Harp & Song: Creative Chords and Rhythms for Intermediate Harpers

€267 or 3 monthly payments of €89

Harp & Song: Creative Chords and Rhythms for Intermediate Harpers

Course
49 Lessons

*For intermediate harpers and above*
Beginner harpers can click here.

This 10 week course is for you if you love to sing with the harp, maybe you have been playing for a few years now, but you are stuck playing just triads and arpeggios and you don't know how to move beyond that. This course will show you new colourful chord patterns and get you playing new rhythms and harmonies in a fun, relaxed and creative way.
This course is also for you if you want to be able to play with other musicians and gain the confidence to accompany songs, jam and improvise with others. These 10 weeks will really expand your playing and bring much more versatility into your harping.
You'll learn *by ear* and take a deep dive into chord theory, gaining a solid understanding of the world of chords, rhythm and harmony. We'll also learn some of my favourite folk songs, Traditional Irish and Scottish songs, a mantra and touch on commonly used chord patterns from popular music such as folk, jazz, reggae and blues.
This course is a great option for songwriters/music therapists/harp lovers who want to accompany songs with the harp, find freedom in their relationship with chords and harmony, and become comfortable playing or jamming with other musicians. Here, you will learn the rules so you can start to break them! :)

-10 weeks of lessons (on average 35 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, *new content is released gradually each week over the 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 playing interesting chords and vibrant rhythmic patterns 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

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What's Included

Week one:

Modes and Chord Types
Tuning Your Harp to Eb
Accompaniment Basics

Week two:

Chord Numbering: A Refresher
Introducing Relative Minors
Exploring Inversions

Week three:

Creating Suspension: Changing Up Your Bass Notes
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn ♫
Arpeggio Inversions Exercise

Week four:

Strengthening the Left Hand
Playing with Shapes: Black Is the Colour ♫
Moving Outside of Our Triads: Add, Sus Chords and 7th’s

Week five:

Selkie Song: A Sealwoman's Sea Joy ♫
Arpeggio Exercise

Week six:

Structuring Arrangements: Creating Contrast
Pattern Variations Within a Song: Ra Ma Da Sa ♫

Week seven:

Useful Popular Music Chord Patterns - jazz/folk/reggae/blues ♫
Playing Chords Outside of Your Key

Week eight:

Polyrhythms and Fire Patterns ♫
Strengthening Your Ear: Relative Pitch Exercise

Week nine:

Lay My Heart (Rachel Sermanni) ♫

Week ten:

Changing Things Up: Substituting Chords
Chord Progression Arpeggio Inversions Exercise
Creating Your Own Style & Applying What We've Learned To Your Own Songs

Testimonials

"Aisling Urwin is not only one of the most talented and inspiring harpists I know - she is also a wonderful teacher.

This course gives you the opportunity to learn song accompaniments at your own pace. Beginning with basics such like chord types & modes, she teaches you step by step how to find rich accompaniments for your songs and to be playful and curious about new harmonies and patterns.

For me Aisling‘s teachings are really inspiring and helpful to relax and come into a flow-state of being while playing my harp."

Sarah, Austria

"A comprehensive course, covering chord theory in detail along with an eclectic mix of song choices, styles, techniques and variations.

The lessons build incrementally from week one to ten and get more challenging as the weeks progress, which is great. There is a definite sense of accomplishment as you work through the course.

As for the song arrangements, they are simply stunning and it is a delight to learn and play them."

Patrese, Ireland

"I first learned about chords through listening. I listened to my Dad play the bouzouki in Irish Trad sessions and, in this way, absorbed patterns and commonly used chord progressions. It was a wonderful foundation in improvisation and relative pitch training, two integral elements involved in a very free and intuitive approach to chords and harp accompaniment. I started, little by little, to play in these sessions and learned by trial and error what chords sound best with certain melodies.
Later, I learned the theory behind chords and creating harmonies, rhythms and harp accompaniments. I think this combination of having learned through osmosis, followed by formal theory training has brought me to a place where accompanying feels very natural, free, creative and enjoyable. A chance to add your own stamp to a tune or song, to add your own particular harmonic flavour.

This course will expand your own world of harmony and allow you to tune into your innate musical intuition, enabling you to accompany songs and tunes with more freedom and find new chords, harmonies and rhythms that you love."

After this course, you will be able to:

- Understand what is required to create a harp accompaniment, allowing you to accompany your favourite songs
- Gain a much deeper understanding of the world of chords and harmony, both from a theory-based and intuitive-based approach
- Understand how to begin to play and jam with other musicians and strengthen your musical ear and understanding of chord progressions
- Play with good hand technique
- Accompany yourself singing 5 songs, each song with different kinds of chords, harmonies, rhythms and structure
- Play chordal patterns from multiple genres
- Understand how to create more elaborate rhythms and harmonies within your chordal patterns
- Understand how to apply what we've learned to your own songs and tunes
- Gain the tools you need to play with freedom, curiosity, creativity and flow

Frequently asked questions

Is this course right for me?

This course is for you if you’ve been playing the harp for a few years and you feel stuck in your comfort zone when it comes to chords and song accompaniment. Maybe you play triads and arpeggios a lot and you're not sure how to move beyond that.
This is also the right course for you if you're not afraid to take a deep dive into chord theory and gain the tools to be able to really branch out, finding new chords, harmonies and rhythms and gain a confidence in your ability to jam, accompany and improvise with others.
You will learn some of my favourite folk songs, several handy exercises, polyrhythms and some useful patterns used in popular music. A big part of the idea behind this course is you will be able to take what you learn here and apply it to the songs you love the most, giving you freedom to delve further into your creativity!

What kind of harp do I need?

*You will need a full set of levers.* I play a 34 string lever harp by the company 'Dusty Strings.' You can find more harps here. Smaller harps (at least 26 strings) will work for this course and I will show versions of the arrangements for smaller and larger harps.
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 20 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 more interesting chords and patterns, 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.

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 of 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