New Lessons for September 2025

Peghead Nation instructors have hours worth of new lessons, tunes, and techniques for you!

By: Dan Gabel

September 3, 2025

Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for September 2025. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn25 at checkout!

GUITAR COURSES

Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar with Grant Gordy

The Eighth of February: This jaunty tune comes from mandolinist John Reischman’s lauded Up in the Woods album. Grant’s setting for the guitar sits nicely on the fingerboard, and he teaches both the melody and the intriguing chord progression.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

The Black Rogue: “The Black Rogue” is a popular session tune that appears on over 125 albums under various titles. The first part of the tune sounds like it’s in A Mixolydian, but resolves to D, and the second part is clearly in the key of D.

Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri

Tennessee Rag: More commonly called “East Tennessee Blues,” this ubiquitous instrumental was featured on a legendary recording by red-hot country pickers called Jazz from the Hills, and that’s the version you’ll learn from Matt in this lesson.

MANDOLIN COURSES

Beginning Mandolin with Sharon Gilchrist

Sitting on Top of the World: Sharon teaches a basic solo for this bluegrass classic in the key of A that allows you to play open drone strings along with the melody. She also shows you a kickoff, an ending, and some typical bluegrass licks.

Weekly Mandolin Workout with Ethan Setiawan

The Lydian Flat Seven Mode: Ethan introduces the Lydian flat seven mode, sometimes described as having a “spooky, bluesy, crunchy” sound. He teaches the basic scale and several variations, plus one of his own compositions in that mode.

Swing and Jazz Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

“How High the Moon” Tiny Moore Solo: This month Joe dissects Tiny Moore’s remarkable solo note-by-note, and helps you with the intricate right-hand rhythms and left-hand fingerings required to play his jazzy interpretation of this classic.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Foggy River: Mike says, “This is one of my favorite solos of Monroe’s as it is so heavily in the blues pocket.” He points out that the solo references the melody by following the general rise and fall of the overall melodic structure.

Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials with Aaron Weinstein

Some of These Days: This standard from 1910 is a great vehicle for jamming, and Aaron teaches both the basic chord progression and a single-string solo. The structure is just two parts: a 16-bar A part followed by a 16-bar B section.

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

“Blue Darlin’” Ronnie McCoury Kickoff: Joe teaches Ronnie McCoury’s outstanding mandolin kickoff to “Blue Darlin,” from the Del McCoury Band’s 1996 album The Cold Hard Facts. The Eb intro is just 16 bars long, but it offers plenty of challenges.

Bluegrass Mandolin Fingerboard Method with Sharon Gilchrist

“Nine Pound Hammer” in A: Sharon uses the classic “Nine Pound Hammer” in the key of A for this exercise designed to help you move from lower to higher positions on the fingerboard when soloing.

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

The Troll in the Knitting Machine: This month Joe teaches “The Troll in the Knitting Machine,” a fun Swedish polska in 3/4 time. You’ll learn both the intricate melody and a batch of ideas for backing it up on octave mandolin.

FIDDLE COURSES

Folk and Bluegrass Songs with Lauren Rioux

Sitting Alone in the Moonlight: Lauren continues her study of Bill Monroe’s classic with renditions in the keys of G and D. The relative chord progression and melody are similar to the previous keys, but the handshape and fingering are different.

Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky

Nancy Rowland: This great 16-bar tune in the key of G is played in standard tuning. First recorded by Carter Brothers & Son in 1928, the tune is a standard at old-time sessions today. Learn more about “Nancy Rowland” at the Traditional Tune Archive.

BANJO COURSES

Clawhammer Banjo with Evie Ladin

Granddad’s Favorite: This month Evie teaches a crooked Ernie Carpenter tune in the key of A. She’ll show you how to pick up some of the melody notes using the drop-thumb technique, and how to incorporate the “Galax roll” in the second part.

PLAY-ALONG RHYTHM TRACKS – Available to all subscribers. Guitar accompaniment video, downloadable audio, and chord charts for popular bluegrass, old-time, and roots tunes and songs.