New Lessons September 2024!

Peghead Nation instructors have hours of new lessons, tunes, and techniques for you!

By: Dan Gabel

September 1, 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 September 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!

Former David Grisman Quintet guitarist Grant Gordy 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.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

The Longford Collector “The Longford Collector” is the second of the three reels in the Tarbolton Set. It’s in the key of G major and Flynn’s version is based on the way Michael Coleman played it, but he’s added some guitaristic things to it.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri

“Bring It on Down to My House” Junior Barnard Solo Matt talks about some of guitarist Junior Barnard’s soloing techniques, using the Bob Wills band 1946 version of the song “Bring It on Down to My House” from the Tiffany Transcriptions.

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.

Double Stops in Thirds and Fourths Ethan shows you double stops in thirds and fourths on all string sets in the key of G and how to add them to the fiddle tune “Shove That Pig’s Foot a Little Further Into the Fire” and the bluegrass song “Long Journey Home.”

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Bernie’s Tune “Bernie’s Tune” was written by pianist Bernie Miller and made popular by baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Joe shows you the melody and introduces you to the Lydian dominant scale.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Live and Let Live “Live and Let Live” was recorded by Bill Monroe in 1961. It’s in the key of C, and Monroe’s solo is primarily played with 32nd-note tremolo except for the ending where Bill plays one of his signature downstroke endings.

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials with Aaron Weinstein

Satin Doll “Satin Doll” is one of Duke Ellington’s most popular songs, and one of the most popular jazz standards. The form of “Satin Doll” is AABA and it includes an unusual signature chord change, with a Db7 resolving to C.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Glory in the Meeting House The key-of-E fiddle tune “Glory in the Meeting House” comes from Kentucky fiddler Luther Strong. It’s in the key of E minor, but John uses E chords with no third to give it an ambiguous mountain modal sound.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Tennessee Politics The fiddle tune “Tennessee Politics” comes from John Hartford and was recorded on The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1. It’s in the key of D and is similar to another John Hartford tune called “Homer the Roamer.”

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

Someone to Watch Over Me George and Ira Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” was written in 1926. Singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra started singing it as a ballad, and that’s how it’s usually been played ever since.

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.

“Long Journey Home,” Keys of G and C Lauren shows you how to create solos for “Long Journey Home” in the keys of G and C in this lesson. For the key of C, Lauren explains the “closed handshape” and how to use it in second position.

Western Swing Fiddle with Chad Manning

Panhandle Rag The western swing instrumental classic “Panhandle Rag” was written by steel guitar legend Leon McAuliffe. It was originally in the key E, so that’s where you’ll learn it. You’ll also learn a Johnny Gimble solo for the first two A parts.

Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky

Getting Upstairs This version of the crooked fiddle tune “Getting Upstairs” comes from Kentucky fiddler Clyde Davenport. It has some interesting phrasing and bowing, and is played in GDGD tuning.

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.