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Florida Harpers and Friends
with
Northeast Florida Scottish Games
present

A Harpers Gathering
February 24-25, 2007

Sunday Workshops & Members Meeting

• Getting the Most Out of a Melody (Castlebay)
• Playing the Harp with Other Instruments (Castlebay)
• Harp Technique Tune-up for Self-Taught Harpers (Nancy Bick Clark)
• Medieval Harp Tunes (Nancy Bick Clark)
• Bodhran Instruction (Frank Clark)

Registration through Florida Harpers and Friends
Registration Form

Saturday at the Games
Latest Schedule

• Beginner Harp Circle with Kathy Pearce
• Harp Competition SHSA Sanctioned
  (See www.neflgames.com and www.shsa.org for rules)
• Bodhran Instruction with Frank Clark
• Beginner/Intermediate Harp Circle with Nancy Bick Clark
• Mini Concert: Nancy Bick Clark & Frank Clark
  The Scottish Harp & Bodhran
• Mini Concert: Fred Gospee and Julia Lane, Castlebay
  The Scottish Ballad

Purchase tickets and Competition Registration at
www.neflgames.com

Getting the Most Out of a Melody
(Castlebay)

Much of the old traditional music has come down to us in the form of melody only. It must be remembered that these tunes were part of an expressive, storytelling culture. In this workshop we will explore techniques for "getting inside" the music, and become more expressive in our interpretation. Not restricted to traditional / Celtic music. Basic music theory helpful. Participants should bring a tune to work on. Both readers and ear-players welcome.

Harp Technique Tune-up
for Self-Taught Harpers
(Nancy Bick Clark)

Learn good foundations of harp technique. Warm-up exercises and tunes will be introduced that encourage good hand positions, finger closure, maximum thumb movement, arm movement, finger placement, sitting positions and more. Participants will learn more about tone control, phrasing, playing with clean accuracy, and how to relax between each phrase to avoid muscle tension. Those who have recently purchased a harp are also invited to attend. Tuning is the key of C.

Playing the Harp with Other Instruments (Castlebay)

We will show arrangement techniques for playing the harp with both chordal and melody instruments. Participants will be encouraged to implement and experiment with these techniques as we build an arrangement that allows the harp to share the spotlight. Workshop is open to harps and other instruments, participants should be familiar with the workshop tunes; a basic knowledge of music theory is helpful. Specific tunes will be provided to participants before the workshop.

Medieval Harp Tunes (Nancy Bick Clark)

Come explore music from the medieval period to add to your repertoire. The rhythmic catchy melodies and drone chords make it relatively easy to learn by ear or off the page. The ringing harp strings enhance the medieval melodies. There will be time to learn several tunes and play together. All levels are welcome. Beginners invited to join in with either the chords or the melody part.

Saturday Scottish Harp Competition

SHSA Sanctioned
See www.shsa.org for rules
See www.neflgames.com for registration information

Castlebay: Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee

Julia Lane is an internationally recognized folk harper who has lead workshops on many aspects of music performance and the folk harp. She has presented workshops at Somerset Folk Harp Festival and for harp organizations throughout NewEngland and in California.
Fred Gosbee is a multi-instrumentalist who often devises variations and second parts in his work with Julia Lane in their duo, Castlebay. A skilled musician, he has investigated the techniques used in Elizabethan lute music, Baroque music and Irish flute music.
As Castlebay, Julia and Fred have developed a rich and unique style within the Celtic genre. Their presentations of song and story have been described as "stunning " and "magical". They have recorded over two dozen albums and regularly tour the east coast of the U.S. and the UK playing at arts centers, museums and schools.

Nancy Bick Clark

Nancy has been performing, teaching, composing, recording, and judging for over 15 years. In 2003, she performed with the Chieftains at Riverbend in Cincinnati and HarpCon. Her five CD’s contain many of her compositions, and selections of her work have aired on Thistle and Shamrock.
Nancy has taught workshops at HarpCon, the Northeast Florida Highland Games, Folk Traditions Store in Savannah, the American Harp Society conference, the Jan Pennington Gray Memorial Harp Camp, the Ohio Scottish Arts School at Oberlin, the Gaelic College in Cape Breton, and many other harp and dulcimer festivals throughout the midwest and southeastern U.S.
“Nancy takes the student where they are, helps them figure out where they want to go, and helps them to get there.” - Jennifer & Kaylaya Crutcher - Cincinnati, OH