'Groundbreaking new resource' to help traditional musicians read music developed by Buncrana's Dr Liz Doherty – Derry Journal

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However, in a bid to help and support other traditional musicians, the Buncrana fiddle player, who has played a hugely significant role in developing traditional music, has designed a groundbreaking new resource called ‘Read Music the Trad Way.’
The resource was developed to empower traditional musicians, who primarily play by ear, to read written music manuscripts for the first time.
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It has received glowing endorsements from some of Ireland‚s best-known and well-established traditional musicians, including Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Bill Whelan and Martin Hayes.
Speaking to the Journal, Liz said that ability for traditional musicians to read music opens up a whole new repertoire of music and collections for discovery.
Liz worked as a lecturer for many years before setting up her own teaching company called ‘I Teach Trad.’
„This helps musicians how to teach, as being a musician and a teacher are two very different things.
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„Having worked in education for 30 years, it was very clear to me that there was a big gap there for musicians who teach. So many people are looking for lessons and teaching has never been busier. As part of that, a lot of teachers would ask about reading music.”
Liz said this was something she, as a traditional musician, was previously ‘terrified of.’
„I felt it was too complicated. I learned it in school and in piano lessons, but I never learned how to do it fluently. It felt like a literature exercise.
„I wanted to find a way to learn the language, in a way that made sense for what I needed. Learning through classical music always felt like a massive endeavour and without an instrument in hand it felt, to me, like learning to swim by reading a book. I really struggled with it.”
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Liz recalled how, when she was doing her entrance test for university in Cork, she played a piano piece ‘by ear’.
„When I was finished, the lecturer who was examining me came over and turned my book the right way up. I had played it by ear and was totally caught off guard. I suppose I had that fear and ‘imposter syndrome’ around it.”
However, she was determined to ‘master this skill’ and therefore ‘went at it as a traditional musician’.
„It fell into place and I remember wishing that someone had told me this way of doing it, as it made so much sense. I always thought that I’d love to ‘bottle’ it for traditional musicians, so that no-one would have to endure the years of fear that I had.”
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During the Covid 19 lockdown, Liz decided to develop this way of learning as a resource for others and is now officially launching ‘Read Music the Trad Way’.
“It’s really simple. There are four steps to doing it, all done with traditional musicians in mind,
„It flips everything you’ve learned about reading music on its head. You don’t start with one note and build up. You start with full tunes and move backwards. It’s a lovely, simple message, designed to have traditional musicians reading music and playing tunes off the page, literally within hours.”
Liz has run the course a few times at the Willie Clancy Summer School and said while ‘everyone first comes in’ on the Monday with trepidation, ‘by the Wednesday off they go and they get it’.
She added how it ‘opens up a new world’ for many.
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“For a traditional musician, your ear is going to be the most important thing. ABC notation is handy for recall, but it doesn’t tell you anything about key or rhythm. Staff notation tells you about musical theory, but also gives you the key to unlock a whole new repertoire. If you can read for yourself then you don’t need a gatekeeper to tell you what tunes you might play.”
Traditional music, added Liz, is ‘there for us today because of those early collectors who wrote it down’.
„So, it’s an important part of it all and there are so many tunes that haven’t been drawn out, as they are hidden in the collections and we don’t have the skills to discover them for ourselves.”
Liz, who also runs traditional music lessons in Buncrana at Scoil Trad Bhuncranncha with Jim Woods, said she is passionate about ‘creating holistic, traditional musicians who are well-rounded with all the skills that they need.”
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Liz wanted to make the course was accessible to all, so anyone can take the course online – ‘anytime and in any place.”
She has included videos and examples, tips and practice materials, as well as newly-composed tunes and exercises.
„One of the things with traditional music, if you play at all, is that when you hear the first few notes you’ll know what it is. It was really important that there were examples on the course so that people aren’t able to do that. I composed them all so that people won’t fall into that familiar thing. It’s all new material and all designed to build up your skills.”
Liz will also offer the ‘live experience’ of learning the course at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, Milltown Malbay, in July.
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The courses, which are certified by the Royal Irish Academy of Music, have been undertaken by people right across the world.
If you’d like to be one of the many to do so, log on to www.readmusicthetradway.com
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Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Derry Journal, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Derry Journal, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

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