Buy a Bodhran Sale to Show Off Your Irish Pride
Some musical instruments take longer to learn than the bodhran; therefore it makes an ideal starting instrument!
Avoid purchasing bodhrans with painted heads as this can alter their sound quality significantly, even if just one piece is present on its edge. A quality bodhran head should produce a deep and soothing tone for optimal playing performance.
Buying a Bodhran
Bodhrans are stunning Irish gifts. Crafted of round goatskin drum shell mounted to a wooden hoop frame with crossed bars across the back for support, their beautiful appearance often includes designs such as Celtic spirals or GAA county colors or family coats of arms on their skin – these decorative elements do not alter sound production in any way! Even professional players often have gorgeously decorated drums.
The highest-quality bodhrans come from skilled artisans, but you can still find good ones at reasonable prices. A great way to select one is to ask an accomplished player for guidance; but be wary about buying sight unseen online; many sellers do not have your best interest at heart or may even be fraudulent.
Consideration should also be given to the size of the bodhran you buy; it should fit comfortably on your body without being too big or small.
Bodhran Accessories
The Bodhran is at the core of Irish music and can also serve as a beautiful decorative piece. Many bodhrans feature intricate Celtic spiral designs, GAA county colors or family coats of arms; all fantastic ways to show your Irish pride! Painted drums don’t affect sound production – even professional players use painted drums!
A bodhran consists of a shallow wooden frame covered with goatskin stretched over it, usually treated with cow manure; other options for material include calf, greyhound or kangaroo skin. There are various frame styles available and depth adjustment.
Bodhrans were widely recognized during the Irish traditional music resurgence of the 1960s, thanks primarily to Sean O Riada who added them as legitimate musical instruments in Ceoltoiri Chualann group and refined its playing technique while adding newer, subtler sounds; his followers such as Peadar Mercier and Johnny McDonagh also helped improve its capabilities further.
Bodhran Maintenance
Most bodhrans are made of leather, typically goat skin. Leather requires special care in climates with dry winters to avoid becoming overly dried out.
To keep your bodhran in great shape, apply leather conditioner cream liberally on both sides of the drum head and rub it into its surface using a soft lint free cloth. This will tighten skin pores while simultaneously improving tone quality of your instrument.
Some bodhran players use another method for tightening their instrument: heating it for short bursts with low-grade heating sources such as a hair dryer or radiator. This will cause its skin to tighten briefly before loosening as it cools back down; repeat as necessary until reaching an optimal tension between deep rich bass tone and ease of playing – but take caution not to over-tighten as overdoing this can crack or tear the instrument!
Bodhran Learning
No matter if you want to pursue professional bodhran playing or simply enjoy it with friends, learning and practicing as often as possible will help you attain the level of technical competence desired, while making playing even more enjoyable.
Learning an instrument takes time and dedication. Many people pick up instruments out of desire to join the music, without dedicating enough effort towards becoming proficient. With your hard work you could become an accomplished bodhran player quickly!
Beginning by seeking out a teacher or series of online lessons to master the correct playing techniques. Also listen to as many different bodhran players as you can so as to gain inspiration and learn from their individual styles. There are also several books and DVDs available that will aid your learning experience with this instrument.
