Ports (Puirt) attributed to Ruaraidh Dall (Supair Thighear Leoid, Port Atholl, Da Mihi Manum, Is Eagal Leam am Bàs, Port Gordon).  Working with sources, transcribing, arranging, fingering.

Ports (Puirt) from the Scottish MacLean-Clephane manuscript. Working with the source, transcribing, arranging, fingering, style.

Airs by Fingal from John Bowie’s 1789 Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances: transcribing, arranging, fingering, style.

The Next Step: for beginning / intermediate players – posture, exercises for finger strength, speed and rhythm, tips on how to tune the harp!

Working With Medieval Manuscripts: Irish & Scottish medieval plainchant for harp (and voice): chants for St. Bridget, St. Patrick and St. Colmcille from medieval Irish and Scottish sources). Reading neumes, transcribing & arranging, fingering, also practical help for plainchant with the harp.

Working From Archive Fiddle Recordings (Denis Murphy & Padraig O’Keefe):  the O’Neill and O’Donnell Laments and more – transcribing, arranging, fingering

Edward Bunting & The Ancient Music of Ireland: working with manuscript sources, transcribing, arranging – especially working with bass hand, fingering, techniques for practicing.  Could focus on specific Irish harpers: Hugh Higgins, the Connellan brothers, and Denis O’Hampsey.  Special possibility of working with the Cornelius Lyons variation sets on Irish tunes as played by Denis O’Hampsey: Eibhlín a Rún, A Chailíní, a bhfaca sibh Seoirse? and Lady of the Desert. (Latter two by Cornelius Lyons)

The Music of Turlough Carolan: working with sources, transcribing, arranging in this beautiful blend of early Irish and baroque style, fingering, techniques for practicing.

Singing in Scottish Gaelic: working with the sounds and rhythms of the language, practicing with texts from historic Gaelic songs and applying these to their tunes. Including Songs of Mary MacLeod: Fuaigheall, Cumha Iain Garbh; Medieval songs: A Mhairead Òg, King Orfeo (Child Ballad in Scots & Norn), Medieval Fenian Lays: Laoidh Fhraoich in forms collected by both Tolmie & Matheson. Songs of Sileas na Ceapaich inc. Alasdair a Gleanna Garadh.

Singing in Scottish Gaelic at the Harp: Sources, transcribing, using rhythms of the language to help arrange for the harp, techniques to help integrate self-accompaniment with the clarsach.  Repertoire as above.

Please contact James through his website: www.jamesrufftenorharper.com