Choosing the Right Bodhran Drum Stick
The Bodhran is a small frame drum with goatskin heads. To play it, players use an instrument known as a Cipin or Tipper stick.
Bodhran players come with many varied playing styles; some prefer playing it bare-handed while others use sticks. Since O Riada’s Ceoltoiri Chualann group popularised this instrument, its presence has grown even further – now considered an integral part of Irish music and culture.
Choosing a Bodhran
No matter if it’s your first bodhran or you’re upgrading an existing one, choosing the appropriate beater can make all the difference in sound production and overall playing style. Consider factors like shape, size and material when making this important choice – including rhythmic influences as well as tones produced and overall playing style.
Choose a bodhran that fits comfortably in the hands. Larger hands tend to prefer 18 inch frame drums.
Choose either a deep or shallow rim depending on your preferred tone – deep rims provide more modern bass tones while shallower ones feature more traditional tones.
The Bodhran’s Skin
The Bodhran (or Bodhar as it’s sometimes called) is an accessible instrument for beginners to pick up quickly and play, being similar to a frame drum like other percussion instruments allowing users to hit it in multiple ways to produce various sounds.
The skin of a bodhran drum, traditionally created from goatskin but today often made of synthetic material, adds to its tone and vibration. A hard-wearing drum, it will become increasingly mellow over time as regular use wears it down further. Experienced players may sand its surface to reduce rasp when struck and enable easier stretching.
An excessively stiff, scratchy skin will limit the bodhran’s flexibility, leading to an unpleasant crunchy sound. Beginners should aim for soft, supple skin that allows for full flexibility of movement; electric tape may help increase this resistance against humidity or temperature variations; especially important when playing outdoors in humid conditions.
The Bodhran’s Stick
The Bodhran is a deep and pulsing instrument which captures the heart of Irish music history, drawing musicians together from around the globe into innovative cross-cultural collaborations and inspiring new genres of music.
A bodhran consists of a drum skin (typically goatskin) stretched over a circular frame. To change its tone, pressure must be applied to its backside skin – skilled players can produce everything from urgent loud taps to slower melodious ringing beats with this instrument.
The bodhran is typically played using a stick known as a cipin, tipper or beater to strike the drumskin head. While playing by hand is possible, most often this stick is preferred and should be tailored according to your playing style and grip preferences. Weighted tippers add extra momentum while others offer ease and speed of use.
The Bodhran’s Head
A bodhran’s head is typically composed of goat, calf or synthetic skin stretched over a wooden frame and struck using either one’s bare hand or tools such as beaters, sticks or cipins to produce sound. Bodhran players employ specific grips and techniques ranging from urgent loud taps to slow melodious ringing beats that produce melodious rhythmic beats – skilled players are capable of conveying more than rhythm through their playing: their playing can express emotion as well as invoke an urge for martial action!
Tuning a bodhran can improve its tone, elevating it from being just another farm implement to becoming an elegant musical instrument. Many bodhrans feature adjustable tuners for quick tuning changes while others may contain built-in tunable rings that can be tightened or loosened with a hex key, or feature DragonSkin drum skins made in special ways that offer tonal modulation capabilities.
