New Lessons and Courses for June 2023

New Tunes and Techniques from our instructors, available now!

By: Dan Gabel

June 9, 2023

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for June 2023. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn23 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Alternate Tunings Fingerstyle Guitar with Doug Young

C Wahine Tuning and “Planxty George Brabazon” C wahine tuning (CGDGBD) can be thought of as a major ninth tuning with C as the root, but it also works well for songs in G, like the O’Carolan tune “Planxty George Brabazon.”

Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery with Stash Wyslouch

Closed-Position Scales, Position 2A Stash shows you position 2A at the bottom of the neck (in the key of B) and then shows you how to play “We Live In Two Different Worlds” with pattern 2A in the key of G, up at the ninth to 13th frets.

Maybelle Carter-Style Guitar with Cathy Fink

Buddies in the Saddle The lead that Maybelle Carter plays on the cowboy song “Buddies in the Saddle” is unusual because much of it is on the upper strings instead of the bass strings, and a rhythm guitar player is playing behind her.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen – NEW COURSE!

The Hare’s Paw “The Hare’s Paw” is a reel in the keys of G and E minor. Flynn plays a lot of it in second position and uses guitaristic slides, “trebles,” and slurred triplets.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri – NEW COURSE!

We’re happy to announce the latest Peghead Nation course, Western Swing Guitar, taught by the great Matt Munisteri. In this course, you’ll learn to play the classic western swing rhythm style pioneered by Eldon Shamblin, as well as “twin guitar” solos from Bob Wills’s guitarists and the soloing styles of greats like Junior Bernard, Jimmy Wyble, and others.

The extensive lessons in Western Swing Guitar include transcriptions of Shamblin’s groundbreaking chordal work, as well as transcriptions of twin guitar solos from songs like “Roly Poly,” “Bob Wills Special,” and “I Hear You Talking.” You’ll learn Western swing classics from Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe, and others, with arrangements of classic songs like “Faded Love,” “Panhandle Rag,” “Right or Wrong,” and more. Matt will add new lessons to the course each month, and all lessons include detailed notation and Play-Along Track videos and audio downloads so you can play along with Matt.

MANDOLIN COURSES

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh – NEW COURSE!

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.

So What Miles Davis’s “So What” comes from one of the most popular jazz albums in history, Kind of Blue, which started the modal jazz movement in 1959. “So What” is based on the Dorian mode, in the keys of D and Eb Dorian. You’ll learn the melody to “So What” as well as Miles’s solo, which is a beautiful example of developing a melody in an improvisation.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Linda Lou “Linda Lou” was written by Carl Butler, who played guitar on the recording. There is no mandolin solo on the recording, so Mike wrote one that follows the melody and uses a lot of Monroe’s typical phrases in the key of G.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Hogeye “Hogeye” (sometimes called “Sally in the Garden with the Hogeyed Man”) is a three-part fiddle tune in the key of A that is somewhat reminiscent of “Fire on the Mountain.” John learned “Hogeye” from fiddler Paul Shelasky.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Cody Road “Cody Road” comes from mandolinist Andrew Marlin, who plays with the bands Mighty Poplar and Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange). It’s in the key of E minor and has an AABA form.

Brazilian Choro Mandolin with Ian Coury

Remeleixo The choro “Remeleixo” was composed by Jacob do Bandolim in response to criticism that his music was too difficult. Jacob decided to compose something with a groove, and the result was “Remeleixo.”

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

How Am I to Know? “How Am I to Know?” was written in 1929 by Jack King with lyrics by Dorothy Parker. It has an interesting chord progression and a melody that allows for an arrangement where the melody is combined with a rhythm part.

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Big-Footed Man in the Sandy Lot “Big-Footed Man in the Sandy Lot” is an old-time fiddle tune in the key of G that Joe learned from bluegrass fiddler Bobby Britt, who recorded it on his album Alaya.

BANJO COURSES

Contemporary Bluegrass Banjo with Wes Corbett

Goodbye Liza Jane “Goodbye Liza Jane” is a classic fiddle tune and festival jam session favorite. Wes’s arrangement combines single-string and melodic style.

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Red Rocking Chair “Red Rocking Chair” is a well-known traditional song and is also known as “Sugar Babe,” “Honey Babe,” and “Ain’t Got No Honey Baby, Now.” Bruce plays it in the key of G, in standard G tuning.