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Mandolin Courses

Whether you're just starting out or have been playing mandolin for years, Peghead Nation has courses to help you develop your eight-string prowess. From beginning to advanced mandolin lessons with some of the finest mandolinists 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 mandolin courses below, and check out free sample lessons as well. Enjoy!

Available Mandolin Courses

Beginning Mandolin

Beginning Mandolin

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 1

Beginner

• 32 Lessons

• 19 Tunes

Get started off right on the mandolin, with basic techniques, scales and chords, and simple and popular bluegrass and old-time tunes to play. Includes downloadable Play-Along audio practice tracks for rhythm and melody on all tunes, advice on embellishing melodies and playing tremolo, and more.

Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites

Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites

with Joe K. Walsh

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 58 Lessons

• 57 Tunes

Learn the essential instrumental tunes you’ll encounter at bluegrass jam sessions everywhere. Designed for intermediate level mandolinists, with tunes, techniques, and solos from mandolin greats.

Old-Time Mandolin

Old-Time Mandolin

with John Reischman

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 51 Lessons

• 49 Tunes

Learn to play old-time fiddle tunes and song melodies with mandolin master John Reischman. Includes advice on picking technique and playing old-time rhythm on the mandolin.

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 35 Lessons

• 34 Tunes

Learn to play swing and jazz mandolin from scratch, with a step-by-step method for learning swing chord voicings, as well as simple, swingin’, melody-based solos for some of the most popular songs in the jazz and swing repertoire. Designed for newcomers to playing jazz and swing.

Bluegrass Mandolin Fingerboard Method

Bluegrass Mandolin Fingerboard Method

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 30 Lessons

• 27 Tunes

Learn to play solos to any bluegrass song in any key with Sharon's intermediate-level method for learning the fingerboard, based on arpeggios, chop-chord shapes, and double stops.

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.

Creative Mandolin Backup

Creative Mandolin Backup

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 9 Lessons

• 19 Tunes

Sharon Gilchrist’s Creative Mandolin Backup course is designed for intermediate-level mandolinists who want to develop their rhythm and backup beyond the basic mandolin chord forms and chop or boom-chick rhythm. With easy-to-grasp applied theory concepts and instruction in using chord inversions.

Monroe-Style Mandolin

Monroe-Style Mandolin

with Mike Compton

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 129 Lessons

• 122 Tunes

Learn traditional bluegrass-style mandolin as exemplified by the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, with original transcribed solos and tips on reproducing Monroe’s sound, rhythm, and feel.

Irish Mandolin

with Marla Fibish

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 89 Lessons

• 81 Tunes

Learn traditional Irish mandolin, with an emphasis on playing the dance music of Ireland with an authentic Irish feel and rhythm.

Intermediate Bluegrass Mandolin

Intermediate Bluegrass Mandolin

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 84 Lessons

• 65 Tunes

Learn to play solos on classic bluegrass songs and instrumentals using bluegrass mandolin techniques like tremolo, double stops, two-string melodies, and more.

Melodic Mandolin Tunes

Melodic Mandolin Tunes

with John Reischman

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 64 Lessons

• 61 Tunes

Learn great traditional and original tunes in a variety of styles—old-time, bluegrass, Latin, jazz, and more—from a modern mandolin master.

The Advancing Mandolinist

The Advancing Mandolinist

with Joe K. Walsh

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 143 Lessons

• 140 Tunes

Explore all the modern mandolin techniques, from tremolo, chords and double stops, and soloing and improvisation tips, with plenty of bluegrass, old-time and swing tunes to keep you moving forward.

Chord Melody Mandolin

Chord Melody Mandolin

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 5

Advanced

• 78 Lessons

• 59 Tunes

Learn how to combine chords and melody to play jazz standards in the style pioneered by jazz mandolinist Jethro Burns and guitarists like Joe Pass and Bucky Pizzarelli.

Weekly Mandolin Workout

Weekly Mandolin Workout

with Ethan Setiawan

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 29 Lessons

• 26 Tunes

This series of workouts will help mandolinists learn the fingerboard, strengthen and increase the dexterity of their fingers, and expand their knowledge of chord and scale theory, with advice on picking and fretting techniques.

Swing and Jazz Mandolin

Swing and Jazz Mandolin

with Joe K. Walsh

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 33 Lessons

• 28 Tunes

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.

Octave Mandolin

Octave Mandolin

with Joe K. Walsh

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 59 Lessons

• 56 Tunes

Learn to transfer what you know on the mandolin to its bigger cousin and how to exploit the octave mandolin’s potential for more complex, guitar-oriented accompaniment styles. For intermediate mandolin, fiddle, or guitar players with a basic knowledge of their instrument.

Brazilian Choro Mandolin

Brazilian Choro Mandolin

with Ian Coury

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 25 Lessons

• 22 Tunes

Learn to play Brazilian choro music on the mandolin with young Brazilian virtuoso Ian Coury, from the classic sounds of Jacob do Bandolim to the modern style of Hamilton Holanda. Includes play-along tracks with Ian’s Brazilian backing band.

