Irish Instruments

The Harp
Lorna sent this in.

The traditional Irish harp's distinguishing features are its use of wire (usually brass) strings and its chamber carved from a single log (traditionally willow). The strings are played with fingernails, producing a very clear and defined sound.

Today, many Irish harps use synthetic string and the construction of the chamber is also different. Instead of being hollowed out from one piece of wood it is more likely to be constructed from sawn pieces of wood glued together which creates a different sound. Traditionally-constructed Irish harps also tend to be smaller than modern models.

The word 'harp' comes from an Angle-Saxon word meaning 'to pluck'. During medieval times, Ireland was famous throughout Europe for harp music and playing. Today, the Irish harp emblem is based on the Trinity College Harp. This harp is one of Ireland's national treasures.

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Click here for Irish Harp clip

Tin Whistle (feadóg stáin in Irish)

Roisin sent this in.

It is a wind instrument in Ireland and it is not very expensive to buy  or hard to play

It is made of metal with six finger holes on it and a plastic mouth piece

The tin whistle can be tuned to different notes, but they are mainly found in C and D.

D tin whistle are usually used for group performances

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Irish Tin whistle performers include Sean Ryan, Mary Bergin, Paddy Moloney (player in the band The chieftains)  etc

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Click here for Irish Tin Whistle clip

The Fiddle

Michelle sent this in.

A fiddle is any bowed string musical    instrument, most often the violin. It is used by players in all genres, including classical music.
Fiddle playing, or fiddling, refers to various styles of music. The distinctions between violins and fiddles reflect the differences in the instruments used to play folk and classical music. However, it is not uncommon for classically trained violinists to play folk music, and today many fiddle players have classical training. Many traditional (folk) styles are aural traditions, so are taught 'by ear' rather than with written music.

The Irish Fiddle: The fiddle is possibly the most commonly played instrument in Irish traditional music, and has a high status, and must therefore be considered as particularly suited to the nature of the music. It is  cheap, available, and easy to maintain. Most fiddles in use nowadays have been mass-produced and imported, and their quality varies, and some are custom-made here.

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Click here for Fiddle clip

The Uileann Pipes

Ava sent this in.

The uilleann pipes are the national bagpipe of Ireland. They were earlier known in English as “Union Pipes”.
 

Their current name is a part translation of the Irish-language term “píobaí uilleann”. Píobaí uilleann means "pipes of the elbow"), because this is how they are inflated. The instrument is inflated by a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm. The bellows relieve the person playing from the effort of blowing air into the bag to maintain pressure. 

Some pipers can talk or sing while they play.The uilleann pipes are different from many other bagpipes by their tone and wide range of notes, with a unique blend of chanter, drones and regulators.

The chanter of the uilleann pipes has a range of two full octaves, including sharps and flats. The regulators have closed keys that can be opened by the piper's wrist action allowing the piper to play simple chords, giving a rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment as needed. The chanter can also be played staccato (sharply)  by resting the bottom of the chanter on the piper's thigh to close off the bottom hole and then open and close only the tone holes required. If one tone hole is closed before the next one is opened, a staccato effect can be created because the sound stops completely when no air can escape at all.

Watch this clip of Mark Redmond playing the uilleann pipes at the Steeple Sessions 2011 :

Click here for the uilleann pipes clip

Parts of the uilleann pipes:

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The Bones and The Spoons

Spoons can be played as a substitute percussion instrument. “Playing the spoons” was originated in Ireland as “Playing the bones”, in which the convex sides of a pair of sheep rib bones were rattled in the same way.

Rosewood Spoons:

In the old days, they played a pair of real spoons from the kitchen, and those spoons were held in a manner similar to the bones. Nowadays, you can do it the easy way with these spoons, which are joined at one end. You hold the spoons in one hand and bang them on your other palm, or on your arm, your head or however. 

Click here for a clip of the spoons

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The Bones:
  

In the old days, these were really made of bone, but now are made of wood.  To play them, you hold them both between the fingers of one hand and shake your hand to make the bones clack against each other.                                                                    

Click here for a clip of the bones                                  

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