We’re Underway!
A fun moment from our bodhran class.
Comhaltas Oslo classes have begun at Majorstuen Skole. We wish to thank all of the students who have bravely stepped up to learn Irish trad and have a good bit of craic! Last week we kicked off our instrumental classes in tin whistle, bodhran, and guitar as well as our Céilí Band/Session class. This week, we’ll have our first Grúpa ceoil class. The instrument classes take place each week whereas the Céilí Band/Session class meets for two hours on odd-week Mondays and the Grúpa ceoil class on even week Mondays. The Céilí Band/Session class helps students learn how to play for Céilí dances as well as play tune sets in Irish sessions. Students learn to play tune sets of 3 or more tunes tightly in unison at high tempos. The Grúpa ceoil class is conversely all about arrangements. Students learn to play four different types of tunes (reels, jigs, marches, etc) in arranged sets that include melodic harmonies, instruments dropping in and out, and varied rhythms. Both Céilí Band and Grúpa ceoil also exist as competition in the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, an annual international music festival and competition in Ireland. With enough training and practice, international groups can compete in Ireland. The main goal of both group classes is to become great trad musicians. If you feel comfortable playing basic tunes on your instrument, consider joining one of the group classes (it’s not too late!) If you are a beginner, you can train in one of the individual instrument classes. We also plan to offer a multi-instrument group class for beginners next semester, so whatever instrument you are learning on, you will be able to participate and learn to play with others.
Brendan teaching with his simple note system.
For those that are still considering classes, you are most welcome. Just send us an email at oslo@comhaltas.net or signup here . Our primary instructor, Brendan Monaghan from Banbridge, County Down, is teaching traditional tunes to students by ear and with the help of his handy notation system, where he writes all the note letters on the board. So whether you prefer learning by ear or following a simple notation system, you can learn in a fun, comfortable way in class. When it comes to rhythm and chord accompaniment, Brendan teaches all the standard drum and guitar rhythms that you need to accompany Irish tunes in sessions at the pub and hopefully at some point up on stage.
This is the inauguration of the Comhaltas Oslo blog, where we will talk shop about learning and practicing Irish music and folk music overall. We’ll be talking about the lifelong process of making yourself a great musician with posts about how to practice, how to participate at sessions, noteworthy going-ons in the international Irish trad community, and much more. We plan to have interviews with trad musicians of all levels as well, so that you can get a feel for what it’s like to play and tap someone else’s shoes.
If you have any topics you’d like us to write about, or if you’re interested in submitting a guest post, just shoot us an email at oslo@comhaltas.net .
Happy music-making!
—Andy Likuski