Tippers for your bodhran have a significant effect on its sound, making it necessary to experiment with various tippers in order to find one best suited to your playing style.

The Bodhran first gained wide renown in the 1960s after musicians like The Chieftains began using it. Since then, new styles and techniques have emerged for its use.

Hard tippers

The type of beater used when playing a bodhran has a significant effect on its sound and feel. While wood may have some limited influence, beaters’ styles determine their effectiveness across a variety of playing styles: soft-ended beaters produce muted sounds perfect for gentle performances while hard-ended ones deliver sharp strikes more suitable for dynamic musical performances.

The Bodhran is a drum composed of a circular frame covered with goatskin, played using a tipper stick. While its skin provides most of its sound, its beater plays an essential part in creating rhythm and texture through striking, tapping or scraping movements. Tipper types vary considerably in feel and sound, making it essential for players to experiment until they find one which complements their playing style perfectly. Hot rod tippers with thin dowels tied together are an excellent starting point; their dowels can be tightened or loosened for different tones and wider dowels produce softer clicks while closer together create harder sounds similar to hard beaters.

Soft tippers

While it is possible to play the bodhran by hand, many modern Irish bodhran players prefer using a beater (also referred to as a stick, tipper or cipin). There are various kinds of beaters on the market which each produce unique sounds when struck against the bodhran.

Wood selection does not directly impact the sound produced by a bodhran beater; however, its comfort in your hand has a substantial impact on how it plays. Stevie Moises has collaborated with experienced players in developing various series of bodhran beaters over time.

Hot rod style beaters have quickly become an increasingly popular trend. Constructed of several thin rods bundled together and featuring an ergonomic handle, they create a much softer sound than hard tippers with their distinctive percussive click. Some models even allow users to adjust the solidity of their rods by tightening or loosening them for more versatile sound options.

Hot rod tippers

Bodhran beaters can range from inexpensive beginner options designed by famous musicians, to those made of exotic woods that may cost several times as much. Their weight and feel can have a dramatic impact on how the beater works – experimentation is essential when searching for one to fit your playing style and comfort needs.

Although wood used in making bodhran sticks has no direct bearing on sound production, its feel and weight may have an impact. For optimal performance, an ideal beater should be lightweight, comfortable in your hand, long enough for experienced players to execute rolls and triplets without excessive wrist strain, with features like sloped sides to facilitate easier gripping or weighted ends that help alleviate wrist stress. Some beaters also feature thin dowels which can be tightened or loosened to alter sound output – wider ones producing softer sounds while closer dowels create sounds similar to traditional hard beaters.

Leather tippers

Material used has little bearing on sound production, but can have an outsized influence on how the tipper feels and looks in your hand and overall appearance. Therefore, it’s essential that you find one that complements both your playing style and grip preferences.

Over recent years, Irish bodhran players have increasingly adopted hot rod beaters – which consist of multiple rods connected together and can create an intense sound when struck against the skin.

These beaters are extremely flexible and feature a mechanism to tighten or loosen the dowels to create different sounds. As close together as they are, softer beaters with percussive clicks are heard more easily while wider apart beaters produce harder hits. Some models even come fitted with front rings to increase solidity and sound more like hard wooden sticks while some come equipped with cores for increased bass volume.

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