Professional Documents
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Revised & Updated 12/16/97
REVISED EDITION
1996 CE
All Rights Reserved to the Author:
Post No Bills This Means You!
White Tree Productions PO Box 35190 Phoenix-AZ-85069
TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Introduction
A short history of the Celtic Harp.......................Pg. 1
The parts of the Harp........................................Pg. 2
Types of Irish Harp...........................................Pg. 3
Chords, tuning and other exotic stuff...............Pg. 3
Tuning............................................................Pg. 4
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Sharping levers................................................Pg. 5
Harp tablature.......................................................Pg. 6
Construction of chords.................................Pg. 6
The Modes, and I don't mean ice cream.........Pg. 7
Minor scales..................................................Pg. 8
Faked chords...................................................Pg. 9
Playing where you're not supposed to...............Pg. 9
The sub-tonic..................................................Pg. 10
The mechanics of playing..............................Pg. 10
Playing the silly thing....................................Pg. 11
Shakes, rattles, and rolls.................................Pg. 11
Harmonies and such like..............................Pg. 12
Fancy stuff.............................................................Pg. 12
Period licks and footstompers.............................Pg. 13
Graces..........................................................Pg. 13
Shakes and so forth..........................................Pg. 14
Double tones, chords and such.......................Pg. 15
Harp makers...................................................Pg. 16
Where to buy harp cases....................................Pg. 17
Retail outlets for harps.......................................Pg. 17
Books, records and written music.........................Pg. 18
Good books to have...........................................Pg. 18
Recordings......................................................Pg. 19
A glossary of musical terms................................Pg. 20
Irish gaelic terms for harp music..........................Pg. 21
On Bards, and Bardic circles...............................Pg. 21
On music, and songwriting...................................Pg. 23
On Bardic circles................................................Pg. 23
Suggested College level courses.....................Pg. 23
Ogham...............................................................Pg. 24
Good Links On The Net................................Pg. 25
GENERAL:
This text is meant as an INTRODUCTION to Celtic Harp. It is not meant to teach everything
there is to know about harps, harpers and harping, but simply to get you started in the right
direction with a minimum of fuss and bother.
I strongly suggest that you buy every other book on playing Celtic/Irish harp that you can
find, and use this in conjunction with them. The more information you can get, the better off
you are.
If you already play the Concert Harp, then most of this information will be old stuff. Read it
anyway. The Irish Harp is most emphatically NOT the same instrument as the Concert Harp,
and is approached, and played, quite differently. Most of the texts I have seen on "Irish"
Harp don't approach it from the angle of pre-medieval and medieval period styles and techniques.
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some Continental harps, where the string is lifted onto the hook to sharp the tone.
By the way, a player of the Celtic Harp is known as a "Harper," while a player of the Concert Harp is known as
a "Harpist."
Now that we have that out of the way.......
The harp is tuned in a simple scale from "C," i.e. "do-re-mi- fa-sol-la-ti-do." This is called a "diatonic" tuning,
or "Ionian" mode. Notice that there are no sharps or flats in this scale. This means that you may play in the key
of "C"...the white keys on a piano....but not in any others, unless you re-tune.
By the way, if you do not own a harp (oh, poor soul!) then you can mess around with this text using ONLY the
white keys on a piano, to at least familiarize yourself with what's going on.
In order to play in other keys, you must either alter your fingering pattern, known as "cross-harp," or you must
re-tune the harp. This is NOT as hard as it sounds, and will be covered later.
In view of the fact that the ancient harpers didn't particularly bother with written music, this text will seek to
teach the minimum of music and the maximum of how-to-play. After learning the playing techniques, you
should be able to puzzle out notation with the help of a modern book of music theory.
There is, however, quite a lot of music theory that must needs be discussed in order that the Harp be fully
understood. Take your time, take it slowly, and understanding will come.
In the list of books at the end of this exposition you will find a treatise on Ogham listed that makes a good case
for the use of the Ogham alphabet as a form of written music. I refer you to this as an Interesting Thing.
