Critical Review - Thomas F. Johnson's "The Social Context of Irish Folk Instruments"

In his article, T.F Johnson details the history and modern application of those instruments that are considered "traditional" in Ireland: the tin whistle, the harp, the fiddle, the Uillean pipes, the accordion, and the bodhran.

The usage of the tin whistle (or instruments similar to the tin whistle) dates back as far as the 13th century, when archaeologists have determined bone whistles called feadans were played in Ireland. Today, the most popular form of tin whistle consists of a cylinder of tin with a plastic mouthpiece. The length of the tin whistle is indicative of the set of pitches it is capable of playing, with longer tin whistles being in the keys of C or D and shorter whistles in F. They consist of six holes which are capable of playing the entire series of chromatic semitones, but are usually used in a diatonic fashion due the rapidity of melody playing that prevents key transpositions that require careful "forking" and "half-holing". In the commonly used Sligo style of flute/tin whistle playing, "rolls" are often performed, which consists of using neighbor tones to embellish the main tones of a melody.

The Irish harp, a "major national emblem" of Ireland (47), dates back to the 9th century and are used frequently by contemporary/recent folk-rock bands such as the Chieftains and Clannad. The use of the harp is highly symbolic in that it represents a "traditional", ancient Ireland and attempts at retention and revitalization of such an Ireland.

The Uillean pipes, or bagpipes, date as far back as the 11th century. The pipes utilize a continuous "drone" that underlies the melody of the pipes and serves as accompaniment. Competitive pipe bands flourish in six of Ireland's northern counties as they battle to express "tribal identity" (49); the pipes are associated with Irish national identity. Pipes are not consistenly used in Irish seisiuns due to their expense, finicky tuning, difficulty of playing.

The fiddle (violin) arrived in Ireland sometime after the 16th century. Irish fiddle, though often times the same actual instrument as the orchestral violin, is played very differently from the violin: it is "not held under the chin but drops at a distinct slope from and below the shoulder of the player... the neck is supported in the ball of the left hand... the bow is held rigidly over the nut, and its use is restricted mainly to the upper third of its length (51)." Though there are many regional styles of fiddle playing, all involve "rolls, slurs, glissandi, and other embellishments" that differentiate fiddle playing from violin playing (51). Double-stops, or the playing of two strings simultaneously, are common in Irish instrumental music. The fiddle, because it is fairly affordable, rich in sound, and reasonably loud, is often a prominent lead instrument at Irish seisiuns.

The accordion is generally pitched in C and is capable of spanning over two octaves. The accordion is played by expanding and compressing its bellows, which allows for two methods of playing: altering the direction of expansion/compression with the introduction of a new note, or the continued expansion/compression while many notes are played (which is particularly helpful in faced paced Irish instrumental music).

The bodhran is a type of drum that dates back to the 13th century. The bodhran is "a shallow wooden hoop at the rear of which are two crossbars at right angles. Over this frame is stretch a tough but elastic goatskin" (57). The bodhran is played with a stick in one hand while the other hand moves up and down on the back side to the drum to alter the drum's pitch. The bodhran is one of the most common accompanying instruments in Irish folk music.

In a brief discussion of seisiuns, Johnson notes that instruments are not usually sectioned off instrument type, but rather an intermingling of melody players occurs (who play in unison). Accompanying instruments are grouped together slightly separate from the melody players.

These instruments "represent the Irish nostalgic and sometimes tragic past" and often seen as symbols of Irish identity (58).

Question: instruments like the guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass are not considered traditional in Irish music but are often utilized in "traditional" seisiuns. What does this suggest about tradition? Are those who value tradition open to changes and alterations? Can something be traditional and new/progressive at the same time?