Bodhran Lessons
The Bodhran is a hand-held Irish drum (pronounced bow-rawn). Over recent decades, its playing style has grown considerably and become increasingly popular.
Listening to as many bodhran players as possible is crucial, as each musician offers unique sounds and styles. Also, learning about their construction can provide additional insight.
Practice
Practice is the cornerstone of learning the bodhran. An experienced bodhran tutor can lead you through the basics of stroke technique before helping to advance to more complex patterns or ‘fills’.
Great bodhran players understand the music they are playing, and listen carefully. When tunes shift from jig to reel or another rhythm altogether, these artists can easily adjust their rhythms with those of the music.
If you want to hone your bodhran playing, learning tunes is of utmost importance; acquire recordings and listen carefully. Furthermore, practicing on melodic instruments such as penny whistle will also help – this gives an advantage when doubling melodies on a bodhran!
Listening
Watching experienced bodhran players is key to creating your own style and becoming familiar with traditional Irish music and its variety of forms and melodies of songs.
Bodhran drums can be found across cultures, yet their distinctive technique makes the bodhran stand out. This is mostly due to its signature tone ring designed by Seamus O’Kane which tightens or loosens the skin with screws.
Paraic McNeela offers quality beginner bodhrans as well as tunable instruments suitable for experienced musicians on his website, and can advise which accessories may be most beneficial to their instrument. For optimal bodhran performance it’s worth investing in quality instruments to get the most out of playing your instrument – something Paraic McNeela specializes in doing. For maximum enjoyment from playing, Paraic McNeela even provides accessories specific to each instrument! To make sure that you get maximum enjoyment out of playing, investment is worthwhile – Paraic McNeela offers beginner models as well as tunable bodhrans for experienced musicians looking for added challenge tunable options and provide advice as to which accessories would work best with it! To discover more visit Paraic McNeela’s website where Paraic can give advice about which accessories may work with it!
Performance
The Bodhran is an ancient Irish frame drum which has become part of Irish music and culture. Today, it remains one of the world’s most beloved percussion instruments – popular not just within Ireland but around the globe too!
The word bodhran is usually pronounced ‘bow-rawn’; adding the H adds some softening effects and in Irish the letter D is changed into an F before consonants, so its correct pronunciation could actually be either ‘bow fada’.
Nicolle is an exceptional teacher of the bodhran, providing lessons for complete novices. Starting with teaching the basic strokes of the instrument to advanced rhythm techniques like accompanying reels and jigs with sophisticated patterns Nicolle will show students the correct way to use and hold their bodhran; she advises keeping it upright on your left leg (if right handed) while holding its stick parallel to its goatskin head to ensure smooth strokes.
Competitions
Bodhran players can compete at local and national Fleadh Ceoil competitions. Students will learn a range of bodhran techniques and music skills in preparation for these events, with special performance opportunities with other ensembles at the Irish Institute of Music & Song, Balbriggan.
Ruair Glasheen, an award-winning Irish percussionist, artist, educator, performer and facilitator, is in demand worldwide as a performer, workshop leader, teacher and facilitator. His passion lies in making Irish percussion accessible and inclusive – regardless of age or ability.
Niall Preston is a four-time World Championship bodhranist, ethnomusicologist and faculty member at CUNY School of Music in New York City. He offers courses in West African/Afro-Latin drumming, piano lab work and Irish traditional percussion as well as leading their World Music Curriculum at NYCDOE North Bronx Elementary Schools.
