A central tenet of Causeway Harp School is to make learning the harp more accessible. Sadly, the cost of purchasing a harp is often a major barrier to learning. However, with smaller harps and lyres becoming more widely available and affordable, learning the harp is within the reach of many more people.
A few years back, a good friend dropped me round a small lyre she had recently bought and I was enthralled! The strings ring out like bells and sound remarkably like the ancient Irish wire strung harps. It has 16 strings, just like my small harps, but required much less work to play. It is small, light and portable (which is like a dream when you carry a heavy harp everyday for a living!) and much more affordable than a harp… what’s not to like?!
I have really enjoyed arranging some of my favourite traditional Irish tunes for both small harps and lyres. It is my hope that this book will help open up the joy and beauty of playing harp to many more people.
Each tune may be played on either a 16 string lyre or small harp, tuned to C Major. I have included two arrangements of each tune, one for lyre and one for harp. They are of course interchangeable on either instrument, but the lyre version is somewhat simpler in style.
I have included Irish traditional tunes of different types to suit the late beginner player.
These are tunes that I play and teach myself at Causeway Harp School. I find that they are enjoyable and accessible to late beginner players and they sound delightful on these charming little instruments.
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Causeway Harp School 