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Notice the sharps and flats in there. These are caused by the fact that the modern musical scale is
arranged in WHOLE TONES (the Ionian mode) and HALF TONES (sharps and flats). Look at a
piano keyboard. The BLACK keys are the sharps and flats. We put a sharp/flat between every whole
tone EXCEPT between B - C and E - F. Don't ask me why we do it this way....we just do. Everything
comes out even that way. Don't worry about it. And, by the way, a tone may be either sharp, or flat,
depending on how you're looking at it....F sharp is the same as G flat, for our purposes, for example.
More about Tuning
These chords are called:
----------------------------------------------I - "tonic" or key chord
IV - "sub-dominant"
V - "dominant"
vi - "relative minor" of I
-----------------------------------------------
NB: These names have no relationship to what they might do in the privacy of their own birdbath, however.....
In most songs, the chords most often used are the "I - IV - V" progression. In the older, "Child Ballad" sort of
thing, the use of "VII - I" is common. Songs in minor keys tend to use "i - iv - V" a lot. Try to listen for these
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"changes" when you listen to songs. Don't worry about what key it's in, just hear the changes and think of them
by their generic names. This will enable you to play anything, eventually, just by finding the tonic chord and
going from there. This takes practice, and experience. With enough experience, you will be able to "hear ahead"
in the song; you will know what chord is likely to be coming next!
TUNING
:
The Celtic harp, and most harps, for that matter, are tuned to the Ionian mode, that is, the "C" scale. This
enables playing in the key of "C". If you want to play in other keys, however, you must retune one or more tones
of the scale. ---------------------------------------------------------------------C scale: do - re - mi - fa - sol - la - ti - do C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
D scale: re - mi - fa (sharp)- sol - la - ti - do (sharp) - re D - E - F sharp - G - A - B - C sharp - D
E scale: mi -fa (sharp)-sol (sharp)-la-ti-do (sharp)-re (sharp)-mi E -F sharp - G sharp - A -B -C sharp - D sharp E
F scale: fa - sol - la - ti (flat) - do - re - mi - fa F - G - A - B flat - C - D - E - F
G scale: sol - la - ti - do - re - mi - fa (sharp) - sol G - A - B - C - D - E - F sharp - G
A scale: la- ti- do (sharp)- re-mi- fa (sharp)-sol (sharp)- la A - B - C sharp - D - E - F sharp - G sharp - A
B scale: ti-do (sharp)-re (sharp)- mi-fa (sharp)-sol (sharp)-la (sharp)-ti B -C sharp - D sharp - E -F sharp - G
sharp - A sharp - B
B flat scale: ti (flat)-do - re - mi (flat)-fa - sol - la - ti (flat) B flat - C - D - E flat - F - G - A - B flat
Therefore, to change from a "C" scale to a "G" scale, we take the fourth tone of the "C" scale and sharp it
(raise it one-half tone), and take our key-tone from the fifth tone of the "C" scale, "G," rather than the first,
that is, "C."
The above system of listing scales may seem a bit clumsy. I am trying to show (by sharps, mostly, since Celtic
harps tend to retune by sharping the tones) how the various modern scales work....in relation to the modes
below.
If you are playing with a fiddler, he will tend to play in "D" or "A." Guitarists tend to play in "C," "D," and
"G," as a rule.
SHARPING LEVERS:
Some nylon strung harps have little levers that enable you raise the pitch of a given string one-half tone; to
sharp it. These were apparently developed in Germany about the end of the 17th Century....they are NOT used
on the traditional Celtic Harp.
