What is a Tunable Bodhran?
Tuning a bodhran drum requires tightening or loosening its skin to change its tone – much like tightening guitar strings.
Soaking the skin with water can also help loosen it, as if the instrument is too tight it will sound tinny; while if too slack it may make playing difficult and lead to damage.
Internal vs. External Tunable
For beginners starting out on bodhran, budget will likely determine which model of drum you can purchase. Spending extra can make an immense difference to how your drum sounds and feels when playing it – as can spending more on upgrading its features to ensure greater comfort during use.
Tunable bodhrans feature lugs pressing against an inner hoop that can be tightened or loosened to modify tension, unlike non-tunable instruments which usually change pitch by dampening their skin which only changes its pitch while not altering tension.
This 18” Sheesham Bodhran with Inside Tuning is an ideal choice for beginners or anyone seeking high-quality instruments. The natural goatskin head makes tuning simple and comes equipped with both a beater and allen key for easy use – perfect as a gift to any bodhran player!
Frequency Gaps
Tuning a bodhran means tensioning its skin evenly across its surface so that all overtones have clear structure, providing optimal mixing when playing alongside other instruments in groups or studio recordings.
Tuning also allows the drum to maintain its shape in wet weather and not become thin or sratchy, sounding crisper and fuller compared to an untunable bodhran.
As a beginner bodhran player, it may be tempting to opt for the more budget-conscious entry level drum, but investing in something slightly more costly could greatly enhance your learning process, the quality of tone produced, and how comfortable playing feels – an investment which will stand the test of time!
Natural Vibrations
Natural vibrations produced by various components such as reinforcement frames, tuning pegs and tuning screws affect the overall frequency spectrum of bodhrans. This may cause frequency gaps due to cancellation or amplifying specific frequencies.
An effective bodhran player must always consider all elements that impact the sound of their instrument, from internal tuning to external. Even small adjustments can drastically enhance tone and quality.
Good bodhran players should keep in mind that their drum is an integral component of music, meant to accompany melody players and tunes, rather than leading or taking over them. This is especially important during sessions with multiple melody and bodhran players at once – too many bodhrans can become distracting and make it difficult to follow the tune, leading some listeners to lose interest altogether! A bodhran should never lead or solo but rather match and embellish its melody instead.
Tightness
A bodhran’s skin is highly responsive to humidity. If exposed to too much moisture, its skin tightens rapidly, sounding similar to a kitchen pot or high tom-tom; in dry climates however, its skin becomes loose enough that playing is almost unplayable.
Adjusting the pitch of non-tuneable bodhrans requires various approaches, with regular application of Neatsfoot oil, dubbin or lanolin being one of the most efficient. Not only will this keep skin in good condition and prolong its life but will also keep pitch adjustments under control.
Before playing their bodhrans, some players wet them down with water (or beer!), in an attempt to temporarily lower its pitch. While this does work temporarily, overdoing it will eventually cause shrinking and tear on the drum itself.
Some players swear by using Guinness or Bass IPA to loosen tight bodhran skins, but this is definitely not recommended as sugar will clog up pores of skin and prevent necessary drainage. A quick treatment with water from a spray bottle works just as effectively.
