back prev next Irish harp terms from Bunting
from Edward Bunting, Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840)
For Irish pronounciation see Ladhar Lair Scottish Gaelic ladhar spoken by Tony Dilworth Click the play button to hear it spoken. help Ladhar is the second item under the heading "Double notes, chords, etc. (...) For the right hand" on page 26. When played as printed as an ascending sequence by Bunting on a Gaelic harp, the long resonance of the bass strings makes this figure musically unusable. We might follow Ann Heymann in assuming Ladhar became confused with Glas; we could play descending octaves by playing 2 and 4, while damping/placing with 1 and 3 (or in Bunting's system, play 1 and 3, place + and 2). This is Ann's "Forked Finger technique" as explained in her books Coupled Hands for Harpers (2001) and Secrets of the Gaelic Harp (1988): Black notes are sounded, red notes are silently placed. Simon Chadwick 2004 Ladhar - Spread hand Ladhar is essentially 'space between toes or fingers', but its meaning has also spread to cover 'claw', 'clawed hand', 'fork' and 'crotch' (Ó Dónaill). On p.34 we find Laghar, 'Spread hands, with forked fingers'. Colm Ó Baoill 2002
Click the play button to hear it spoken. help
Ladhar is the second item under the heading "Double notes, chords, etc. (...) For the right hand" on page 26. When played as printed as an ascending sequence by Bunting on a Gaelic harp, the long resonance of the bass strings makes this figure musically unusable. We might follow Ann Heymann in assuming Ladhar became confused with Glas; we could play descending octaves by playing 2 and 4, while damping/placing with 1 and 3 (or in Bunting's system, play 1 and 3, place + and 2). This is Ann's "Forked Finger technique" as explained in her books Coupled Hands for Harpers (2001) and Secrets of the Gaelic Harp (1988):
Black notes are sounded, red notes are silently placed.
Simon Chadwick 2004
Ladhar - Spread hand
Ladhar is essentially 'space between toes or fingers', but its meaning has also spread to cover 'claw', 'clawed hand', 'fork' and 'crotch' (Ó Dónaill). On p.34 we find Laghar, 'Spread hands, with forked fingers'.
Colm Ó Baoill 2002
