Fiddle Courses | Peghead Nation

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

with Chad Manning

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Beginning Celtic Fiddle

with Emerald Rae

Beginner

• 24 Lessons

• 19 Tunes

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

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle

with Chad Manning

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Old-Time Fiddle

with Bruce Molsky

Intermediate / Advanced

• 96 Lessons

• 95 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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Advanced Bluegrass Fiddle

with Chad Manning

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Western Swing Fiddle

with Chad Manning

Intermediate / Advanced

• 16 Lessons

• 8 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.

Course Details

Irish Fiddle

with Dale Russ

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Fiddle Styles Workshop

with Brittany Haas

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Old-Time Fiddle Styles

with Bruce Molsky

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Improvising for Fiddlers and Violinists

with Alisa Rose

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Creative Jam Skills

with Lauren Rioux and Brittany Haas

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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Theory for Mandolin and Fiddle

with Chad Manning

Beginner / 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.

Course Details

Sample Lesson

Fiddle Performances