The Bodhran – The Heartbeat of Irish Music
The Bodhran is an integral component of Irish traditional music. With a long and distinguished history as a utility drum, its skillful player can evoke various emotions with this instrument.
Muzikkon offers a selection of bodhrans suitable for players of all skill levels and musical genres, making the instrument accessible and creatively expressive for musicians of any musical discipline.
Origin
The Bodhran is an ancient drum with numerous uses across different cultures. Known for being at the core of Irish music and cultural festivals alike, its use has become part of national pride and tourism promotion efforts in Ireland.
Long since, speculations have swirled that the bodhran may have come from either European tambourines or North African frame drums like Bendir. Through various playing techniques, bodhran players can create various sounds ranging from sobs to merriness to ringing beats on this instrument usually played either with hands alone or using wooden beaters known as cipins.
History
While other drums were employed in Irish music prior to the bodhran’s arrival on the scene in 1960s folk revival, Sean O’Riada popularised this instrument through Ceoltoiri Chualann ensemble as its centrepiece.
He introduced the modern style of playing the bodhran that remains popular today. To reduce edge-loading and dampen unwanted overtones, tape is often placed around its rim for enhanced sound production; this allows players to produce an array of tones on the drum through either their hand, beater stick or cipin.
Techniques
Bodhran drums can evoke many different emotions when played well by talented musicians, from urgent taps to melodious ringing beats. This can be accomplished using various techniques – one being “spare hand.”
To play a bodhran, place its frame in your left hand and the stick (as though holding a pencil or pen) in your right. Aim the writing tip directly below the middle of the top of the bodhran and strike down onto its goatskin head with both hands simultaneously.
Bodhran players require quality instruments from beginner bodhrans to tunable models in order to practice their craft effectively.
Styles
Skilled bodhran players can utilize this instrument to convey everything from urgent rhythms to melodious ringing beats and, with enough experience and knowledge, even emotion such as sobs or even calls to action.
Though often thought of as being similar to its more complex cousin, the tambourine, the bodhran can actually be much more intricate and is constructed from wooden with one side sporting a drum head – both hands or beaters can use this instrument to play it.
Sean O Riada can be seen as the architect behind the modern status of bodhran as the heartbeat of Irish music, thanks to his inclusion of it into Ceoltoiri Chualann ensemble in the 1960s. O Riada brought it back into contemporary music context while helping it develop from being an informal folk instrument into sophisticated musical instrument used today.
Musicians
Skilled players of the bodhran can use it to convey an array of emotions, from urgent taps to melodious ringing beats – making it suitable for use across many types of Irish music genres, from folk to contemporary.
Over the decades, numerous musicians have introduced drumming to new audiences. Beating Time details how the bodhran has emerged as a popular Irish instrument thanks to high-profile performers such as the Chieftains and Planxty as well as Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann’s promotional efforts.
Aimee Farrell Courtney is an award-winning bodhran player and composer from Dublin. She has performed extensively with some of Ireland’s premier artists like Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine.