If you have a harp that is set up this way, you must tune it slightly differently than a "normal" harp:
Set the sharping lever UP, or ON, on the 7th string ("B") of each octave, and then tune the harp into "C." You
now may play in "C" with no trouble, and, if you turn your "B" levers OFF, to "B flat," you will wind up
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playing in "F." Doing this enables you to play in the following keys:
F major ( D minor): all "B" levers OFF
C major (A minor): all "B" levers ON
G major (E minor): all "F" and "B" levers ON
D major : all "B," "F," and "C" levers ON
A major : all "B," "F," "C," and "G" levers ON
E major : all "B," "F," "C," "G," and "D" levers ON
B major : all "B," "F," "C," "G," "D," and "A" levers ON
and if you tune your harp to E flat, you can add the keys of B flat and E flat.....don't do that yet, though; wait
until you are familiar with the above.
Why are we talking about all this? Simple: This is basic Music Theory, and will, hopefully, enable you to
understand what comes next.....how to make the chords, on a harp, in ANY key!
Go have a drink.
HARP TABLATURE:
I have developed a form of Harp Tablature; a means of writing the tones in a numerical form, that does not
depend on the key signature.
The first tone of each scale, the key-tone, is numbered as "1," the second is "2" and so forth. The LAST tone of
any scale, the tone one octave higher than the key-tone, is numbered "1a," while tones LOWER than the key
tone are numbered "1A" and so forth. Thus, the tones of a 27 string harp might be numbered:
lowest low middle high highest
5B-6B-7B-1A-2A-3A-4A-5A-6A-7A-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1a-2a-3a-4a-5a-6a-7a-1b-2b-3b
Got that? In other words, this particular harp is tuned, in "C":
sol-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa- ect.
It is customary for harpstrings to be marked for quick identification by colouring the "C" string red and the
"F" string black or blue. This makes knowing your place a LOT easier!
CONSTRUCTION OF CHORDS:
Therefore.....in order to build chords in any key, you just use the numbers of the strings in that scale.
Remember: the "1" string/tone is the key-tone of that scale. When "1" is "C," or "do," then you're in the key of
"C." When your "1" string is "G," or "sol," you're in the key of "G."
Thus:
------------------------------------------------I chord: 1-3-5; 1a-3a-5a; 3-5-1a; 5A-1-3; etc.
ii chord: 2-4-6; 4-6-2a; etc.
iii chord: 3-5-7; 5-7-3a; etc.
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Remember, the way it works is simple. Let us take a chord from the above table and assume the harp is tuned in
"C." Thus, to play the I chord of that key, you would pluck the "1-3-5" relationship, that is, the first, third and
fifth strings in each octave. This gives you a "C" chord, made up of the tones "do," "mi," and "sol."
Then, if we retune the harp to, say, the key of "F," lowering "ti" to "ti flat," we still finger the first, third and
fifth strings of the octave to get our I chord in that key, but, as the octave in this key begins, not on "do" as it
does in the key of "C," but rather on "fa," the I chord is therefore composed of the tones "fa," "la," and "do,"
which gives us the "F" chord in this key.
I realize that this is probably completely confusing if this is your first attempt at playing a musical instrument.
Keep thinking about it, and remember that "learning by doing" is the best way to learn.
Especially because we now must get into a very strange thing, to modern ears......
NOTICE that these scales use NO sharps or flats. When a scale uses no sharps or flats, it is a "modal scale."
Remember: in the Middle Ages, the concept of sharps/flats was not well understood, so these modal scales were
used in ALL keys, without worrying about the sharp/flat concept ..... in other words, you can have a tune in "G
Dorian," i.e. the actual tones used would be A - B - C - D - E - F sharp - G - A but it would be conceived as
simply "re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do-re" beginning on "A." This is a difficult concept to grasp, if most of the music you
have heard has been modern popular music. Listen to Steeleye Span's recording of "King Henry" for a good
example of Dorian Mode.
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All of the above modes have "cousin" modes, called "Hypo- (Dorian, Aeolian, Mixolydian &c)" when, rather
than the scale beginning on the lowest tone (as the key-tone) the key-tone is the fourth tone of the scale. These
modes are known as "plagal" modes, and if you wish to know more about them, take a course in Music
Theory....but, FYI:
It is also interesting to note that the IONIAN and AEOLIAN modes, and their plagal counterparts, were
formally recognized at a quite late date, that is in 1547 by Glareanus in his treatise "Dodekachordon," while the
others were supposedly established by St. Ambrose, with St. Gregory adding the corresponding plagals...hence,
"Gregorian" chant.
