New Lessons, Tunes, and Techniques for August 2023

Peghead Nation instructors release hours of new material for you to dig into this month!

By: Dan Gabel

August 1, 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 August 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

EADEAE Tuning EADEAE is part of a family of tunings that are often referred to as “pipe” tunings. Doug shows you chords in EADEAE and teaches you his arrangement of “The Banks of the Bann,” an Irish air from the 19th century.

Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery with Stash Wyslouch

Closed-Position Scales, Position 4E In Pattern 4E, the lowest root of the major scale is played with your fourth finger on the low E string, which puts you in the key of A. Stash shows you the pattern in A as well as in the keys of B, C, and D.

Maybelle Carter-Style Guitar with Cathy Fink

There’s No Hiding Place Down Here “There’s No Hiding Place Down Here” was recorded by the Carter Family in 1934. Maybelle’s lead is a great example of the Carter scratch, and there’s a lot of thumb–up–down–up strumming.

Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

A Fig for a Kiss “A Fig for a Kiss” is a well-known slip jig and is popular at seisiúns. It’s in the key of E minor (E Dorian) and has a few ornaments: cuts and picked triplets. Slip jigs are in 9/8, so you’ll use jig picking to play “A Fig for a Kiss.”

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.

I Hear You Talking The Bob Wills 1946 recording of the Cindy Walker song “I Hear You Talking” features a twin guitar line played by Junior Bernard and steel guitarist Noel Boggs. You’ll learn the chords to the song as well as the twin guitar lines.

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.

On the Sunny Side of the Street “On the Sunny Side of the Street” is a popular swing standard. In this lesson, you’ll learn the melody and the first chorus of alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges’s solo from Duke Ellington’s The Great Paris Concert.

Monroe-Style Mandolin with Mike Compton

Little Joe “Little Joe” is another of the songs Bill Monroe recorded in November 1960. His recording is different from the Monroe Brothers version from 1938, with almost a Latin feel on his solo and some typical chordal runs.

Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” is a well-known old-time tune in the key of D that goes by many names, including “Western Country” and “Susanna Gals.”

The Advancing Mandolinist with Joe K. Walsh

Shenandoah Breakdown “Shenandoah Breakdown” that’s popular in bluegrass jam sessions. In this lesson, Joe shows you the melody as well as Dominick Leslie’s solo on “Shenandoah Breakdown” from the Russ Carson album Last Chance.

Brazilian Choro Mandolin with Ian Coury

Doce de Coco “Doce de Coco” (“Sweet Coconut”) is another tune written by the legendary choro mandolinist Jacob do Bandolim. It’s in the key of G major and is usually played at a medium tempo (65 bpm).

Chord Melody Mandolin with Aaron Weinstein

What’ll I Do The beautiful ballad “What’ll I Do” was written by Irving Berlin in 1923 and since then it has been recorded by numerous singers. Aaron plays “What’ll I Do” simply and slowly (rubato) to put a focus on the melody.

Octave Mandolin with Joe K. Walsh

“My Girl’s Waiting for Me” Tim O’Brien Solo The solo that Tim O’Brien plays on a live performance of the song “My Girl’s Waiting for Me (River Driving)” is a great example of Tim’s approach to playing solos on the octave mandolin.

BANJO COURSES

Old-Time Banjo with Bruce Molsky

Christmas Holiday Bruce learned the square dance tune “Christmas Holiday” from Virginia musician Pug Allen. It’s in the key of D, played in double D tuning.

FIDDLE COURSES

Western Swing Fiddle with Chad Manning

My Window Faces the South “My Window Faces the South” was written in 1937 and first recorded by Fats Waller. Bob Wills recorded “My Window Faces the South” in 1938 and again in the mid-1940s for the Tiffany Transcriptions. In this lesson, you’ll learn the melody as well as a Johnny Gimble solo to “My Window Faces the South.”