Celtic Instruments

Typical instruments used in Celtic music include:

fiddle
harp
bagpipes
hammered dulcimer
accordian-like intruments
mandolin & similar instruments
and...

flutes & drums

penny whistle		bodhrán

Perhaps no type of flute is more Celtic than the penny whistle.
It is also called tin whistle, flageolet, feadóg, or Belfast hornpipe.
It is a simple six-hole flute that is blown into from one end.
That sounds much like a rudimentary description of a native American flute.
However, it is made of metal rather than wood, so the sound is very different.
I have heard James Galway play beautiful music on a cheap tin whistle.

The most distinctive type of drum from Celtic music is the bodhrán.
The circular frame is open on one side and covered by an animal-skin head on the other.
The left hand is held against the head on the open side in ways that control its sound.
The right hand holds a beater made of wood, or the player strikes the head with a bare hand.
When a beater (a.k.a. tipper) is used, a wide range of grips and strokes are employed.
The vocal group Celtic Woman loves to feature male bodhrán players in their shows.

~ FURTHER READING ~

The Celtic peoples are mainly from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and a bit of France.

Traditional Celtic folk music includes:
Reels, e.g. "Drowsy Maggie"
Strathspeys, e.g. "Loch Lomond"
Pibrochs, e.g. "I Got a Kiss of the King's Hand"
Hornpipes, e.g. "Sailor's Hornpipe" (think Popeye)
Waulking Songs, e.g. the ever-popular "Chuir M'Athair Mise Dhan Taigh Charraideach"