The Instruments

The "base" instrument in Celtic music is the human voice, and this confirms the fact that folk music stretches naturally towards melody and not towards harmony (1). The musical instruments nearer (from a expressive point of view) to the human voice are the violin (fiddle), the flute, the tin whistle and the pipes (bagpipes in Scotland, uilleann pipes in Ireland). It's impossible to play chords on the flute or the tin whistle, and even if it's possible to play them on the fiddle, they are seldom used this way in Celtic music. The only instrument from the Celtic musical tradition where chords are possible is the Celtic harp; so important is this instrument, that over the centuries the same has become the symbol of Ireland.

The pipes constitute a particular case, because they have a bass system (drone) and the possibility (limited) of playing some chords, but they are used only occasionally, and more for harmonic than rhythmic effects, so it is reasonable to also classify the pipes as a melodic more than harmonic instrument (2). Other instruments used in Celtic music are the button-accordion, the concertina and (very rarely) the harmonica. On these instruments it's possible to play chords but (as for the pipes) they are used more for rhythmic emphasis than for the accompaniment. The typical percussive instrument is the bodhràn (3).

The Internet has many web sites dedicated to the use of these instruments (where to acquire them, technical advice, maintenance, etc). Here are the more interesting ones, divided for single instrument:

Voice

	Cór Gaeilge Texas about Gaelic singing.
	Styles of Irish traditional singing, from the archive of Gaelic Songs.
	Bluffer's guide to Sean-Nos singing, from "Living Tradition" magazine.

Fiddle

	Bibliography of the fiddle, by Richard Mende.
	Fiddle page, by George Keith.
	The Fiddler's Companion, with an index of approximately 35,000 fiddle tunes.
	Donegal style of Larry Sanger. It covers the fiddle techniques in the Irish region of the Donegal.
	Profiles of solo techniques of some Irish fiddlers, by Bernie Stocks.

Mandolin - cittern - bouzouki

	Han's Irish Bouzouki Homepage
	Mandolinking another web site about the mandolin.
	Cittern
	Dan Beimborn's field guide about the various types of mandolins.
	By the same author, mandolins, about Gibson models.
	Fretted instruments in Celtic music, by Michael Robinson.

Bodhran

Bohdràn Tutor: The secrets of the Bodhràn

The Bodhràn Page

Concertina - Accordion - Harmonica

Concertina.net

	Accordion Website by Phoebe Sengers.
	rec.music.makers.squeezebox newsgroup.
	Concertina FAQ by Chris Timson.
	Toby Koosman's concertina resources
	Concertina pages concertinas: the details of their construction, and how to repair them, by Don Nichols.
	Concertina.Net contains much information about Anglo Concertina and Irish music.
	Anglo Concertina site by Dave Glenn.
	Harmonica newsgroup
	Harmonica discography in Irish music
	Irish Squeezebox page about button accordions.

Tin whistle

Sessioneer Web Site

	Ceolas Tin Whistle guide. Text written in 1994 containing much comparative information about several branches of tin whistles.
	Bill McKenty's whistle site, very interesting.
	Tin Whistle Online Recordings by David Walker.
	How to construct a Tin Whistle.
	Mike Simpson's 'Semi-Comprehensive Whistle Guide" a page rich in information.
	The Clarke Tin Whistle homepage.
	Whistling Low web site dedicated to the low whistle.
	The Whistler's Page.
	Whistler L.E. McCullough's website.
	Sounds of the Irish Tin Whistle page about tin whistle recordings, with a good links page.
	Chiff and Fipple

Uillean pipes & Bagpipes

The Uilleann pipes

	Bagpipe FAQ
	Bagpipe Web
	David Daye's Bagpipe site, on bagpipes and uilleann pipes.
	Bagpipe teachers list of bagpipes teachers.
	Uilleann Pipe Information
	Uilleann pipe discography
	Spanish gaita bagpipes (about Galitian pipes).
	Irish Pipe Band Association.
	The Pipers Corner, contains tunes and technical information for pipers.
	Make your own uilleann pipes!
	David Williams' Accessories for Bagpipe.
	bagpiper.com on the Scottish bagpipes.
	Everything about Northumbrian small pipes.
	Highlandnet (list of pipes bands).
	The rec.music.makers.bagpipe newsgroup.

Flute

	Ceolas Flute Guide cured by Brad Hurley.
	Rob Greenway's Irish Flute Pages about styles and techniques of playing; good the links.
	The Flow web site for flute players, focused on the different musical styles.
	Lark in the Morning: notes on the Maintenance and Repair of the flute.

Celtic Harp

	Harp FAQ
	Harp Archive
	A short history of the Celtic Harp.
	Some information on the story of the Celtic Harp.
	Trad@Harp
	The Enchanted Harp
	The Harp Page everything about the Celtic harp.
	Did you find home a Celtic harp, but you don't know how to begin to play it? This web site is what you need: a method for Celtic harp: Locksley's EZ Harp Method!

Hammered Dulcimer

	The 'Official' Hammered Dulcimer Website.
	Kitchen Musician web site about the hammered dulcimer.
	Cliff Moses' HD workshop summaries, technical councils on the sound techniques for hammered dulcimer.

Banjo

	Introduction to Irish Banjo by Mick Moloney.
	Proteus' Irish Tenor Banjo Site. (1) adapted from Paul De Grae: Traditional Irish Guitar, page 9; (2) adapted from Paul De Grae: Traditional Irish Guitar, page 9; (3) adapted from Paul De Grae: Traditional Irish Guitar, page 9 [ Introduction ] [ The Artists ] [ The Instruments ] [ Celtic Fingerstyle ] [ Photo gallery ]

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