Seamus Egan Project

SUNDAYS:  April 11 + April 18 + April 25
4:00-5:00pm EST
featuring special guest Enda Scahill on April 18!
* Enda will join us for one class

I’m excited to announce my first masterclass of 2021! Starting on April 11th we will dive back into The Mechanics of Musicality. 

The primary focus of this three-part workshops is melody. More specifically, reacquainting ourselves with all the possibilities of melody. The way Irish tunes are notated is rarely if ever the way they are played. It’s a sketch, an outline. It’s all there but it is up to you, the player, to fill in the gaps. And it’s in the gaps where the tune comes to life.
Over the course of three 1-hour sessions, we will explore the myriad of ways we can transform melodies from a static expression to one brimming with life. We’ll examine on each instrument how phrasing, ornaments, dynamics, and variations all play a role in this. We’ll cover different ways you can think about melody, how you approach it, how to avoid getting into a rut and playing it the same way over and over again.

 Special guest Enda Scahill will join us on April 18!  Galway-born banjo player Enda Scahill is one of the most critically acclaimed banjoists in Ireland today. Enda has long established himself as one of the finest exponents of traditional Irish banjo playing and is widely recognized for his technical prowess and banjo teaching abilities. Enda has guested with The Chieftains, recorded with Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs, toured with Frankie Gavin and Stockton's Wing, was an original member for 10 years of Instrumental Band of the Decade The Brock McGuire Band and now leads his new award winning group We Banjo 3.

Before the first class, registrants will receive via email a short list of music to listen to & learn.  In order for you to get the most out of this course it will be important that you familiarize yourself with the tune before the first class as we will be referencing it throughout.  It will be the template upon which to demonstrate and ultimately incorporate all the elements I have mentioned above.  By the end of the course you will see it’s evolution from skeletal to fully realized.  My hope is that you will come away from this with the tools needed to form a more personal expression of the music you love to play and a more complete picture of how all the pieces fit together.  

Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your own playing should you wish. But there is no obligation to do so.  And of course, questions are welcomed and encouraged.

The classes will be on Zoom. Once you have registered a link will be emailed to you with the sign in details.

I look forward to working with you!

~ Seamus 
questions? email seamuseganproject@gmail.com