Irish Piano Foundations - Melody & Accompaniment
Irish Piano Foundations is a course aimed at the player who can already play the piano but who wishes to learn or improve on the primary foundations of playing and accompanying Irish music on the piano. These foundations include:
· Right hand melody - Ornamentation, Fingering, Variation and Rhythm· Left Hand Accompaniment - Chord progression, Rhythm and Voicing
The course consists of twelve lessons featuring nine tunes with right hand melody and left hand accompaniment. Piano accompaniment is also taught for four of these tunes. Most of the tunes taught in this course are well known allowing the piano player to easily join other musicians to develop their playing even further. In each melody lesson, after teaching the melody phrase by phrase, Stephen demonstrates how to incorporate ornamentation and various other techniques taught per lesson into the tune. In the accompaniment lessons, Stephen will go through chord selection as well as rhythm, progression and voicing.
'Hole in the Hedge'
In this introductory lesson to the course 'Irish Piano Foundations - Melody and Accompaniment', Stephen teaches the jig 'The Hole in the Hedge', in the key of C major.
In this lesson Stephen will teach the tune 'Jim Ward's Jig' in the key of G major. He will teach the right hand melody phrase by phrase before proceeding to demonstrate the left hand accompaniment.
The reel 'Drag her around the Bend' will be taught in this lesson. This is a common session tune. The first part is in E minor and the second part is in G major. Stephen will take a close look at how to create rhythm in the left hand accompaniment. He will teach the right hand melody phrase by phrase before proceeding to demonstrate the left hand accompaniment.
This is the first accompaniment tutorial of this course. In it, Stephen will take a closer look at the tune 'Drag Her Around the Bend' and will explore different voicing and chords to be used for this tune.
In this lesson the jig 'The Battering Ram' will be taught with focus on grace-notes. The tune is in G major. Stephen will teach the right hand melody phrase by phrase before proceeding to demonstrate the left hand accompaniment.
This lesson will focus solely on the accompaniment for the jig'The Battering Ram' that was taught in the previous lesson.
'The Kerry Fling' is the tune featured in this lesson. This 4/4 tune in A major can be played as a hornpipe or as a fling. Stephen will demonstrates how to vary the rhythmic accompaniment of this tune by alternating between sustained chords and broken chordal rhythms.
This lesson will focus solely on the accompaniment for the 'The Kerry Fling' that was taught in the previous lesson.
In this lesson, Stephen will teach the reel 'The Baltimore Salute' in the key of G major. He will pay particular attention to the staccato triplet in the right hand melody of this tune.
Stephen will teach the slow air 'Bruach na Carraige Baine' in this lesson.
In this lesson, Stephen will teach the jig 'The Spotted Dog' in the key of A major. He will focus on using sustained chords in the left hand accompaniment as well as the broken chordal rhythms that have featured prominently in this course.
This lesson will focus solely on the accompaniment for the jig 'The Spotted Dog' that was taught in the previous lesson.
'Donald Blue' is the reel taught in this final lesson of the course. Stephen introduces syncopation into the left hand accompaniment of this tune as a variation to the broken chordal rhythms and sustained chords he has focused on previously. It is in the key of D major.
- The Hole in the Hedge
- Jim Ward's
- Drag Her Around the Bend
- The Battering Ram
- The Kerry Fling
- Baltimore Salute
- Bruach Na Carraige Baine
- The Spotted Dog
- Donald Blue
Tutor Info
Stephen Markham
Stephen is from Ennis, Co. Clare, a known hotbed of Irish traditional music. As both a melody piano player and accompanist, he completed his academy grades in classical music while being heavily influenced by Irish traditional music and Cape Breton piano accompaniment. Stephen has won All-Ireland titles in piano accompaniment at both u18 and senior level and has considerable experience in private tuition as well as group workshops and Fleadh Cheoil adjudication. Following his graduation from a degree in Law and European Studies, Stephen commenced a Masters in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, which he completed with first class honours and has since returned as a tutor...[Read More]