Welsh and Irish music, however, made great use of the Ionian since before recorded history (we assume from
the old songs remaining, like "Men of Harlech" and "Londonderry Air.")
Just in passing, the harmonies that are three tones apart, the "third" harmonies, were considered "lascivious"
by the Church until the 16th century, and thus were frowned upon. The full chord as we now understand it, the
combination of root, third and fifth, was regarded the same way. The Welsh and Irish seem to have used them
merrily anyway, which figures.
There is also another facet of period music that needs to be mentioned, too, and that is the fact that the tones of
the scale used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance were NOT QUITE THE SAME as the ones we use now......
You see, in the mid-1700's CE, it was realized that some tones that should have harmonized actually did not;
they created a dis- harmony known as a "wolf tone;" a rattling, beating, wobbly sort of sound that messed up
the prettiness of the harmonies.
The reason behind this was that the tones of the scale were not "evenly" spaced; they weren't equidistant from
each other in terms of vibrations per second.
To solve this, the whole scale was revised, and we got the modern "tempered" scale, which has evened out the
scale, in order to eliminate the wolf tones.
The original scales did *not* have even spacing between the notes as it was based on the natural harmonic
series. It was people like Bach who wanted to be able to transpose freely on a single instrument that tempered
the scale by *evening* out the distance between the notes so that every half-step was the same as every other
half-step (hence the "Well Tempered Clavier," a pair of books of preludes and fugues in every key, now able to
be played without retuning the clavier between each piece). This is the scale we use today.
In addition, the tone "A" was arbitarily set at 440 vibrations per second, in order that all musicians could tune
to each other with a minimum of difficulty. This is why it is not really vital for you to tune precisely to "Concert
Pitch" ("A - 440") but rather to the right pitch for the individual harp, unless you are playing with someone
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else.
Experiment with the Old Scale, if you wish. It is most interesting! If you are wondering what the Old Scale
sounds like, listen to Highland bagpipes for a good example of Old Scale Mixolydian mode.
At this point, O Reader, you probably need another drink, so go get one.
Here is more information about modal scales
MINOR SCALES:
Let us now pass to the MINOR scales and keys. You can play in the Aeolian mode, the "natural" minor, by
fingering your I chord (if the harp is tuned to the Ionian mode/"C" scale) beginning on the "la" string.
This chord is an "A minor" chord, the relative minor of "C," the key to which the harp is tuned. The IV chord
is fingered with the first tone of the scale being "la," thus making it minor, also. Notice it is three half-tones
down from the major root.
Play around with finding the V chord....I'm not giving away everything!
By tuning to the proper scale, the relative major of the minor key you wish to play in, you can get almost any
minor key with little difficulty. (i.e. as "C" is the relative major of "Am," so "G" is the relative major of "Em,"
and so forth.
FAKED CHORDS:
Many chords can be "faked" by playing only two tones of the usual three. As long as you have the "root" tone,
you're OK. Simply build the chord with a "root - fifth" or "root - third" relationship, and the subsequent sound
will tide you over....this works well when the third tone, or the fifth, of a chord is a sharp/flat that the harp is not
tuned for.
You may also play what are called "passing" chords. These are chords that fill in the gaps between the I - IV - V
chords (or whatever), and fill out the accompaniment of a song. Just play a few tones of the next chord with your
beginning chord, and sort of slide over into each chord that way, rather than jumping suddenly from chord to
chord. Sounds nice.
Here is an example of the use of passing chords:
1-3-5; 1-3-6; 2-4-6; 2-5-7.
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But there's no way on this green Earth that we can play all three tones of that "B flat" chord without re-tuning,
so..........we play the "F" chord as our I chord, but: WE FINGER IT AS IF WE WERE PLAYING IN THE KEY
OF "C." The fingering pattern does NOT change, as the harp is still tuned in "C."
