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Fiddle Courses

Whether you're just starting out or have been playing fiddle for years, Peghead Nation has courses to help you develop your playing and tune repertoire. From beginning to advanced fiddle lessons with some of the finest players and instructors in roots music, you can delve into bluegrass, old-time, Irish, and other styles, building your repertoire of tunes and filling out your toolbox of techniques as you go. See introduction videos of all of our fiddle courses below, and check out free sample lessons as well. Enjoy!

Available Fiddle Courses

Beginning Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle

Beginning Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle

with Chad Manning

difficulty 1

Beginner

• 45 Lessons

• 34 Tunes

Learn how to get that fiddley sound by learning beginner-level fiddle tunes and bluegrass songs, with technique tips for both hands and basic theory.

Beginning Celtic Fiddle

Beginning Celtic Fiddle

with Emerald Rae

difficulty 1

Beginner

• 24 Lessons

• 19 Tunes

Learn to play the fiddle from scratch using traditional Scottish and Irish melodies. With essential techniques for both hands.

Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle

Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle

with Chad Manning

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 48 Lessons

• 37 Tunes

Learn classic bluegrass and old-time tunes and improve your playing with fiddle techniques like unison drones, slides, pulses, and more advanced bowing patterns, as well as advice on improvising and soloing on bluegrass songs.

Old-Time Fiddle

Old-Time Fiddle

with Bruce Molsky

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 118 Lessons

• 117 Tunes

Get deep into the roots of Southern Appalachian old-time fiddling. Bruce breaks down the melody, bowing patterns, rhythms, and embellishments of each tune he teaches so you can really learn to play like Bruce and the old masters he learned from.

Folk and Bluegrass Songs for Fiddle

Folk and Bluegrass Songs for Fiddle

with Lauren Rioux

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 45 Lessons

• 8 Tunes

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.

Jazz Violin

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 6 Lessons

• 5 Tunes

Learn to play jazz violin like the masters, with lessons on building solos for standard jazz songs using improvisational devices you can play anywhere. Aaron shows you how to use melodic variation, repeating motives, harmonic entry points, and more. Includes rhythm tracks, analysis of each solo, rephrasing suggestions, and more powerful tips.

Advanced Bluegrass Fiddle

Advanced Bluegrass Fiddle

with Chad Manning

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 88 Lessons

• 66 Tunes

Learn fiddle in the styles of Kenny Baker, Stuart Duncan, Vassar Clements, Bobby Hicks, and other bluegrass greats by learning classic tunes, with improvisation exercises and advanced techniques.

Western Swing Fiddle

Western Swing Fiddle

with Chad Manning

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 33 Lessons

• 24 Tunes

Learn to play classic western swing melodies and solos from western swing fiddle greats like Johnny Gimble, Joe Holley, and others. For each song, you’ll learn the melody and a solo, along with tips on western swing fiddle technique, phrasing, improvisation.

Irish Fiddle

with Dale Russ

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 34 Lessons

• 30 Tunes

Learn traditional Irish fiddle, with an emphasis on playing the dance music of Ireland, including jigs, reels, polkas, slip jigs, hornpipes, and more, with an Irish feel and ornamentation.

Fiddle Styles Workshop

Fiddle Styles Workshop

with Brittany Haas

difficulty 5

Advanced

• 24 Lessons

• 24 Tunes

Meet some of the best fiddlers on the planet in these intimate workshops that get to the root of a host of individual fiddle styles. Includes 24 complete tunes and transcriptions.

Old-Time Fiddle Styles

Old-Time Fiddle Styles

with Bruce Molsky

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 9 Lessons

• 17 Tunes

Learn a variety of old-time fiddle tunes in different regional styles from great players of the past. Bruce teaches a variety of classic tunes, with advice about bowing, double stops, ornamentation, and ideas for more listening and learning.

Improvising for Fiddlers and Violinists

Improvising for Fiddlers and Violinists

with Alisa Rose

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 9 Lessons

• 13 Tunes

Learn to improvise and connect to your own creative impulses through musical games, simple exercises, and fiddle tunes. You’ll explore improvisation fundamentals of rhythm and pitch, learn how to create and vary melodies, use small building blocks or motifs to build a solo, practice scales and arpeggios, and much more.

