Celtic Music ReviewsCeltic MP3s Music Magazine is a free weekly Celtic music & mp3 magazine featuring free music downloads of Celtic, Scottish, Irish music from around the world. Subscribe for a chance to win free Celtic CDs. Don't just download. Autoharp Joins the List of Celtic Music Instruments
Fans of this Celtic music magazine are probably familiar with a strange sound coming from my band, the Brobdingnagian Bards--the autoharp. It was invented in the late 1800s (see The True History of the Autoharp) and it's no stranger to Celtic music.
The autoharp is a triangular-shaped stringed instrument that became popular in the early part of the 20th century. It's simple design and fairly quite sound made it popular with folk singers, including The Carter Family in the 40s and gained a resurgence during the Folk Revival of th 60s where Janis Joplin and Lovin Spoonful took the instrument to new levels. But it wasn't until the 70s when Bryan Bowers came along that the autoharp world was torn open and autoharpist invaded the Celtic music world. Sure, you've heard of the bouzouki, banjo, and guitar in Celtic music. They are all fairly popular imports, but the autoharp is still relatively unheard of... well, maybe not as much as you'd think anyways. I've done my best to show how it's a magnificent instrument with Scottish & Irish folk songs, but quite honestly, I don't begin to compare to some autoharper's out there who are performing Irish reels and jigs at full-speed. So I've compiled a list of autoharp CDs below that feature a variety of Celtic autoharp music. Celtic Music and the Autoharp: Mike Herr / Carolos Plumley: Gander in the Pratie Hole and Hawthorn This incredible duo combine autoharp and fiddle in a magical way, and let me tell you, the fiddle is not always the lead instrument as they knock through dozens of popular reels, jigs, and aires. Bryan Bowers: Home, Home on the Road While this album is mostly a folk album, it shows the early beginnings of Bryan Bower's five finger autoharp style tackling "Flowers of Edinburgh". I also point out this album because if you've ever heard "The Scotsman" on the radio, you probably heard Bryan Bowers. Bryan is the man who popularized Mike Cross' hilarious song about a drunken Scotsman and a blue ribbon. Karen Mueller: Autoharp Gourmet, Still Point, and Clarity Karen Mueller is the leading authority on the Celtic autoharp. So much so, she even published a book called, Celtic Autoharp where you can learn how she makes her fingers dance around the strings in order to play Celtic tunes fast. Absolutely essential for anyone interested in learning to play Celtic music on the autoharp, or for anyone who's just wanting to play autoharp music better. Autoharp Legacy If you really want to try a sampling of great autoharp music all around, then check out Autoharp Legacy. This non-profit CD set was produced in party by Bryan Bowers. It features over 50 of the greatest autoharpers worldwide. It's goal? To share autoharp music with the world. That's why you'll find it is a 3-CD set with over SIXTY songs and tunes. The styles range from folk songs, old-time country ballads, bluegrass fiddle tunes, Irish jigs, and Swedish dance tunes, to jazz standards, gospel, blues, or Latin-flavored favorites. This is a brilliant album for any autoharp enthusiasts or anyone wanting to learn more about the autoharp. If you're interested in other Celtic autoharp CDs, I've compiled a collection of CDs by contemporary autoharpists. To find out which actually perform Celtic music or a derivative, you can search through the list or just ask. I'll be happy to make some more great recommendations. Oh! Someone asked me recently. "Are there any contemporary Celtic music groups that have an autoharp?" While I haven't seen anyone use the autoharp quite like I mentioned above, probably the coolest band I've seen was The Pogues on Rum, Sodom, & the Lash. Check out "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" as one fun example. And keep your ears open. The autoharp pops up all over the place when you least expect it. Labels: articles
--posted by Marc Gunn, Thursday, July 08, 2004. Find Celtic Free Music Downloads from the Brobdingnagian Bards. |
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