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  • €267 or 3 monthly payments of €89

Harp & Song: For Beginner Harpers

  • Course
  • 39 Lessons

*For beginner harpers*
Intermediate harpers and above can click here.

This 10 week course is for you if you’ve always wanted to sing with the harp but haven’t known where to start. This is also the right course for you if you’re starting the harp from the very beginning or have a very limited grasp on how to play.  You will learn the harp from scratch, learn some simple but beautiful tunes and how to accompany yourself *by ear* on the harp through folk music and Irish Traditional music. You’ll also learn some basic theory to give you the tools you need to begin accompanying the songs you love the most!


-10 weeks of lessons (on average 37 minutes of lessons per week)

-Access to our private Facebook group where you can ask questions and keep in touch with me and other course members

-Replay the video content as much as you like - *content is released gradually each week over 10 weeks*

-Learn by ear with weekly downloadable PDF's and audio files to help you to recap

-Gather the tools you need to begin singing and playing with the harp in a fun and creative way!

-Learn from a relaxed and encouraging teacher with 2 decades of harping experience and a love of sharing the magic of the harp

-Choose a much more cost effective option than one-to-one lessons


Enroll Now

What's Included

Week one:
  • Harp Basics: Getting to Know Your Harp
  • Scales Exercises
  • 2nd finger exercises

Week two:
  • The Fairy Ring ♫
  • Introducing 3rds and 5ths
  • Placing Exercise

Week three:
  • Chimes ♫
  • Introduction to Triads

Week four:
  • What are Chord Progressions? 
  • Chord Progression & Scale Exercise

Week five:
  • 5ths Placing Exercise
  • First Song! - Song to the Siren ♫

Week six:
  • Down by the Willow Garden ♫
  • Crossing Under and Over Exercise

Week seven:
  • Minor Chord Progression Exercise
  • The Moorlough Shore ♫

Week eight:
  • Introducing Intro and Instrumental: Scarborough Fair  ♫

Week nine:
  • Exploring the Key of G
  • Playing Chord Progressions in this New Key

Week ten:
  • Accompanying the Songs You Want to Sing 
  • Putting What We’ve Learned into Practice: Raglan Road ♫


Testimonials:

"I'm so happy with this course. I love singing and now I learn how to sing and play harp at the same time. The exercises and songs really help me to improve my techniques on the harp and to understand how song accompaniment really works. ☺️  Thanks, Aisling."

Claudia - Germany

“Aisling's web based  beginner programme is excellent, and I believe is perfect for anyone who wishes to learn  to play the harp with little or no prior experience. 
Her online presence is optimized to promote all aspects of the educational experience with step by step videos of arrangements, as well as beautiful artwork and graphics." 

Tara - New Zealand

"Absolutely amazing and very creative. The videos are short and on point, everything we need to know in small heaps, making it easier to find again later when we need a refresher"

Helena - Germany

" If you have any fears or hesitation about learning the harp, I want you to know that it is absolutely doable for you, whatever age you are and regardless of if you have any prior musical knowledge. I will guide you, step by step, with each week building on the last. 

I have been singing since I was a little girl. I listened to my Mum sing and harmonise with albums at home and this planted the seed of my love of song and harmony. I started learning the harp when I was 9 and when I started to combine singing with the harp, it opened up a whole new world for me. I started with singing Irish traditional songs with the harp and then, over time, began to also sing songs from many other genres. That's the great thing about the harp, it's so versatile.

Singing with the harp is a wonderful and joyful thing and, once you have the basics, it really doesn't take much before you can play some basic tunes and chords and begin to experience the wonders of singing with the harp.

I hope this will be a place where you can explore the magic of singing with the harp, delve further into your creativity and become a versatile and joyful harper. "

After this course, you will be able to:


- Understand how to play the harp - both simple tunes and chords
- Play with good hand technique
- Accompany yourself singing 5 folk songs
- Understand what is required to create a harp accompaniment, allowing you to begin accompanying your favourite songs
- Gain the tools you need to play with freedom, curiosity and creativity

Frequently asked questions

Is this course right for me?

This course is for you if you’ve always wanted to sing with the harp but haven’t known where to start. This is also the right course for you if you’re starting the harp from the very beginning or have a very limited grasp on how to play. You will learn some simple tunes and how to accompany yourself on the harp through folk music and Irish Traditional music. You’ll also learn some basic theory to give you the tools you need to go forward and accompany the songs you love the most!

What kind of harp do I need?

You will need a lever harp with anywhere from 26 strings to 36 or even more. *You will need at least F levers.* If you can get a harp with all the levers, that's even better. I play a 34 string lever harp by the company 'Dusty Strings.' You can find more harps here. Lap harps and pedal harps will also work just fine (just as long as you have at least 26 strings and at least F levers)! Feel free to contact me if you have any queries about selecting a harp!

How much time do I need to dedicate to this course?

The course will run over 10 weeks. You will gain instant access to week one once you have enrolled. Then you will wait a week before gaining access to week 2 and so on. The lessons will vary from 30 to 45 minutes a week and if you can give a couple of hours of practice time outside of that per week, that would be great! The course will guide you, step-by-step in learning how to play the harp and accompany songs, each week building on the last. The content is released gradually each week to encourage you to take your time with each section. Take your time and enjoy the journey!

Does this course teach singing technique?

No, this course only goes into the theory side of learning the harp. We will, however, explore practical ways to approach singing and playing at the same time.

Do you teach using notation?

No, staying true to the Traditional Irish way of learning, I teach solely 'by ear' or without notation. The Irish tradition is an oral tradition, where you learn songs and stories by ear. These would often have been passed down from generation to generation. Growing up, I learned music by both methods and always enjoyed learning by ear much more. It really gets the music into your bones, gives you a great ear, trains your relative pitch and memory as well as letting you focus on injecting feel and emotion into your music.  You will be able to download helpful PDF's and audio files each week to help you to remember the songs, theory and exercises.

How big a vocal range do I need to sing these songs?

I've tried to not pitch these songs too high or too low to allow for the maximum amount of people to be able to sing these songs comfortably. There is a range of 11 notes throughout all of the songs. For me, it goes from my lowest G note to the C 10 notes above that.

How long will I have access to the course material?

Forever!

Do you offer refunds, if I decide the course isn't for me?

Yes, absolutely. We offer a 14 day full refund if you decide it's not the right course for you.
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Any other queries?

Feel free to contact me at theschoolofharp@gmail.com