Creative Jam Skills

Creative Jam Skills

with Lauren Rioux and Brittany Haas

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 7 Lessons

• 6 Tunes

Learn techniques to take a new tune or an old tune you love to the next step—with bowing and phrasing ideas, chordal and rhythmic exploration, and soloing practice.

Intro to Jazz Violin

Intro to Jazz Violin

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 9 Lessons

• 8 Tunes

Learn to play jazz violin from the ground up with acclaimed violinist and mandolinist Aaron Weinstein, who teaches you pre-composed solos for eight jazz and swing classics based on improvisation devices like melodic variation, repeating motives, using harmonic entry points, and more. Includes rhythm tracks, analysis of each solo, rephrasing suggestions, and more. Appropriate for mandolinists as well as fiddlers.

Theory for Mandolin and Fiddle

Theory for Mandolin and Fiddle

with Chad Manning

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 43 Lessons

• 6 Tunes

Learn the basics of music theory as it relates to four-string instruments tuned in fifths. Chad’s practical approach will deepen your knowledge of chords, scales, and arpeggios, and help you integrate them into your playing.

Fiddle Performances

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Della Mae: “Ohio”

Bluegrass powerhouse plays a great version of the Neil Young classic.

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Aaron Weinstein (with Aaron Weinstein): “Lady Be Good”

Our Jazz Violin instructor plays a version of the classic Gershwin Brothers’ standard with his mandolin-playing counterpart.

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Bruce Molsky: “Red Rocking Chair”

Peghead Nation Old-Time Fiddle instructor plays and sings a traditional favorite.

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Mike Witcher, John Reischman, Bill Evans, Chad Manning, Jim Nunally, and Mark Schatz: “Dobro Country”

The California Bluegrass Reunion band plays a Tut Taylor classic at the Peghead Nation 10th Anniversary Showcase.

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Alisa Rose with Scott Nygaard: “Goodbye Liza Jane”

Peghead Nation fiddle instructor improvises on a popular fiddle tune with our co-founder accompanying her on guitar.

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Alisa Rose with Scott Nygaard, Jesse Appelman, and Mark Schatz: “Jill’s Waltz”

Peghead Nation fiddle instructor plays an original tune at our 10th Anniversary Showcase.

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John Reischman, Bill Evans, Chad Manning, Mike Witcher, Jim Nunally, and Mark Schatz: “Little Pine Siskin”

The California Bluegrass Reunion band plays a John Reischman original tune at the Peghead Nation 10th Anniversary Party.

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Emerald Rae, Stash Wyslouch, Bruce Molsky, and Jeremy Kittel: Fiddle Fest at Great Lakes Music Camp

Our Beginning Celtic Fiddle instructor leads a group of her fellow Peghead Nation instructors in a rousing set of reels and strathspeys.

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Joe K. Walsh with Scott Nygaard, Alisa Rose, and Mark Schatz: “Clouds”

Peghead Nation mandolin instructor plays an original tune with a great crew of his fellow Peghead instructors.

Fiddle Demos

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Jonathan Cooper Violin

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Fiddle Care and Maintenance

How to make sure that your fiddle and bow stay in top shape.

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Baritone Violin

Alisa Rose demonstrates her low-tuned violin, strung with Super Sensitive Sensicore Octave strings.

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John Silakowski Five-String Violin

This John Silakowski violin is owned by Peghead Nation Fiddle Sty Brittany Haas demonstrates her primary fiddle.

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D'Addario Releases Two New Mini-Tuners

Based on D'Addario's popular NS Micro Tuner, these new units add functionality.

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In this first of a series of retrospective videos, L.R. Baggs' Caleb Elling discusses the company's very first Preamp-Equalizer.

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© Copyright 2024 PegheadNation.com

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Sign In

● Courses

● Live Workshops

● Instructors

● Sample Lessons

● Play-along Tracks

● Notation Guide

● For Beginners

Instruments & Gear

● Instrument Demos

● Vintage Vault

● New Gear

● Fine Lutherie

● Workshops

● Advice

● Repertoire

● Recordings

● Events

● Breaking News

Featured Videos

● In The Studio

● Live Onstage

● Backroom

● New Products

● Inside Look

● Performances

● Partner Pages

© Copyright 2024 PegheadNation.com