New Lessons | February 2024

New tunes, lessons, and techniques from Peghead Nation's talented instructors.

By: Dan Gabel

February 3, 2024

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for February 2024. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn24 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery with Stash Wyslouch

Position 4E Arpeggios In this lesson, you’ll learn the fifth and final pattern for major seven and dominant seven arpeggios: pattern 4E. You’ll learn A major seven and A dominant seven arpeggios, as well as D major seven and D dominant seven arpeggios, using pattern 4E.

Maybelle Carter-Style Guitar with Cathy Fink

Coal Miner’s Blues Maybelle’s lead on “Coal Miner’s Blues” is an amazing confluence of early country music and blues. Unusually for Maybelle, it’s in the key of G (without a capo), with G, G7, C, and D chords.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

Palmer’s Gate “Palmer’s Gate” is a reel in the keys of E minor and G major. It was written by Joe Liddy and it appears on the Dervish album Midsummer’s Night. It includes some trebles and rolls on the E note on the second fret of the D string.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri

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.

Roly Poly Bob Wills recorded the humorous song “Roly Poly” in 1941. The recording features a twin-guitar intro played by Jimmy Wyble and Cameron Hill. Matt shows you both parts of the intro as well as Jimmy Wyble’s solo.

MANDOLIN COURSES

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

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.

Diane The jazz standard “Diane” was written in 1927, and later became a favorite of jazz musicians in the 1950s. There’s a great recording by jazz mandolinists Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore. You’ll learn the melody as well as Tiny Moore’s solo.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

“It’s Mighty Dark to Travel” 1960 Bill Monroe first recorded “It’s Mighty Dark to Travel” in 1947 with Flatt and Scruggs. His December 1960 rerecording features a Monroe solo that owes less to the melody than the earlier version.

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials with Aaron Weinstein

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.

Minor Swing Django Reinhardt’s classic “Minor Swing” is one of the most popular Gypsy jazz tunes. In this lesson, you’ll learn two new chord voicings (Am and Dm) as well as a simple solo to “Minor Swing.”

Lady Be Good The Gershwin Brothers’ song “Lady Be Good” is one of the most popular swing and jazz standards, and there are innumerable great versions. It’s usually played in the key of G and uses chord voicings you’ve already learned.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Sandy River Belle “Sandy River Belle” is a common old-time fiddle tune with numerous versions and recordings that date back to 1926. It’s in the key of G and played in standard tuning by fiddle players, so it sits perfectly on the mandolin.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Acorn Stomp “Acorn Stomp” is an old-time fiddle in the key of F, which is, of course, somewhat unusual for old-time music. It was first recorded by the East Texas Serenaders as part of a medley of tunes called “Acorn Stomp.”

Brazilian Choro Mandolin with Ian Coury

Feira de Mangaio “Feira de Mangaio” was written by Brazilian accordionist Sivuca and singer Glorinha Gadelha and is very popular in the Brazilian music repertoire. It’s a baião in the key of A minor and has three parts.

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

Someday My Prince Will Come “Someday My Prince Will Come” was written for the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s a waltz (3/4 time) and Aaron’s arrangement is in the key of Bb.

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

Metaren The Swedish waltz “Metaren” (“The Lazy Fisherman”) was written by Swedish octave mandolinist Ale Möller. It’s a spare, beautiful melody, but the phrasing is unusual, especially in the second part, and the timing can be a bit tricky.

BANJO COURSES

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Sourwood Mountain Bruce’s version of the square dance tune “Sourwood Mountain” comes from the playing of Glen Smith, who recorded it on a fretless banjo in eBEBE tuning, which puts it in the key of E.

FIDDLE COURSES

Western Swing Fiddle with Chad Manning

Take the “A” Train In this lesson, you’ll learn the Duke Ellington standard “Take the ‘A’ Train,” which was recorded by Bob Wills for the Tiffany Transcriptions. You’ll learn the melody as well as part of an Ella Fitzgerald scat solo on “Take the A Train.”