Traditional Instruments
Irish Harp
Irish Harp
With its beginning in the 11th Century, the traditional Irish harp, also known as the Gaelic Harp or Clarsach, was a small, lap played harp, carved from one piece of wood (traditionally willow). The harp, meaning “to pluck” in Old German and Old Norse, was played by highly skilled and politically powerful harpists in Gaelic courts. Due to their significance in relation to political power, while Ireland was occupied by the English in the 16th and 17th centuries, Queen Elizabeth I issued a proclamation to hang Irish harpists and destroy their instruments to prevent insurrection, leading to the decease of playing of the Irish harp by the early 1800’s. Quite different from the large pedal harp in modern symphony orchestras, the Irish harp had no pedals and was strung with brass, silver or gold wires. Today, the Irish harp features as Ireland’s national emblem and on the Guinness Stout label.
Tin Whistle
Irish Tin Whistle
Dating back to the 11th century, the tin whistle was traditionally made from bird bones. It is a six-holed instrument, held directly in front of the body, played with by blowing through the ‘fipple’ (mouthpiece) attached to one end.
Fiddle
Fiddle
The fiddle’s design and development is that of the violin, with the instrument’s predecessors dating back to as early as the 11th century. The general term 'fiddle' was first used to describe a 12th century instrument, which was constructed of flat boards for the top, back and sides.
By the early 1700’s the fiddle’s modern design was firmly established throughout Ireland, making it the oldest instrument in Irish traditional music. What sets the fiddle apart from the violin is not their difference in design (they are the same instruments) but their playing technique. The fiddle can be fingered or bowed. The ‘fiddling’ sound is achieved through the free ornamentation of simple traditional Irish melodies. The most common ornamentation used on the fiddle includes:
The Cut – Here, two notes of the same pitch are interrupted by a single grace note (called a cut), higher than the melody note, slurring into the note it precedes.
The Double Cut – Similar to the cut, the double cut employs two grace notes, with the melody note… preceded by the same note plus a higher note.
The Long Roll – Particularly important to jig playing the long roll turns three quavers or a dotted crotchet into five notes, within the same time. For example E held for the length of a dotted crotchet could be split into five notes; EGEDE and then all slurred together. The five notes can be given equal length, or there may be more stress on the first one.
The Short Roll – Exactly the same principle as the long roll, except the five notes are squeezed into the length of a crotchet.
The Slide – Involves fiddler sliding smoothly up into a note from half a semitone below. The slide is most commonly used at the start of a phrase, and is commonly applied to just one or two key notes in a tune.
The Bowed Triplet – Here, a crotchet is split into three short, individually bowed notes.
The fiddle has featured in numerous musical works including the music for the film Titanic.
Irish Flute
Irish Flute
The Irish flute is made of wood and features six tone-holes and up to 13 metal keys. This ‘simple system’ Irish flute, with a conical bore and less complicated key system, predated the more complex, cylindrical bored Bohem system flute we known today. The Irish flute has the same fingering system as the tin whistle and comes in a number of different keys.
The definition of a conical bore can be seen here:
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textc/Conicalbore.html
The definition of a cylindrical bore can be seen here:
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textc/Cylindricalbore.html
The definition of a conical bore can be seen here:
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textc/Conicalbore.html
The definition of a cylindrical bore can be seen here:
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textc/Cylindricalbore.html
Uilleann/ Union Pipes
Uilleann/ Union Pipes and playing positon
Made from leather and wood the Uilleann or ‘elbow’ pipes (uilleann being the Gaelic word for elbow) are the Irish form of the bagpipes Consisting of five parts – bag, bellows, chanter, drones and regulators – the pipes are played in a seated position. The bellows are held under the arm and fill the bag with air through their squeeze and release. A melody is played on the chanter, while the connected, sprung keys of the three regulators are played to produce chords. Finally the drones provide [a] continuous single-note accompaniment to the chanter. Unlike war pipes with only a nine-note range, the Uilleann pipes are capable of a two to three octave range.
Bodhrán
Bodhrán
The Bodhrán has existed in Ireland for centuries and was initially employed for warfare as a noisemaker or primitive rhythm instrument. The drum was made from green wood, bent into a circular shape and pinned with cross bars inside to prevent it from warping. This shell was then covered with tan goatskin or sheepskin on one side. The drum is anchored on the left leg by the chest and upper left arm, while the left hand presses against the inside of the skin to muffle the tone and alter the pitch (for a left handed person this technique would be translated to the right side of the body). The drum can then be played with the hand or a small, double headed beater.
Tiompán
Tiompán (hammerred dulcimer)
With only vague descriptions of the ancient Irish stringed instrument the Tiompan, the hammered dulcimer is most likely the modern equivalent to the tiompán. The hammered dulcimer has a wooden sound chamber box, that also acts as the instrument’s frame. The soundboard then sits on top and metal strings of different lengths, crisscross its face over bridges, to create different pitched notes. To play the instrument a performer strikes the strings with wooden mallets/ hammers. This relative to the ancient Tiompán has a unique sound characterised by the initial transient of the hammer on the strings and the sympathetic vibrations of other strings in addition to the ones actually struck by the hammers.The striking sound of the hammer dulcimer has featured in numerous musical works including the music for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Sherlock Holmes.