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This section will help you revise the traditional music of the British Isles - folk music that has been passed down from generation to generation, rarely written down, and performed and listened to by ordinary people.
Traditional instruments
Different folk instruments have developed in different parts of the British Isles.
Traditional instruments: pibgorn, concertina, bodhran, bagpipes, penny whistle, banjo, northumbrian pipes
Traditional instruments
| Instrument | Description |
|---|---|
| Concertina | This is an instrument similar to an accordion, without a keyboard, popular especially in English folk. |
| Banjo | This is a 5-stringed plucked instrument that originated in America and became popular in modern British folk music. |
| Penny Whistle | This is popular in Celtic folk music. The modern penny whistle is derived from earlier cousins: the hornpipe, pipcorn, flageol, tin whistle and other versions, fashioned from bone, clay, reed, bamboo, ivory, wood or metal. |
| Northumbrian Pipes | Air is pumped into a bag under one arm, and then squeezed by the other to let air pass through the chanters, to produce sound. Developed in Northumbria and used mainly in English folk music. |
| Bagpipes | This is a traditional Scottish instrument. Air is blown throw a pipe into a bag and squeezed by the players arm. This forces the air into the pipes. Melody played on the chanter, which has finger holes, while the fixed pitch drone pipe sounds a drone [Drone: A note that is sustained or repeated throughout a section of music. ]. |
| Fiddle | This is a violin most recognised in Scottish and Irish folk music but also used in English folk music. |
| Bodhran | This is an Irish drum played with a stick called a tipper. |
| Pibgorn | This is a Welsh hornpipe. A wooden pipe with 6 finger holes and a thumbhole. There is a horn bell at one end to project the sound, and a horn wind cap at the other to collect and funnel the wind through a reed. The reed used is a split cane reed like that found in the drone of a bagpipe |
Links
On bbc.co.uk
On the web
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