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from Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840), Page 26: Double notes, chords, etc. for the right hand.
Irish Ladhar
spoken by Gráinne Yeats
Scottish Gaelic ladhar
spoken by Tony Dilworth
Click the play button to hear it spoken. help
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“With forked fingers, first and third fingers, an octave.” Simon Chadwick 2008 |
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 (first half of the video clip). 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) (second half of the video clip above)
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