John Doan: Home
A Celtic Pilgrimage With John Doan Greetings!
Thank you for visiting my site in cyberspace. My name is John Doan and I am a pioneer of a new way of playing the guitar with more strings added to either side of the conventional guitar. It is called a harp guitar. I have various recordings and DVD's and I am especially excited about my latest DVD release titled "A Celtic Pilgrimage with John Doan" that was filmed on location throughout the Celtic Isles. It features my award winning music from "Eire - Isle of the Saints" (won "Best Celtic Album of the Year") and "Wayfarer - Ancient Paths to Sacred Places" (nominated for "Best Celtic Album of the Year").
I went on location to musically chronicle the life and times of St. Patrick and others that were part of Ireland's "Golden Age" from centuries ago. Breath taking landscapes, dramatic stories, and soulful melodies and arrangements were brought back and recorded. In concert I will be accompanied by a multi-media show created by noted photographer and media design master Dennis Wiancko. Add to this stories told in the Bardic tradition and you have yourself a Celtic pilgrimage across time and space. When you see the DVD you will understand the other worldly effect of wind blown landscapes and ancient stone structures that served as the background to the pageantry of Irish history and will be amazed at how strongly its themes resonate with the challenges of our modern times.
I am planning concerts in Oregon and Washington in the coming months as well as a series of concerts in Europe this coming May/June. Check out my Calendar Dates to see if a concert will be near you.
View a PBS affiliate's television interview I did recently which shows some of my instrument collection and includes some performance footage.
check out video samples of some of my interviews and live shows. Please leave me your email, name and town,state/country on my email list so I can let you know when I am playing in your area.
The Lost Music of Fernando Sor - John Doan Harpolyre
Sor, known as "The Father of the Classical Guitar", wrote this very lyric and disarmingly beautiful music in 1830 for a three necked, 21-string guitar called the harpolyre. It has gone unplayed until now and I am hoping that you would like to be involved in the discovery of this exciting music by either acquiring a CD or coming out to an upcoming concert. With this recording I hope to give attention to an important forerunner of the harp guitar and to bring back to life some incredible music that went beyond six strings long ago.
To Listen to a sample of this music go to #3 Six Petite Pieces.
Click to view me playing this piece on the harpolyre.
Click to order "The Lost Music of Fernando Sor."
Harp Guitar Weekend Retreat July 16th-18th, 2010
The Third Annual Harp Guitar Weekend Retreat will take place July 16-18 2010 at the Oregon home of John and Deirdra Doan. It is an intimate stress-free environment with all levels of playing/performing encouraged and accepted for an educational seminar. This special event is open only to a limited number of participants. To see photos of the 2008 and 2009 Harp Guitar Retreat click here.
Primal Twang DVD Now Available
It was an honor to be featured in this exciting video program alongside players who are a veritable "Who's Who" of the guitar world today (Doc Watson, Mason Williams, Abert Lee, Dan Crary, Andrew York, Eric Johnson, Doyle Dykes, etc.). There is a lot of wonderful historical footage and the performances are incredible (Doc Watson is even caught playing my harp guitar in a behind the scenes moment!) Included in the bonus features are interviews and additional solos (I play "Farewell" on the harp guitar and a selection by Sor on the Harpolyre).
To read more about Primal Twang scroll down at my News page.
Click to see photos of the filming and background scenes of Primal Twang.
Click to order "Primal Twang - The Legacy of the Guitar."
"In Search of the Harp Guitar" DVD!!
Available for purchase by clicking on my SHOP and scrolling down to the DVD's.
This is the first and only video of it's kind about this amazing instrument! Learn it's history and meet the players and makers from Europe and America by visiting them in concert and in their workshops. Go to my shop to get your copy and read more about it.
"In Search of the Harp Guitar" wasn't dry or technical at all. Quite the opposite. It was delivered with humor, warmth and clarity. I came away from it feeling substantially enriched! This DVD tells an important story, for it is a wonderful record of the history and nature of the instrument and its performers. It will keep the magic of the harp guitar alive and hopefully inspire many to play and listen to all that she has to offer."
P. Lynch
Find below segments from a recent live concert. An additional clip of my piece "Farewell" can be found at YouTube
Recent News
My wife, Deirdra, and I are also working on new ways to promote my music. We have hooked up with MySpace Music and now have a site there. My URL is http://www.myspace.com/jdharpguitar. It is great to hear from so many other guitarists, musicians and music lovers from around the world. I am inviting you to check it out and join us as a friend if you have a MySpace URL.
Now use paypal!
I have fans from all over the world and now everyone can quickly make purchases of my CD/DVD's. It is so easy and free to set up an account, and you don't even need a credit card. If cyber space is not your style you can still mail a check to my P.O. Box listed in CONTACTS.