Melodic Embellishment

Melodic Embellishment

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 9 Lessons

• 7 Tunes

In this workshop, Sharon will use common bluegrass and old-time tunes like “Old Joe Clark,” “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” “June Apple,” “Angeline the Baker,” and more to demonstrate her method for teaching students how to embellish and vary melodies as a way to begin to improvise.

Improvising for Mandolin and Fiddle

Improvising for Mandolin and Fiddle

with Joe K. Walsh

difficulty 4

Intermediate / Advanced

• 9 Lessons

• 8 Tunes

Learn to improvise on fiddle tunes, create new melodies over chord changes, practice the arpeggios and scales you need to play jazz tunes, and more. Joe lays out his approach to improvising and practicing improvising, with exercises and solos that illustrate his unique, widely acclaimed, freewheeling style.

Swing Mandolin: Rhythm and Chord Solos

Swing Mandolin: Rhythm and Chord Solos

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 9 Lessons

• 8 Tunes

Learn to play swing rhythm mandolin and how to create rhythmic chord solos, using eight classic jazz and swing tunes, with one of the world’s greatest swing mandolinists, Aaron Weinstein.

Bluegrass Mandolin: Beginning to Advanced

Bluegrass Mandolin: Beginning to Advanced

with Sharon Gilchrist

difficulty 3

Intermediate

• 63 Lessons

• 43 Tunes

Learn bluegrass mandolin with Sharon Gilchrist in this collection of essential lessons from her Peghead Nation courses, designed to take you from beginning technique and must-know bluegrass tunes, to intermediate fretboard theory and songs, to advanced soloing techniques, and much more.

Live Workshop

Holiday Songs for Mandolin

Holiday Songs for Mandolin

with Aaron Weinstein

difficulty 3

Intermediate

Aaron Weinstein’s Holiday Songs for Mandolin workshop is designed for intermediate-level mandolinists who want to get ready for the holiday season by learning classic chord melody–style arrangements of holiday melodies. You’ll learn simple, beautiful versions of familiar songs that you can play solo or in a group setting, as well as chord voicings and backup ideas to support singers or other instruments. No jazz or improvisation background is needed.

Live Workshop Details

Mandolin Performances

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Never Come Down: “Moscow”

Peghead Nation vocal instructors play one of their original songs in the Peghead Parlor at Wintergrass.

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Grant Gordy and Joe K. Walsh: “Flop-Eared Mule”

Peghead Nation guitar and mandolin instructors play a fun old-time tune in the Peghead Parlor at Wintergrass 2026.

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John Reischman, Joe K. Walsh, and Eli West: “The Road to Malvern”

A two-mandolin take on an old-time tune, played in the Peghead Parlor at Wintergrass.

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California Bluegrass Reunion: “Little Pine Siskin”

Peghead Nation instructors play a John Reischman original the Freight in Berkeley, California.

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Never Come Down: “Gimmie Time”

The Portland, Oregon-based band plays an original song in the Peghead Nation studio.

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California Bluegrass Reunion: “King of California”

Peghead Nation instructors play a Dave Alvin song at the Freight in Berkeley, California.

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Ethan Setiawan: “Spotted Pony”

Our Weekly Mandolin Workout teacher plays an old-time tune in the Peghead Nation studio.

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California Bluegrass Reunion: “Old Gnarly Oak”

Peghead Nation instructors play one of Chad Manning’s original tunes live at The Freight in Berkeley.

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Aaron Weinstein: “Blue Christmas”

Peghead Nation instructor plays a Christmas classic during his Holiday Songs for Mandolin workshop.

Mandolin Demos

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Bulas Persephone

A fabulous hand-made F-style mandolin at an attractive price.

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KLŌS F-Style Mandolin

A great carbon-fiber mandolin that’s based on the traditional F-style design.

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KLŌS A-Style Mandolin

A carbon fiber mandolin with a familiar design delivers solid acoustic and amplified sounds.

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Sierra Hull on the EleOcto "Forza" | Northfield Mandolins

The contemporary mandolin star demonstrates the new short scale version of Northfield's revolutionary electric octave mandolin.

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Ellis F5 Reserve | Ellis Mandolins

The Mandolin Store's Adam McIntosh demonstrates a great F-style.

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Bourgeois Aged Tone M5O Black-Top Octave Mandolin

Joe K. Walsh demos Bourgeois’ new A-style instrument.

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Northfield Flat Top Octave

Peghead Nation co-founder Dan Gabel and instructor Joe K. Walsh demonstrate Northfield’s popular octave mandolin.

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Northfield WaveLength

John Reischman demonstrates Northfield’s new compact octave mandolin.

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Eight Mandolin Picks

Joe K. Walsh demonstrates eight of his favorite picks, including picks from Apollo, Bluebird, BlueChip, D’Andrea, and Wegen.

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Peghead Partners

Danielle Miraglia, "Junk Drawers" | Fishman

Danielle Miraglia, "Junk Drawers" | Fishman

New England folk and blues artist performs one of her originals using a Fishman Fluence Acoustic Spotlight pickup.

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● Courses

● 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