Téad leagaidh
There are only two Gaelic terms exclusive of the 'fuáil' nomenclature which identify given
tunings and they are used to denote all natural tuning and one sharp tuning. Bunting does
not make this pair of terms into a set of three with a further name for a tuning of two sharps or
with a name of specific reference for any string being used to produce c#.
The term 'téad leagaidh' or 'falling string' applies to an all natural tuning. 'An téad leagaidh'
('the falling string') is the FF. The full term 'gléas an téad leagaidh' never appears in Bunting
and the general linguistic use of the Irish term is unclear with regard to tuning.
Bunting interprets the words 'téad leagaidh' as 'falling string' and this is a good idiomatic
translation of the Irish probably provided to him by the harpers. The Gaelic verb 'leag' does
not literally mean 'fall' ('tuit' in Gaelic) but 'lay, set, knock down, lower'. The 'duis' (drones) of
the Highland bagpipes, when in tune with each other, can be said to be 'air an aon leagadh'
(on the same setting). The Irish word for a musical setting or a setting of mechanical controls
etc is 'leagan'.
'An téad leagaidh' (FF) becomes 'an téad leagtha' (EE) when retuned. In the harper's
terminology, it is ostensibly the string which is 'leagtha' (set down) and only by implication the
note. Thus the word may be related more specifically to the action on the string rather than to
the effect on the pitch of the string although the two effects are of course related.
Bunting mentions no 'gléas an téad leagtha' or 'fallen string key'. He only makes clear that
one string has two names, 'an téad leagaidh' (the string of lowering) when tuned to F and 'an
téad leagtha' (the lowered string) when tuned to EE and that 'téad leagaidh' was the name of a
key. 'Gléas an téad leagaidh' ('falling string' tuning) can be posited as a possible name for the
all natural tuning using the 'téad leagaidh', the higher pitch FF of the 'falling string', as
opposed to the lower pitch EE of the 'téad leagtha' ('fallen string') with an all natural tuning.
However, whether the old harpers made use of such a complete phrase in conversation is not
clear.
The 'téad leagaidh' (string of lowering) and 'téad leagtha' (lowered string) seem to have been
chosen over:-
the linguistic opposite:
FF an téad tógtha (the raised string)
EE an téad tógála' (the string of raising)
the neutral terms:
FF an téad tógtha (the raised string)
EE an téad leagtha (the lowered string)
Notably, none of the Welsh harp music manuscripts notate the pitch EE, and this seems to
indicate that the Welsh tradition mirrored the Gaelic tradition in lacking a string named
normatively after that diatonic position. Ann Heymann has pointed out that the names given
by Bunting for the string are more meaningful if the theoretical starting point of the Gaelic
harp's tuning system is considered to be 'gléas an téad leagaidh' –'falling string key'- where
the string in question is tuned to FF, rather than 'leithghléas' which Bunting describes as the
'proper' or 'natural key' of the instrument and where the string is tuned to EE. The gradation
perceivable in the epithets used with 'fuáil' – ie, 'beag' (little) rising to 'mór' (big) - might also
implicate 'fuáil bheag', ie, all naturals, as a primary tuning.