back prev next Irish harp terms from Bunting
from Edward Bunting, Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840)
Irish Ladhar láir spoken by Gráinne Yeats Scottish Gaelic ladhar làir spoken by Tony Dilworth Click the play button to hear it spoken. help This right hand (bass) figure is identical to the left hand (treble figure) bolsgan. As a descending sequence, the two fingers used can slide to the notes above to silence them Simon Chadwick 2008 Ladhar lair - Middle of hand The genitive form of lár, the usual Irish for 'middle', is láir, here used adjectivally, as it often is, to mean 'central' or 'of the centre' (thus 'central space between fingers'). Bunting's English is therefore not strictly accurate, but maybe it is close enough: the footnote tells us that the chords are played 'By first and second fingers'. See also Ladhar. Colm Ó Baoill 2002
Click the play button to hear it spoken. help
This right hand (bass) figure is identical to the left hand (treble figure) bolsgan. As a descending sequence, the two fingers used can slide to the notes above to silence them
Simon Chadwick 2008
Ladhar lair - Middle of hand
The genitive form of lár, the usual Irish for 'middle', is láir, here used adjectivally, as it often is, to mean 'central' or 'of the centre' (thus 'central space between fingers'). Bunting's English is therefore not strictly accurate, but maybe it is close enough: the footnote tells us that the chords are played 'By first and second fingers'.
See also Ladhar.
Colm Ó Baoill 2002