B part played over A and G chords. It’s a great jam tune and Joe shows you a harmony part as well as the melody.

Brazilian Choro Mandolin with Ian Coury

Santa Morena “Santa Morena” is a beautiful waltz written by Jacob do Bandolim. It’s not a choro but it’s very popular among choro musicians.

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

“All of Me” Intros Aaron shows you four different intros for “All of Me,” two of which are based on the chords and melody of the last eight measures of the song and two of which use the chords and melody of the beginning of “All of Me.”

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Josefin’s Waltz The beautiful “Josefin’s Waltz” comes from the Swedish band Väsen, and was written by guitarist Roger Tallroth. It’s usually played in the key of F or G. You’ll learn it in the key of F, played out of D position with a capo at the third fret.

BANJO COURSES

Contemporary Bluegrass Banjo with Wes Corbett

Goodbye Liza Jane “Goodbye Liza Jane” is a classic fiddle tune and festival jam session favorite. Wes’s arrangement combines single-string and melodic style.

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Christmas Holiday Bruce learned the square dance tune “Christmas Holiday” from Virginia musician Pug Allen. It’s in the key of D, played in double D tuning.

FIDDLE COURSES

Western Swing Fiddle with Chad Manning

Improvising on “Take Me Back to Tulsa” Chad gives you ideas and exercises to help you start improvising on “Take Me Back to Tulsa.” He gives you exercises with G6 and D9 arpeggios and neighbor tones and suggests you try singing with your fiddle.

Beginning Celtic Fiddle with Emerald Rae

The Parting Glass “The Parting Glass” is one of the most popular traditional Irish songs, and is often sung and/or played at the end of seisiúns. It’s in the key of Em, and is played as an air, with no steady pulse.

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.