“… the harp guitar of John Doan is twenty strings of magic. Even after watching, I’m still not sure how he managed to do all that!”
The Rocket – The Northwest Music and Entertainment Magazine
John Doan is the master of the harp guitar and stringed instruments beyond six strings. His “Beyond Six Strings” concerts explore the music, history, and art of composing and writing for multiple stringed instruments, a passion he shares with his audience through-out the concert.
“John returns audiences to a time when we use to dream before movies did that for us. The interesting thing about the harp-guitar and especially the way that John has mastered it, is that the music issuing forth seems like magic, magic put back in the hands of the magician. No special effects or illusion, real hands on real magic. Where all of this music is coming from seems like a mystical experience. He’s an outstanding composer and arranger as well. His take on any tune is always a remarkable vision.”
Mason Williams: Composer of Classical Gas
“I have no idea where I have been for the past several minutes! What incredible music you make!”
Doc Watson
“…his playing is an exquisite union of the ancient and the contemporary, the austere and the sensual.”
The Washington Post
His “Beyond Six Strings” concerts include music from his popular albums, A Celtic Pilgrimage, Departures, Eire – Isle of the Saints, Harp Guitars Under the Stars, Remembrance – Melodies from a Forgotten Era, The Lost Music of Fernando Sor, Wayfarer, excerpts of which can be found in his DVDs A Celtic Pilgrimage and In Search of the Harp Guitar.
“Your concert was our first sell out ever. Every seat was not only filled, but filled with enthusiastic, happy listeners who have sung your praises ever since. Several people have commented on your ability to weave stories and music into a captivating and enchanting evening’s entertainment. The concert was a delightful trip into a world of sound and new sight, and we all enjoyed the history lessons along the way.”
Chemeketa College, Salem, Oregon
While “Beyond Six Strings” is typically performed with the harp guitar, John will occasionally share his music with one of the many multiple stringed instruments in his Beyond Six Strings collection.
John Doan has published much on the history and techniques of the harp guitar and multiple stringed instruments such as Beyond Six Strings – From Sor to Hendrix, The Inevitable Harp Guitar: Recurring Cycles in Guitar Evolution, Beyond 6 Strings: Harp Guitar Renaissance, and The “Expanded” Harp Guitar – Adding Possibilities with Super-Trebles. You can find more in his Beyond Six Strings category on his blog.
John was the first to record an album on the Harpolyre, a three-necked harp guitar, on his best-selling CD, The Lost Music of Fernando Sor, resurrecting the music of Fernando Sor as it was originally composed for the harpolyre, but better known as the rearranged version for six strings played by classical guitarists worldwide.
John Doan brings his “Beyond Six Strings” concert to his home during his annual Harp Guitar Retreat, a long weekend with harp guitarist students and fans exploring the possibilities of breaking past the limits of six strings.