Learn Traditional Irish Fiddle with Doireann Ní Ghlacáin | Beginner 1

This free online Irish fiddle course is designed to help the beginner develop the essential skills needed to play one of Irish traditional music’s most popular instruments. There are specific sounds and techniques that distinguish Celtic fiddle playing from the violin, beginning with the way the instrument and bow are held and continuing through to the distinctive ornamentations that colour Irish folk music. It’s a difficult instrument to master without expert tuition. In this course, professional performer Doireann Ní Ghlacáin covers the basics that any beginner fiddle player needs to know, including holding the instrument correctly, which is fundamental to becoming a proficient player, as well as tuning the strings and becoming familiar with the notes. Through a series of short, easy-to-follow videos, she will introduce you to the basic techniques needed to play the notes clearly and tunefully and to move the bow across the strings for a fuller sound.

Having learned a nursery rhyme to practise bowing across the strings, you will soon have the opportunity to learn your first Irish tune, 'The Kerry Polka'. Doireann breaks the tune down into small sections for ease of learning. While the notes are provided in a downloadable PDF from the resource section of the course, she encourages learners to play by ear. Once that milestone first tune has been mastered, the fiddle lessons proceed to another popular polka, 'The Britches Full of Stitches'. Again, Doireann breaks the tune down into segments and in learning the second part, you will be introduced to playing in the higher octave, on the E string. In most Irish music, the first part of the song is played on the lower notes while the second part is on the higher octave and Doireann devotes a lesson to mastering the E string finger positions. The final tune you will learn in this Beginners’ course is 'Shoe The Donkey', which is associated with the mazurka style of dance, a favourite in the north-west of Ireland and specifically, County Donegal.

If you’ve always wanted to learn to play an iconic Irish instrument, this free online fiddle guide provides the perfect foundation. You will be learning from a professional musician based in Clare and Galway, the cultural hub of the vibrant west of Ireland. A recording artist and performer who has toured internationally, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin also presents live coverage of Irish music programmes for the national Irish language TV station TG4. Not only is she an accomplished musician in her own right but Doireann also comes from a famously musical family, with a long line of fiddle players on her paternal side. On her maternal side, her grandfather was the composer Seán Ó Riada who is widely hailed as instigating the revival of the traditional Irish music scene of the 20th century which continues today. By completing this course, you can learn those all-important techniques that are fundamental to developing as a fiddle player. You can also gain certification by passing the end-of-course assessment. You may wish to progress to the next course in this series, Traditional Irish Fiddle, Beginner 2, where you will learn new tunes and some of the secrets of ornamentation. The series concludes with Traditional Irish Fiddle, Intermediate Level, for those who have mastered the basics. Throughout the three courses, you will be learning tunes that are widely played at 'seisiúns' (music sessions) and dances across Ireland and anywhere the vast Irish diaspora gathers. Begin the course, practise what you’ve learned, and who knows where your new-found skills may take you!