The ancient musical and poetic arts of Britain and Ireland were living oral traditions, thriving when they were communicated one-to-one from master to student, shared person-to-person between artists, and presented, live and intimate, to patrons and connoiseurs. These old traditions did not need or use books, written notation, or recording and playback machinery!

Now we can harness the power of the internet and modern technology to rediscover these ancient practices, especially in the teaching and sharing of the historical music traditions.

For people who don't have an early harp teacher near them, I have been offering since summer 2008 online video lessons. The format (and cost) is the same as lessons in person in St Andrews: one-to-one meeting, suggested one hour once a week.

We are using the Skype videoconferencing system. You will also need a broadband internet connection, and a webcam camera and a microphone.

You can use the built in camera and microphone that are fitted into many computers, but quality can vary. I am using a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 all-in-one camera & microphone unit which seems to give very good sound and image quality.

If you would like info or advice, please email or call for details. For indication of my clarsach / Irish harp curriculum please look at my online tutor pages.

The ancient harp traditions of Ireland and Scotland are extensive and complex. There is a lot of lore and tradition. I enjoy teaching all aspects of the tradition, not just playing techniques but also theoretical and aesthetic principles, or history and anecdotes. Whether you wish to play, or just to listen and find out more about the tradition; whether you are interested in working through playing techniques, singing through new repertory, discussing how the oral traditions are preserved in manuscripts, or discovering other ancient native traditions such as lyre, then I would be happy to hear from you.

Also, you may be interested in visiting St Andrews for lessons or just to see and hear early Gaelic harp music. Click here for more information on visiting St Andrews.

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Simon Chadwick, St Andrews, Fife. Return to Index page.
Last updated May 10