A range of video tutorial bundles are now available on Etsy. These are designed for people who do not read music, or prefer not to, and who like to learn at their own pace at home.
The first video tuition series, ‘Traditional Irish Music for Harp & Lyre’ is based on my book, ‘Traditional Irish Music for Small Harps and Lyres: Music for 16 Strings.‘ It is designed for those just starting out on their harp journey on small harps or lyres. It is also suitable for players who don’t read music, or who prefer not to. Indeed, at Causeway Harp School, we don’t use sheet music. Rather, we learn a tune by listening first, then breaking it down phrase by phrase, hands separately and commit it to memory. This enables us to play with spontaneity and style, once we get to grips with the basic tune.
This video tutorial bundle contains 10 tunes. Each tune is broken down into a right hand video, left hand video, a hands together video and a sound file of the complete tune. ABC notation is also included. My pupils find this to be a really useful learning aid when it comes to trying to put hands together. It acts as a guide/ an aide mémoire, rather than being adhered to exactly. Based on learners aiming to master one tune per week (which mirrors my in-person lessons), this is a 10 week series. However, having all the videos in a bundle like this means you are free to work at your own pace.
The second series, ‘Music of the Celtic Lands: Video Tutorials for Harp‘ is a series for the early intermediate player (although a more advanced player can take the arrangements and build on them). There are 6 tunes in total: 3 Scottish and 3 Irish. They are broken down in a similar way, with 18 videos, 6 pdfs with ABC notation and 6 audio files. A version of this tutorial bundle for smaller harps (22-29 strings) is also available on Etsy.
The third series, ‘Music of the Irish Harpers: Video Tutorials for Harp’, is based on the music of seventeenth century harper and composer, Turlough O’Carolan. This music is intrinsic to our 1000 year old Irish harp tradition. The music blends elements of ancient Gaelic song with a classical style that was fashionable with patrons of the period. Music of the Irish Harpers is a series for the early intermediate player (although a more advanced player can take the arrangements and build on them). It includes six of our favourite O’Carolan tunes at Causeway Harp School. They are broken down in a similar way, with 18 videos, 6 pdfs with ABC notation and 6 audio files. A 26 string version of this tutorial bundle is also available on Etsy.
Causeway Harp School 