Mike Compton has transcribed over 400 of Bill Monroe’s tunes and solos, and he teaches a lot of those in his popular Monroe-Style Mandolin course on Peghead Nation. While Mike was in the studio recording lessons in 2019, Peghead Nation co-founder and guitar instructor Scott Nygaard joined him to play Monroe’s “Tall Timber.”

According to The Music of Bill Monroe (Neil Rosenberg and Charles Wolfe), Monroe recorded the tune in September 1955, with Bobby Hicks and Gordon Terry playing twin fiddles on the track (this reference claims that Vassar Clements, who was also on the session, sat out on this tune). It wasn’t released until Ralph Rinzler discovered the recording in 1963 and issued it as part of the Bluegrass Instrumentals album (1965).

For more traditional bluegrass information and instruction, join Mike’s Monroe-Style Mandolin course.

Learn guitar with Scott in his Advanced Flatpicking Guitar,  Intermediate Flatpicking Guitar, Roots and Blues Rhythm Guitar, and Weekly Guitar Workout courses.

Mike Compton and Scott Nygaard: “Bluegrass Special” Peghead Nation mandolin and guitar instructors play classic Bill Monroe boogie-woogie tune. Read More

Stash Wyslouch: “Gotta Travel On” Peghead Nation's Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery instructor plays a classic American folksong that Bill Monroe recorded in 1959. Read More

Mike Compton: “Rawhide” Peghead Nation mandolin instructor plays a blistering fast Bill Monroe tune. Read More

Mike Compton: “Bluegrass Ramble” Peghead Nation mandolin instructor plays a Bill Monroe cross-tuned instrumental. Read More

Joe K. Walsh and Grant Gordy: “Little White Lies” Peghead Nation mandolin instructor plays a great standard with his long-time musical collaborator in the Peghead Nation studio. Read More

John Reischman and Scott Nygaard: “The Blackest Crow” Mandolin master plays a Civil War-era tune that he also teaches in his Old-Time Mandolin course. Read More

Flynn Cohen, Marla Fibish, and Liz Simmons: Fred Finn’s and Sailing Into Walpole’s Marsh Peghead Nation Irish Guitar and Irish Mandolin instructors play a great set of reels live in the studio. Read More

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Noctambule: “Murmuration” Peghead Nation’s Irish Mandolin instructor and her duo partner play an original tune from their recently released album. Read More

Mike Compton and Joe Newberry: “Singing As We Rise” The old-time duo plays the Joe Newberry original that won IBMA’s Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year for 2012, live in the Peghead Nation studio. Read More