The bodhran is an engaging Celtic drum with many uses, from playing it for fun to hanging it on the wall as decoration. Make sure that when purchasing one, make sure it has adjustable tuning capabilities so it stays tuned to you!

Tunable bodhrans allow players to mechanically change the tone of the drum by pressing against or withdrawing from its skin, and can then be permanently tuned for a specific tone.

External Tunable

Bodhrans can be quickly tuned from outside their rim with tuning hardware. These parts typically use screws attached to metal rings that encircle the skin that can be tightened or loosened; this method prevents drummers from striking the edge of the drum, which could damage sound quality; additionally, this faster tuning method beats internal-tunable versions.

Professional musicians typically utilize this bodhran. It’s quick and simple to set up, making it great for any type of rhythm. To gain inspiration, watch your favourite bodhran player perform. Watching his or her technique will help improve your playing of beats while enriching the learning experience.

Natural skins reach a point in which they become too dry or wet for playability, with loosening the frame on a bodhran with dry skin making it dead while tightening on one that has wet skin only stretching it further. A tuning mechanism provides a solution to deal with these situations in between.

Internal Tunable

Bodhrans equipped with internal tuning mechanisms allow players to maintain control of the tone of their drum regardless of atmospheric conditions by employing an inner ring that can be tightened or loosened for speed adjustment. This feature gives musicians more precise control of tone when changing speeds during performance.

Bodhran players frequently cover the rim of their drum with electrical tape from their drum-maker in order to reduce edge-loading and dampen unwanted overtones, and gradually adjust their skin pitch as atmospheric conditions fluctuate. This allows a more gradual and controlled method for pitch adjustment of their skins.

Natural bodhran skins reach an equilibrium point where they’re too wet or dry for playability, with loosening the skin resulting in either dead sounding, stretched hide, or both. To combat this problem, many players wet their bodhrans before playing using either water or beer saturating; repeated saturation risks cracking or splitting of the skin and could ultimately result in tonal loss as well as cracking/splitting of its surface.

Water Tunable

Due to cost considerations, most bodhrans aren’t tunable. However, wet and dry techniques allow one to alter its speed in a non-tunable drum for speed changes without altering pitch significantly. This process can be completed quickly.

This method can also be used to rejuvenate a worn out bodhran when its tone becomes discordant with frequent playing, by gradually tightening and tightening gently so as not to damage its skin. After this procedure is complete, dubbin or another form of lubricant should be applied so as to make the drum less susceptible to humidity changes and keep humidity fluctuations from having such an adverse impact on it.

A bodhran can also be made more responsive by adding strips of cardboard between its skin and rim, increasing friction and changing tone of drum. However, caution must be exercised as overdoing it may result in permanent tears to hide covering.

Oil Tunable

Electrical tape can often be seen applied to the rims of bodhrans by their makers or owners to reduce edge-loading and dampen unwanted overtones, providing more consistent tonal qualities to their sound.

Before playing a bodhran, it’s common practice to oil it prior to use in order to lessen humidity fluctuations and make the skin less sensitive to changes. Oil can be applied both inside and outside of its skin for maximum effect; dubbin may also be available from shoe and ski repair shops for this task.

Water or beer may also help temporarily lower the pitch of a bodhran by wetting its surface before playing, though its effects will not last as long as oiling. Wetting may also increase skin tearing more readily from its tacks – to avoid this we recommend conditioning with Mink Oil available from most shoe repair and leather goods stores – on both inside and outside surfaces of your drum to condition its hides before you begin playing again.

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