Cross harp "F": 4 - 6 - 1a
In the same manner, we play the V chord, "C."
Cross harp "C": 1 - 3 - 5
But the "B flat" becomes a faked chord, thusly:
Cross harp "B flat": 4 - 2 - 4a
This works in a similar manner with the other keys/tunings, and is quite fascinating to play around with.
Experiment!
THE SUB-TONIC
:
Much of Irish/Scots music uses a chord relationship called the "sub-tonic." This is common in modal music as a
chordal accompaniment pattern, and is fun to mess with.
It is the relationship between the V chord and the IV chord, and is quite an eerie sound indeed. The
aforementioned "King Henry" song uses this.
The sub-tonic of "G" is "F," the sub-tonic of "D" is "C," and so forth. In order to play a sub-tonic relationship,
we must utilize cross-harp techniques....to play in "G" with the sub-tonic "F" we must tune the harp in "C,"
and play "G" and "F" in normal IV and V patterns. Tuning to other keys gives you other sub-tonic possibilities,
such as tuning to "G" for the "C" and "D" relationship.
Try to create harmonies that are four and/or five tones apart. These are called "fourths" and "fifths," and are
the basis for Gregorian Chant... and work VERY well with a sub-tonic relationship, in a modal scale.
By the way: the sub-tonic occurs naturally in the Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian modes as a major chord, and
in the Phrygian as a minor chord.
*
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down the body of the harp. Keep your elbows down. This is different than modern harp technique.
With the Harp on your left shoulder, the right hand plays the bass tones, and the left hand plays the
treble....usually. Sometimes your hands will need to cross over, for certain runs and effects. Feel free to do this.
The only fingers you will need to play the harp are the thumb, first and third fingers of each hand. Other fingers
may be used for special effects, as you find needful and comfortable. Remember that the advanced techniques
will use more fingers than this, though.
NB: Try to keep the idea in circulation that you can't play a harp and fondle the nearest wench (or that cute
young man, Ladies...) at the same time; not strictly true, of course, and it makes the fondling that much easier....
Keep your fingers at something close to a right angle to the strings. You will be playing with your fingertips.
This is also different than modern harp technique. PLUCK nylon firmly; CARESS wire strings gently.
PRACTICE simply holding your harp, and placing your fingers at the correct angle to the strings. Slide your
arms down and back up the body without letting the harp fall over, and without squeezing it too hard.
Remember: the harp is not to be held strongly, but rather firmly, with gentleness; hold it as you would hold
your lover.
Do not try to achieve the staggering amount of music that the modern Concert Harpist puts out. It can be done,
by an expert, but to be sparing, keeping the music plain and simple, but rippling like the waves of the Ocean
that touches Tir an n'Og, is more in keeping with the style of the Celtic instrument.
arpeggio:
3-i-t
1-3-5
chord:
(3-i-t)
(1-3-5)
This is the backwards Roll. If you reverse this, and start the roll with your thumb, it is a forward Roll. Most of
the old harpers, to the best of our current knowledge, used the forward Roll in preference over the backward.
These are the BASIC moves that almost all advanced technique is built on.
PRACTICE BOTH THESE MOVES, BOTH WITH THE HARP, AND WITHOUT IT.
Notice that this is a different technique than the 3-finger and thumb used by modern harpists....we are not
playing Concert Harp, but, rather, Celtic Harp. The techniques are most emphatically NOT the same! We will
be using 3-finger-and-thumb in some advanced styles (where do you think the Concert Harpists got it?) but
these are basic techniques for simple harping.
These rolls and shakes give you the chordal accompaniment, and also may be used for rhythmic emphasis.
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When you have this move nice and smooth, try picking out a melody on single strings with your left thumb, on
the higher octaves.
