Frequently Asked Questions

Why have a clarsach competition?

By holding a competition we hope to raise awareness of the clarsach (Scottish harp) in the Highland Games community, as well as among the general public. We also hope to encourage clarsairean and other harpers to develop their skills and provide the opportunity to receive expert feedback from our adjudicators.

I heard that there is going to be more than one competition. How will that work?

There will be three preliminary competitions, one at the Bellingham Highland Games (www.bhga.org), one at the Skagit Valley Highland Games (www.celticarts.org) and one at the Pacific NW Scottish Highland Games (www.sshga.org).   The winners in each of those competitions will face off at the final competition, which will also be held at the Pacific NW Scottish Highland Games.

What are the different competitions?

Beginning Clarsach
Intermediate Clarsach
Advanced Clarsach
Clarsach and Voice

What are the required pieces?

See the Competition Pieces for a list of the required pieces.

Will there be prizes?

Prizes will be awarded to all participants.

If I compete and win at one preliminary competition, can I enter the same preliminary competition at a different Highland Games?

No. If you enter, for example, the Intermediate Clarsach competition at the Skagit Valley Highland Games, you many not enter the same competition again in Enumclaw at the Pacific NW Scottish Highland Games. You may, however, enter a different competition.

Will the adjudicators be the same at all three competitions?

No. There will be two adjudicators at each of the preliminary competition, and up to four at the final.

I participated and won at a previous final competition. May I compete again?

That depends on which category. The Beginner, Intermediate, and the Advanced categories are progressive, so once you win the final competition in one of these, you must move up to the next category. The Clarsach and Voice category is not progressive, so the winner or winners may enter this competition in subsequent years.

How do I find an own-choice piece of Highland origin? Can you help me do that?

The best way to find a tune that is verifiably of Highland origin is to use the melody of a Gaelic song. If you are searching for a piece of dance music, then fiddle collections are also great places to start. Here are some titles of sources:

Féis Shiàtail 2002 Songbook
Féis Shiàtail 2004 Songbook
Féis Shiàtail 2006 Songbook
Published by Slighe nan Gaidheal
(These books are available directly from Slighe nan Gaidheal by visiting their web site at www.slighe.com.)

Ceol nam Feis (ISBN 0-9528687-1-7)
Published by Feisean nan Gaidheal
Quay Brae, Portree
Isle of Skye IV51 9DB

The Gow Collection of Scottish Dance Music (ISBN 0-8256-0307-2)
Published by Oak Publications
225 Park Avenue S
New York, NY 10003
(This book is available from Oak Publications at www.oakpublications.com.)