The Instruments Used in Irish Folk Music
Contents
If you’re interested in learning about the instruments used in Irish folk music, you’ve come to the right place! In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the most popular instruments used in this genre of music.
Traditional Instruments
There are many instruments used in Irish folk music, some of which are specific to certain regions. The most common instrument used in Irish music is the fiddle, which is often accompanied by the flute, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, or accordion. The bodhran, or Irish drum, is also a very popular instrument in Irish music.
The Fiddle
The fiddle is one of the most important instruments in Irish music. It is believed to have originated in Italy, and made its way to Ireland via Scotland and England. The first fiddles in Ireland were made from the wood of the yew tree, and had only two strings. These early fiddles were used for dance music and for accompanying songs.
Fiddles come in many different shapes and sizes, but all have four strings tuned in perfect fifths. The two lower strings are usually tuned to G and D, while the two upper strings are tuned to A and E. Many fiddle players use a special “bow grip” technique, which allows them to play multiple notes at once.
The fiddle has a very wide range of sounds, from quiet and delicate melodies to fast-paced and energetic jigs and reels. Fiddle players often use a variety of techniques to create different sounds, such as bowing up-and-down (known as “sawing”), or using vibrato or “dragging” the bow across the strings.
The Flute
The flute is a woodwind instrument that is commonly associated with Irish folk music. The flute is played by blowing air across an opening in the instrument, which causes the air to vibrate. The flute is a very versatile instrument and can be used to play a variety of different music genres, including Irish folk music.
The most common type of flute that is used in Irish folk music is the tin whistle, which is also known as the penny whistle. The tin whistle is a simple flute that is made from a thin sheet of metal, such as Tin or brass. The tin whistle is easy to play and produces a very distinctive sound that is unique to the Irish folk music genre.
Other types of flutes that are commonly used in Irish folk music include the concert flute, the recorder, and the tin Whistle. All of these instruments are capable of producing beautiful sounds that are perfect for playing Irish folk music.
The Uilleann Pipes
The uilleann pipes are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. They are also known as “Union pipes”. The word uilleann is derived from the Irish term for “elbow”, i.e. the method used to inflate the bag. (English speaking people tend to use the term “union” to describe this type of pipe, which can cause some confusion). There are many different types of Union/Uilleann pipes, ranging from the simple two-droned pipes, through to the more complex full set which can have as many as nine drones and forty five keys!
The history of the uilleann pipes is a long and complex one, but in a nutshell they developed from the earlier warpipe or great Irish warpipes which were first seen in Ireland in the early 1600s. These pipes were very similar to Scottish Highland bagpipes, but differed in a few important respects. Firstly, they had a softer tone due to their melody chanter being less deeply bellowed than its Scottish counterpart. Secondly, they featured a smaller rostrum or mouthpiece which made them much more suitable for indoor playing (the Highland Bagpipe was an outdoor instrument designed to be heard above the sound of battle). Thirdly, and most importantly from the point of view of their future development, they had a keyed drone system which could be tuned to play harmonies with the melody line.
Modern Instruments
The fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, bodhran, and accordion are the mainstay instruments of Irish Traditional Music. The fiddle is by far the most numerous of these, with the flute coming in a distant second. The accordion, first introduced to Ireland in the early 19th century, has become increasingly popular in recent decades.
The Guitar
In Irish folk music, the guitar is usually played with a pick, and is used to provide accompaniment for the main melodic instruments. It usually takes the form of a simple chordal accompaniment, though it can also be used for more complex arrangements. In addition to being used as an accompaniment instrument, the guitar can also be used as a solo instrument, and is often featured in Irish folk songs.
The Bodhran
The bodhran (pronounced “boar-han”) is a frame drum that is commonly used in Irish folk music. It is usually made of wood or plastic and has a goat skin stretched over one side. The other side is left open so that the player can hold it against their body while they play.
The bodhran can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it was originally used as a percussion instrument in military bands. In the 1800s, it began to be used in Irish traditional music. The bodhran became more popular in the 1960s, when Irish folk bands started to gain popularity in the United States and Europe.
Today, the bodhran is most often played with a wooden stick or mallet. The player strikes the skin of the drum with this stick to create a rhythmic beat. The bodhran can also be played with your hands, but this is less common.
If you’re interested in learning how to play the bodhran, there are many resources available online and in bookstores. You can also find instructional DVDs and CDs.
The Accordion
The accordion is a portable, free-reed musical instrument, played with one or more buttons or keys and a bellows. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist. The instrument is variously known in different languages as the concertina, piano accordion, button accordion, squeeze box, harmoneon/harmonium, hand-harmonica or melodeon/melodion/melodium. It is also used in jazz and cajun folk music.