Now make your right hand play one string, the lowest tone in the chord, with your third finger, on the first
count of the measure, and "pinch" the two remaining strings (the middle and highest of the chord) on the
second count, with your thumb and second or index finger(s) (in 2/4 or 4/4 time) or pinch on the second and
third count of the measure in 3/4 time.
t (i-3)
5 (1-3)
(4/4 time)
or
t (i-3) (i-3)
5 (1-3) (1-3)
(3/4 time)
You may do the same with the middle tone of the triad played first, and the lowest and highest played together.
i (t-3)
3 (1-5)
(4/4 time)
or
i (t-3) (t-3)
3 (1-5) (1-5)
(3/4 time)
4-t
4-t
(1-4) (2-6)
3-t
3-t
(1-5) (2-7)
PRACTICE THIS LEFT HAND PINCH, BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT THE HARP!
If you are using a wire-strung harp, play with your fingernails as much as possible, and pick gently! If you are
using gut or nylon, grab the strings with your fingertips (JUST the tips!) and pluck them with some force. (If
you use force on brass harp strings, you will either knock them out of tune, or break them.) If you don't have
nails, and you have a wire-strung harp, go ahead and use your fingertips, but, like the Maid said to the Cavalier:
"Be gentle!"
FANCY STUFF:
Try playing the chord with your right hand, someplace in the middle octave of strings,
playing a harmony with your left hand in the higher octaves, and then reaching to the
bass, the lowest octaves, with your LEFT hand, on the off/on beats....kind of like patting
your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time, but, once learned, this is a
magnificent effect on the larger harps.
If you barely touch the string, with your left hand, exactly one-half way down it, and
pluck it with your right hand, and immediately withdraw your left hand finger, you will
get a clear, ringing one octave higher than the tone the string is tuned to. This is called
an "harmonic." It sounds much like bells ringing, and is quite beautiful for special effects.
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the Lanchrobh. Irish Gaelic names are attached. These were written down in the Eighteenth century, but are
very likely to be of earlier origin.
Each set of symbols represents one measure in 4/4 time.
t:
i:
2:
3:
GRACES:
2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3
E-D A-G C-B D-C
the string played by the second is
stopped by the first, and the string
played by the third is stopped by the
second.
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upwards over the strings.
t i 2 3 t i 2 3
D-C-B-A
E-D-C-B
etc.
2 i 3 i 2 i 3 i
Barluith (activity of the fingers): F-G-F-G F-G-F-G
Barluith-beal-an-airdhe (activity of the finger-ends):
2 i 3 i 2 i 3 i 2 i 3 i
D-E-D-E B-C-B-C A-B-A-B
(the string struck by the 3rd finger is damped by
the second finger, 1st string still sounding)
Barluith Fosgalta (activity of finger-tops):
2 i 3 2 i 3 2 i 3 2 i 3
E-G-E F-A-F B-D-B A-C-A
(second finger string damped by first,
first finger string still sounding)
Casluith (returning actively):
3 i 2 3 i 2 3 i 2 3 i 2
F-A-G B-D-C G-B-A A-C-B
(strings instantly damped)
Crothachan mhear (shaking): a rapid tremelo on one string by the
first finger.
Cul-aithris (half shake): i t i i t i i t i
F-G-F G-A-G D-E-D
Tribuilleach (Creathadh Coimhmhear) (triple shake):
2 i 3 i 2 i 3 i 2 i 3 i
F-G-F-G F-G-F-G F-G-F-G
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i 2 3 i 2 3 i 2 3 i 2 3
G-E-D (G-E-D) C-A-E (C-A-E)
Variations of all of these should give you enough of a repetoire of movements to amaze anybody. PRACTICE
THEM UNTIL YOU HURT, because you must have them learned smoothly enough to do them in your sleep.
*
Well, this should, at least, get you started. I cannot pretend to be able to teach all the tricks, but what I have set
down here should serve you as a nice reference, and as a beginning Celtic harp manual.
Good Luck!
Joe Bethancourt
White Tree Productions
PO Box 35190
Phoenix AZ 85069
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When this manual was originally published, in 1976, there were two makers listed, and no retail outlets known.
