Reader

In the recent episode of Zeitgeist Radio, Iain and Cara drop a LOT of instruments. Some of them you likely know: fiddle, guitar, flute. Some you've likely heard of, like tin whistle and bagpipes. But bouzouki? Bodhrán? Uilleann pipes?

Here are 3 Irish instruments you may not know much about!

Bouzouki

The Irish bouzouki is based off a Greek bouzouki, which is based off an older instrument called a tambouras, which is related to a lute.

Its influence on Irish music is actually pretty recent. The original Greek bouzouki had 3 pitches (6 paired strings), tuned D-A-D. In the 20th century some musicians added a 4th tone, C-F-A-D.

A performer named Johnny Moynihan started using the bouzouki in his Irish band in the 1960s, but with a return to a slightly modified original tuning: G-D-A-D. Almost immediately, the Irish started building their own designs specifically for their music.

Bodhrán

The bodhrán is a traditional Irish frame drum played with a double-headed stick called a tipper. It is handheld using crossbars in the back of the drum.

Uilleann pipes

The Irish version of the bagpipe is called Uilleann pipes. These pipes are quieter than regular bagpipes and can be played indoors and sitting down.

When playing a regular bagpipe, the pipers must blow into a bag, which they then compress with their arm to fill the pipes. The Uillean pipes are instead filled by a system of bellows filled with the right arm. This allows players to sing while playing!