John Doan: Home
Beyond Six Strings Greetings!
Thank you for visiting my site in cyberspace. My name is John Doan and I play the harp guitar (among other instruments) as well as record music and DVD's.
View a 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 June 12th-14th, 2009
The Second Annual Harp Guitar Weekend Retreat will take place June 12-14 2009 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 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
I recently performed with Mason Williams in concert at the South Florida Folk Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is playing very strong and his voice has only gotten better over the years. We will be touring more around the country this year. I will keep you posted of a concert near you if you are signed in at my guest book.
I am featured in the October issue of FINGERSTYLE Guitar. The article is 10 pages long and has a CD with one of my songs included on it. I hope you enjoy the article.
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.