Since 1960 when Irish composer Sean O Riada introduced it into Ceoltoiri Chualann, the bodhran has experienced unprecedented popularity. Furthermore, many great Celtic musicians including Peadar Mercier and Christy Moore have developed advanced playing techniques using this instrument.

Bodhrans are usually played using a stick called a cipin, mallet, tipper or beater held in the right hand. Their distinctive designs and playing styles give each instrument its unique identity.

Origins

During the Irish folk revival of the 1960s, musicians like Sean O Riada and Peadar Mercier of Ceoltoiri Chualann/The Chieftains’ Sean O Riada and Peadar Mercier brought prominence to bodhrans as an instrument through artists like Ceoltoiri Chualann/The Chieftains/Christy Moore from Planxty/Tommy Hayes of Stockton’s Wing/Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh/De Dannan further refined techniques of playing techniques.

Bodhrans are often featured during Ireland’s festive ritual for St Stephen’s Day (La an Dreoilin), dating back more than millennium. Mummers or “Wren Boys”, dressed in straw outfits and wearing colourful straw hats called Wren Boys would visit houses around town entertaining residents with music, song and dance in exchange for food and drinks; additionally they were supposed to hunt down any wrens seen as pests by Druids.

Construction

The bodhran is constructed using goatskin (or occasionally other animal skins) stretched over a wooden frame. Once soft, it can be stretched over the drum by soaking it in water to make it flexible before being stretched over it and stapled or tacked down to secure its position on it. Ideally, leaving it out in the sun to dry will further bleach out its color giving it its characteristic pale hue.

Seamus O’Kane pioneered this innovation for drum makers, which allows them to adjust skin tension without regard for atmospheric conditions or moisture accumulation in the rim, thus solving moisture-related issues in the instrument. Many other drum makers adopted his revolutionary method.

O’Kane was an instrumental force in the Irish music revival of the 1960s, leading Ceoltoiri Chualann. Through his innovations he elevated not only traditional Irish music but also its humble instrument, the bodhran.

Sound

Bodhrans have an iconic sound, featuring deep tones with percussive qualities that stand out.

As with the tambourine (though without the jingles), this instrument features a wooden frame open on one side with a drum head on the other, played either with hands or stick known as tipper, cipin or beaters. One hand dampens skin at the back of the drum to alter sound from low bass notes up to higher pitched tones.

Bodhran playing has grown increasingly virtuosic over the years and virtuoso players like De Dannan’s Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh and Tommy Hayes of Stockton’s Wing’s Tommy Hayes have refined its techniques even further. Such innovations allow the bodhran to add an exciting element of Irish traditional music and are now used across various other types of genres as well.

Rhythms

The Bodhran is an internationally acclaimed drum thanks to the revival of Irish traditional music. Played either with one’s hand or using a stick called a Cipin, it differs from other frame drums in that one hand dampens its skin on an open side to alter sound from low bass frequencies all the way up to high pitches, while another hand strikes its rim to accent rhythms.

The Bodhran is an exquisite instrument, capable of accompanying tunes such as Reels, Jigs, Slipjigs, Slides and Polkas with its wide array of rhythmical accompaniments such as Reels, Jigs, Slipjigs Slipjigs Slides and Polkas with ease. This course comprises 13 tutorials which cover all aspects of playing the bodhran including rolls, backhand motion, using syncopation techniques as well as rim techniques – and its tutor also discusses how drummers can transfer their skills onto playing this instrument with ease!

Techniques

The Bodhran is an accessible introduction to Irish traditional music. Once players master its basic techniques of varying tone and accompanying reels and jigs, more complex patterns or “fills” may emerge.

A basic bodhran consists of a shallow wooden frame topped by a goatskin head attached by strings, typically cured by being covered in cow manure for several days before using. Originally it served both agricultural functions and musical purposes during an annual ritual for bird hunting; currently however it serves both purposes in parallel.

Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh of De Dannan and Tommy Hayes from Stockton’s Wing both developed playing techniques during the 1970s that greatly extended the possibilities of this simple drum, such as using pressure on their hand and stick to alter timbre; adding brushes to expand sound options; and occasionally employing rim-shots to emphasize rhythms.

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