- 18 lessons teaching how to play 7 very popular Irish tunes.
- Progress at your own pace, pause & repeat videos.
- Access on all your devices.
- PDF sheet music & mp3’s to download & keep for each tune.
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BONUS:
- Access our Entire Course Catalogue for Every Instrument.
- Library of over 150 popular Irish tunes to practice along with.
- Virtual Reality Sessions for the unique Irish Pub Session experience – a real treat for the Irish music lover.
- Community Forum of students and teachers, all friends with a love of Irish music.
The harp tradition in Ireland is a very ancient one dating back to medieval times when the harpist was held in high regard and played to entertain nobility. It’s imprint on the Irish psyche was so great that the image of the harp is one of the national symbols of the country, for example the harp is on all Irish euro coins, not to mention the symbol of a very popular ‘pint of plain’. The harp, or Celtic Harp as it is more commonly known in North America, seems to have experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent decades, perhaps with its use in New Age relaxation music. Whatever the reason, we welcome the return of the harp to its rightful throne as an original Irish traditional music instrument and encourage those who love its sound to consider learning how to play it, keeping its rich tradition alive, wherever you are in the world. And what better place to start than with this step-by-step beginners course.
By the end of this 18 lesson course you will have a repertoire of seven popular Irish session tunes and a great foundation on which to develop your playing in progressive courses.
Course Structure
This course is a fantasic choice for both the beginner harpist and the intermediate harpist who wishes to brush up on the basics. The first six lessons focus on the basics; how to tune the harp, using the blades, correct finger positioning and scales, and a couple of simple tunes. The right hand melody is taught separately to the left hand accompaniment giving the student the choice to play these parts separately, or work in time to putting them both together.
Here are the popular Irish traditional tunes that are taught in this course:
Liscannor Lilt
Brian Boru’s March
The Rocky Road To Dublin
The Little Diamond
Planxty Irwin
My Lagan Love
Mother And Child Reel
Sheet Music and Mp3s available to Download for each Tune
Sample Sheet Music
Download The Rocky Road to Dublin ABC Sheet Music.
Download he Rocky Road to Dublin Standard Notation Sheet Music.
Sample mp3 of The Rocky Road to Dublin
Recommended Harp for Beginners
It is recommended to rent a harp for starting off, before you decide to invest in a harp. Type of Lever Harp to use: 22, 29 or 34 strings all good to learn on. Lisa’s advice is if you’re going for a 29 string you might as well get the 34.
Advice Starting Out with the Harp
Enjoy the journey, the process of learning, and don’t be too focused on the end goal, be patient. The tutor is an expert in teaching harp technique so don’t progress, or skip past any lesson without first mastering it as each lesson builds on the previous one. Listen, watch and play along. Pause and rewind the video until you are happy you have mastered each section. Training your ear to the keys is just as important as training your hands in playing the notes.
Your Tutor
Lisa Canny is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer hailing from Co. Mayo. At five, she began learning tenor banjo, by ten, the harp and piano. She went on to win 7 All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil titles throughout her competing years, including the Senior Harp title. In her capacity as teacher, 9 of her students have also won All-Ireland medals. She holds a first class honours degree in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick and has a first class honours Masters degree in Ethnomusicology from the University College Cork. Read more.Detailed questions and discussion on the course can be found in the Community Forum, available to paying members only.
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