I base my teachings within the Scottish tradition and develop musical ideas incorporating rhythmic accompaniment and improvisation.
The morning session begins with an extended warmup. Using different exercises I focus on hand and thumb position, placement, and sound quality. Further exercises develop rhythmic stability, syncopation, and sense of time.
New tunes are introduced at the beginning of each session. I teach by the traditional aural method, offering sheet music at the end of the session. After introducing the basic melody, I explore ornamentation and stylistic techniques. Arrangement ideas follow. We will talk about harmony and how to arrange traditional material in a tasteful way that will breathe new life into each piece. We will also explore some improvisational ideas for intros, outros, accompaniment and variation.
I try to suit the the desires of the participants and am open to suggestions for material or techniques to include. In the past we have worked on harmony singing, harp ensemble arrangements, and song accompaniment.
My goal is to help harpists develop playing that is more fluid, light, and stylistically accurate.
Harp in the Hills is a unique and inspiring musical experience in a beautiful and relaxed setting.
The open and warm atmosphere is hard to beat. Harpists of all levels will take something away from this gem of a week.
PS - A limited number of private lessons with Maeve can be arranged during the workshop, at additional cost.
