New Lessons for the New Year!
Peghead Nation instructors kick off the year with great lessons, tunes, and techniques for you to learn.
Peghead Nation instructors have released hours of new instruction in their courses, and here are the tunes and lessons we’ve just published for January 2026. Join us in any course and get your first month free. Just use promo code Learn26 at checkout!
GUITAR COURSES
Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar with Grant Gordy
The Seven of January: In this month’s lesson, Grant shows you how to take the familiar “Eighth of January,” drop a beat, and convert it into a variation in 7/4. It’s in the key of D, but you’ll learn it in C position with a capo on the second fret.
Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen
Within a Mile of Dublin: This punchy reel is associated with multi-instrumentalist Barney McKenna, who performed it with the Dubliners. It’s a D Mixolydian tune with C natural notes. Flynn shows you how to negotiate the stretches and shifts.
Western Swing Guitar with Matt Munisteri
Bryant’s Bounce: “Bryant’s Bounce” was written by the great western swing guitarist Jimmy Bryant. It’s in the key of Db and is an arpeggio workout on the complicated chord progression Db–C7–F7–Bb7–Eb7–Ab7–Db.
MANDOLIN COURSES
Weekly Mandolin Workout with Ethan Setiawan
Playing Solo Mandolin Quickly: This month’s weekly workouts offer tools for embellishing a melody so that it can stand alone for solo playing. You’ll work on both melodic and rhythmic ideas and apply them to a great tune called “Spotted Pony.”
Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton
Careless Love: It would be hard to come up with a more rockabilly mandolin solo than Bill Monroe’s take on this traditional number. In the key of C, with downstrokes predominating and the usual down-up-down on the triplet punctuations.
Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials with Aaron Weinstein
Shine: This jazz and swing standard from 1910 has been recorded by Louis Armstrong, Ry Cooder, and Django Reinhardt with Stéphane Grappelli. It’s often played in the key of Eb, but Aaron teaches it in the string-friendly key of C.
The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh
On the Danforth: This sweet tune from Newfoundland multi-instrumentalist and singer Keith Murphy is currently popular in various traditional music scenes. Joe teaches the tune in the original key of A. Look for recordings on Bandcamp.
Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh
Parker Brown: Here’s a relatively obscure but worthy tune with an old-time feel composed by New Jersey bluegrass mandolinist Brian Duffy. “Parker Brown” is in the key of D, and the tune lays nicely on the octave mandolin.
FIDDLE COURSES
Jazz Violin with Aaron Weinstein
After You’ve Gone: Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli recorded a sizzling version of the song in 1936. In this lesson, Aaron introduces a solo in the key of F that incorporates many of the techniques you’ve learned in previous lessons.
Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky
Great Big Taters in Sandy Land: This driving hoedown is a good one to play for square dances. Bruce got this particular setting from Missouri fiddler Earl Collins. It’s in the key of A with the fiddle in “sawmill” tuning—AEAE.
BANJO COURSES
Clawhammer Banjo with Evie Ladin
Winder Slide: Ohio fiddler Joe LaRose’s tune has already gone through the folk process, and the version most commonly played these days differs from his original. This setting is similar to recordings by fiddlers Rayna Gellert and Bruce Molsky.
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.
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