Boy, how times have gotten better!
*
WHERE TO BUY HARPS: Instrument Makers:
Tucson Folk Shop
Leo Folk Harps
415 N 4th Ave
Tucson, AZ
Ogham Harps
Ballygriffin, Kenmare
Co. Kerry, Eire
Walton's Galleries
2,3,4 & 5 N Fredrick St
Dublin 1, Eire
Caswell Harps
Box 1339
Forestville, CA
95436
Triplett Harps
2220 Suburban Rd Suite B
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401
Witcher Harps
Box 1033
Houlton, ME
04730
Dragonwhispers
Box 211
Mt. Laguna, CA
92048
Dusty Strings
3406 Fremont Ave No.
Seattle, WA
98103
John Yule
Camethy Cottage
Silverburn, Penicuik
Midlothian EH26 9LQ
Scotland
Aoyama Harp
282 Stepstone Hill
Guilford, CT
06437
Salvi Daphne
168 N Ogden Ave
Chicago, IL
60607
Hallelujah Harps
1473 Acequia Barrada W.
Santa Fe, New Mex.
87501
Heartland Strings
2692 Boston Rd
Woodville, WI
54028
Hummingbird Instruments
212 Wayne NW
Albuquerque. NM
87114
Nial Imbusch
13 Woodlawn Dr
Dooradoyle
Magical Strings
Box 4086
Seattle, WA
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Limerick, Eire
98104
Markwood
1250 NE 5th St
Bend, OR
97701
Clive Morley
Goodfellows Farm
Filkins Nr Lechlade
Gloucestershire GR7 3JG
England
James Rydecki
Box 1093
Meadow Vista. CA
95722
Two Sisters
Box 5703
Athens, OH
45701
Woodsong
1840 Acacia Dr
Box 3955
Estes Park, CO
80517
Wold Song
Box AD
Panorama City. CA
91412-1030
WHERE TO BUY HARP CASES:
Many of the listed manufacturers and retail oulets offer cases.
The best cases available, however, are padded "gig-bag" affairs
of nylon Cordura from:
Colorado Cases - soft cases and case covers for any musical instrument
406 Garfield St., Fort Collins, CO 80524 USA
(800) 340-0809 or (970) 221-5714
ColoCase@pobox.com
http://www.ColoradoCase.com
WHERE TO BUY HARPS: Retail outlets:
Lark In The Morning
PO Box 1176
Mendocino, CA
95460
Folkcraft
Box 807
Winstead. CT
06098
Grenadier Music
Box 1128
Seneca. SC
29678
In The Tradition
Box 223
Deer Isle, ME
04627
Loveland Harps
Box 1101
Loveland, CO
80539
Pantile Press
2525 Eastside Ln
Houston, TX
77019
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Paradise Music
556 Paradise Ln
Edmunds. WA
98020
Sue Richards
612 E Linfield Dr
Rockville. MD
20852
FOLK HARPS
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The same, apparently, applied to Scotland, where the Harp was eventually superseded by the fiddle.
In Wales, the Bard was not so lucky. There, the traditions ossified, and the Bards, after the advent of
Christianity, became Court Poets, known as "Gogynfeirdd," or "Prydydd," limited in subject matter and form,
and with rigidly structured rules.
The word that corresponds with the irish "filidh," in Welsh, would be "derwydd," (oak-seer) the word from
which "druid" is derived.
The "hedge-Bards" were the ones that carried on the real traditions of the Bard. These are the people that gave
us the "Cad Goddeu" and the "Hanes Taliesin," and who may have passed the "Matter of Britain" on to the
French troubadors and trouveres, thus giving us Arthur and Camelot.
The word "Bard," in Wales, denoted a master-poet. In Ireland it meant a poet who was not an Ollave, one who
had not taken all the formal training. Apparently even the lower-status Irish Bard was on a level with the Welsh
Bard in knowledge and poetic education, however, and these were what I have termed "hedge-bards," above.
