Take full advantage of your bodhran with these free online lessons from McNeela Instruments – they will have you playing traditional Irish music sessions in no time!

Plauded with over 100 five-star reviews, this responsive tuneable bodhran offers lush tone and deep resonance for exceptional performance. Includes lightweight beater and premium accessories as well as sustainably sourced goatskin.

The Bodhran

Bodhrans are frame drums. There has been some speculation that they were used in warfare as an instrument to strike fear into enemy lines; however, there is no direct evidence for this claim. Instead, it may have evolved from skin trays used for transporting peat and potatoes.

Today the bodhran has become an international percussion instrument and it is easy to get started playing this versatile instrument with good, affordable instruments readily available and many workshops and online videos to teach beginners. There have also been innovative bodhran makers and players who have expanded the boundaries of playing styles.

One such player is Seamus O’Kane from Dungiven in County Londonderry. He developed the internal tone ring system as a means of combatting damp conditions; today this approach is widely utilized by drum manufacturers.

Origins

Though now an integral component of Irish music, the bodhran is relatively recent invention. Though frame drums have existed since 3000BC in various cultures around the world, bodhrans only became widely popular in Ireland after Sean O Riada integrated one into his Ceoltoiri Chualann ensemble during the 1960s.

The bodhran is a circular wooden frame equipped with either a goatskin or synthetic drumhead that allows players to control pitch and resonance by placing their hand inside its frame while striking its drumhead with either a beater or their fingers.

Ronan was raised in a family steeped in Irish culture and tradition. At an early age he discovered his interest for music through busking on Dublin streets; eventually forming the Kila Band with fellow musicians.

The Skin

The skin serves as the outer covering for our bodies, protecting us from things such as cold air and sun rays while providing tactile sensations like touch, pressure and pain.

Ronan, one of McNeela Instruments’ expert bodhran players, has long provided accompaniment for group musical sessions. Over time he has built up an extensive catalog of recordings as both an individual artist and with Kila band.

He is an integral part of Dublin music scene and provides free online lessons to beginners and advanced players alike for Bodhran playing. Our tunable Bodhrans use Lambeg or Vellum goatskin from healthy animals that is sustainably harvested before being treated, cured and shaped for maximum sound performance.

The Frame

The frame of a bodhran is its outer surface, typically made of either wood or metal and featuring a cross bar to secure its skins in place.

Possible link between the frame and druidic drum are still open for debate; one thing is certain though; today’s Bodhran was invented in Ireland.

Ceoltoiri Chualann (later the Chieftains) brought revolution to Irish bodhran-playing when their revolutionary playing of the instrument catapulted it to new heights. Their rhythmic and musical playing brought traditional Irish music out from behind its borders and gave it new life worthy of theatres and concert halls alike. Additionally, during this era bodhran-making became a cottage industry.

The Tuning

Paraic McNeela has amassed more than 100 five-star reviews for his striking tuneable bodhran, boasting handcrafted 4.5″ rim with added wood for extra strength and easy tuning, arm cut-out, t-bar (removable if preferred) to create rich deep tones with flexible volume control, offering unrivaled tone control – perfect for musicians at all levels of experience. Plus it comes taped around its edges for extended harmonic range!

It comes complete with a hardwood bulbous beater and lightweight gig bag for convenient transport, and comes backed with our exclusive online bodhran lessons with Ronan O Snodaigh as well as our 1-year guarantee!

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