A Masterclass for the Whole Band

Solas: From Song to Stage

Dive into the creative process behind Solas and the many skills that go into making music as a band. We’ll look at how collaboration, compromise, and individual points of view shape everything from choosing material and writing new work to arranging and presenting a song.

Using specific songs and instrumentals to guide us, we’ll take you behind the scenes and break down the decisions that shaped each piece. We’ll walk through our process step by step, discussing how we choose and develop material, build arrangements, and determine when (and why) a piece is ready to perform.

Whether you’re starting a band, already playing in one, or simply curious about our creative process, this 4-part masterclass offers an inside look at how Solas has created music together for 30+ years.

Winifred Horan

Fiddle

Develop your tone, left-hand technique, and bowing while exploring classic repertoire from the Irish fiddle tradition. We’ll look closely at left-hand ornamentation and bowing patterns, and how these elements work together to shape a tune. The focus throughout will be on precision, rhythmic discipline, confidence, and developing your own approach to the music.

John Williams

Button Accordion

Explore the pioneering “cross-row” approach to B/C button accordion playing developed by Paddy O’Brien of Nenagh, County Tipperary, and Joe Burke of Loughrea, County Galway. We’ll break down the subtle nuances of their styles through tunes, phrasing, fingering, and some left-hand bass work, with an emphasis on developing overall flow and rhythm through classic tune settings.

Concertina

Explore the traditional C/G Anglo concertina styles associated with County Clare, including the approaches of Chris Droney, Paddy Murphy, and Seamus Ennis, as reflected in the playing of Noel Hill. We’ll look at how right- and left-hand techniques can work together to make the concertina both a melodic and rhythmic instrument, and explore how these techniques have found new expression on Solas recordings.

Seamus Egan

Flute & Whistle

Explore the techniques that bring your playing to life, including breath control, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, and ornamentation. We’ll look at how these elements work together to shape your individual interpretation of a tune. These are the building blocks of your playing, but it’s how you combine them that creates your own unique style.

Banjo & Mandolin

Focus on picking technique, developing a smooth and consistent right hand, and building the accuracy and control needed for ornamentation. We’ll also explore how technique can enhance dynamics, rhythm, and overall musicality. The banjo is often maligned as having very little dynamic range but in this workshop we will show this is not the case!

Moira Smiley

Singing & Songcraft

Explore the Anglo-Celtic singing tradition through favorite Solas songs, focusing on some of the musical building blocks of the Irish folk sound, including triplets, turns, and slides. We’ll take time to slow things down and explore the technical side of the music while also leaning into the soulful, poetic character of the tradition. You’ll learn several songs in full and explore the art of harmony singing—from finding harmonies that feel natural and rooted in the tradition to pushing the boundaries with an unexpected note or two.

Alan Murray

Guitar

Develop your skills in rhythm, chording, and music theory with a focus on accompanying jigs, reels, and other Irish traditional dance music, as well as songs. We’ll explore alternate tunings, right-hand techniques, chord structures and substitutions, and more. This workshop is designed for players with an intermediate experience level on their instrument.