Peghead Nation
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The online home of roots music instruction, gear, and news.
With Peghead Nation’s subscription-based e-learning courses, musicians learn to play their favorite instruments with some of the best teachers in the roots music community. They also stay up-to-date with the latest happenings and news from the roots music world with our video demonstrations of new instruments and gear, reviews of great new albums and videos, backstage conversations with touring musicians, thought-provoking and humorous columnists, and much more. Peghead Nation’s founders are Dan Gabel (Executive Producer), Scott Nygaard (Editor), and Teja Gerken (Producer), and each are passionate musicians who have deep experience in the world of acoustic music instruction, journalism, and business. They bring their expertise to Peghead Nation at a time when online learning is bigger than ever and roots music is enjoying another surge in popularity – a perfect opportunity to bring more “Pegheads” into the fold, teaching them to play and helping them enjoy their instruments.
10/08/2026
Peghead Nation co-founder Teja Gerken stopped by the New Acoustic Gallery in Wuppertal, Germany, today. One of Europe‘s finest addresses for American stringed instruments and all things roots music, the shop carries Northfield Mandolins , Bourgeois Guitars , Santa Cruz Guitar Company , and more. Peghead Nation instructor John Reischman was represented on CD and in print. Highly recommended!
In his latest Jazz Violin lesson on Peghead Nation, Aaron Weinstein shows how to play "Djangology." Aaron’s arrangement of this Hot Club standard leans heavily into arpeggios that follow the chord progression, but also includes rhythmic displacements, dotted quarter notes, and short, punchy phrases give it zing. Join Aaron for this, and new lessons every month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/jazz-violin
In his latest Advancing Mandolinist lesson on Peghead Nation, Joe K. Walsh teaches Sam Bush's solo on “Last Letter Home.” You’ll learn Bush's elegant intro and solo on this poignant song. Bush plays it in the key of F, mostly in the second position, with lots of tremolo and double stops. Join Joe for this lesson and new material each month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/the-advancing-mandolinist
In this Old-Time Banjo lesson on Peghead Nation, Bruce Molsky shows how to play “Pateroller Song,” which comes from Hobart Smith of Saltville, Virginia. It’s a fast, aggressive tune played in A modal tuning, in this case tuned aEADE. Join us!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/old-time-banjo
In his latest Norman-Blake Style Guitar lesson on Peghead Nation, Greg Schochet focuses on Norman Blake’s intro to “Nobody’s Business” to build a versatile etude that works as both a kickoff to this particular song and as a solid solo for any number of songs with the same progression. Join Greg for this lesson and new material each month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/norman-blake-style-guitar
In this Beginning Celtic Fiddle lesson on Peghead Nation, Emerald Rae shows how to play “Cutting Ferns,” which is a special kind of tune called a strathspey, which is only played in Scottish music. It’s distinguished by a “Scottish snap” rhythm consisting of a dotted-eighth/16th rhythm, although it can also be played with more of a triplet feel. Check it out!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/beginning-celtic-fiddle
In his newest Weekly Mandolin Workout on Peghead Nation, Ethan Setiawan focuses on different aspects of the jazz and swing classic “Fly Me to the Moon,” starting with four different ways to voice the chord progression in various positions and degrees of complexity. Join Ethan for this month's lessons and subscribe for new workouts every month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/weekly-mandolin-workout
In her latest Beginning Banjo by Ear lesson on Peghead Nation, BB Bowness teaches "Goodbye Liza Jane." In the course of teaching this classic, BB introduces a couple of new techniques, including the drop-thumb roll and a voicing of a C chord that requires moving up the neck to the fifth position. Join BB for this lesson and new material each month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/beginning-banjo-by-ear
09/30/2026
While few players regularly use capos on a standard mandolin, it’s not uncommon to see them on an octave mandolin. Shubb Capos Fine Tune capo is made for guitar, but its self-centering yoke-style design makes it a great fit for the octave mandolin. In this video, Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh demonstrates the Shubb Fine Tune capo on a Northfield Mandolins Flattop Octave Mandolin, talks about why he likes using it and offers tips on installing and placing the capo on the neck.
Shubb Fine Tune Capo on Octave Mandolin - Peghead Nation Joe K. Walsh demonstrates using Shubb’s yoke-style capo on a Northfield octave mandolin.
In this new Octave Mandolin lesson on Peghead Nation, Joe K. Walsh teaches "Peartree." This sweet tune is generally credited to fiddler Gaither Carlton, who was Doc Watson’s father-in-law. There are lovely recordings by Doc Watson, Billy Strings, and others. The tune is in the key of G and has a standard AABB format. Check out "Peartree" and subscribe for new lessons and tunes every month!
https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/courses/octave-mandolin
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