In the Celtic cultures, the Bard/Filidh/Ollave was inviolate. He could travel anywhere, say anything, and
perform when and where he pleased. The reason for this was, of course, that he was the bearer of news and the
carrier of messages, and, if he was harmed, then nobody found out what was happening over the next hill. In
addition, he carried the Custom of the country as memorized verses...he could be consulted in cases of
Customary (Common) Law. He was, therefore, quite a valuble repository of cultural information, news, and
entertainment.
A true Bard must know the following: music (and the playing of a period instrument, preferably Harp), poetry
(original, and other people's), song (original and other people's), the History, Law and Custom of his/her
religion, as much knowledge of modern and medieval history, Law, and custom as they can possibly learn, and
at least a very basic knowledge of linguistics and alphabet/cyphers. Some training in Folklore, and in the art of
Sociology would help, too. See the list of suggested College courses at the end of this book.
They must also have other, more esoteric knowledge, and capabilities, relating to what is talked about in Robert
Graves' book, "The White Goddess." If you wish to explore further in this matter, read the above named book,
and then contact me thru the address given. Remember that this book is written more as poetic metaphor than
as "hard" scholarship, however, but if you see thru the Lapwing, you will understand.
The Bard should investigate the "Matter of Britain" very thoroughly, paying special attention to Sir Gawain,
and to Arthur's Queen. Do a little reading in the Robin Hood cycle, too, with special attention to the village
festivals in Britain that mention him.
Some Bards are "titled," that is, someone, be it another Bard, or whoever, or sometimes (very seldom) the Bard
himself, has given them a bardic "name" or "title," that serves to identify them. Thusly, I am known as "y
bardd Gwyn," "Baird Ban," or "the Whyte Bard." Another was known as "Derwydd Prydain," while even
another has no title at all, and does not want one. Be wary of taking such a title yourself. Allow the giving of
such to happen on its' own, and do NOT take it from a King of any kind!
Each individual Bard will have certain perogatives that they have developed over the years. I, myself, tend to
interrupt a Coronation court (in the SCA) at any time with a poem, or a song, relating to the event. Other Bards
will have other perogatives. Don't try to set yourself up with these; let them happen naturally.
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Tell them to sit on it. This is, and was, an accepted thing to do, is quite legitimate, and very authentic.
Just try to keep the general "sound" as Medieval/Renaissance as possible...admittedly a bit difficult when you
are stealing ** ah ** adapting a rock and roll melody, but it CAN be done....and please encourage others to do
the same.
ON BARDIC CIRCLES:
A Bardic Circle is, simply, a setting for the listeners to entertain each other. This can be with poetry, song, and
stories. All should participate, though it is not necessary for all to contribute to make it a fun thing to do. What
IS necessary is that the number of things done by each person at any one time be limited, to keep the inevitable
"stage-hog" from monopolizing the evening, and to keep the "Awful No-Talent Stage Hog" from running
everyone off.
I recommend that each person be limited to TWO songs, poems or whatever at a time, and then pass on to the
next singer. This keeps it varigated, and interesting, and gives EVERYONE a chance to contribute.
Try to keep discussion to a minimum, but, should it be interesting, let it go on for a while, as a break in the
music. In any event, try to do something different about every hour or so, to allow your listeners to stretch, use
the bathroom, get refreshments, and gossip for a while. This will keep them there longer, and add more fun to
the occasion.
I also suggest that you learn how to work two excellent rhythm instruments: the Bodhran, or Irish hand-drum,
and the Bones. There are some songs that are just not suitable for the delicacy of the Harp, and these two
instruments will fill that gap.
The other instrument that is useful is the Octave Mandolin (also known as Irish Bouzouki or Irish Cittern.)
These are fun, and quite easily played.
OGHAM
* Irish inscriptory writing *
____________________________
I II III IIII IIIII
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HARPS
A final note: Don't use your harp for slicing cheese. It makes the strings soggy.
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