The Irish Bodhran
The bodhran has undergone immense change over the last seventy years. From being used as a ritual instrument to becoming a musical one, its popularity has skyrocketed.
Sean O Riada reintroduced this frame drum during the 1960s with his band Ceoltoiri Chualann and later The Chieftains, leading it back into popular use and ultimately making history. From there it all snowballed.
Origins
The Bodhran is one of Ireland’s most distinctive musical instruments, though its exact roots remain debated by experts. Many speculate on its similarity to tambourines that are popular throughout southern continental Europe as a source for its development.
Bodhrans experienced a dramatic surge in popularity early this century due to Sean O Riada and the Irish traditional music revival movement during the 1960s.
Peadar Mercier and The Chieftains also played an essential part in this rise, creating new styles of playing which further improved its sound and quality. Over the past years, bodhrans have experienced numerous stages of evolution; now there are innovative bodhran makers creating innovative tuning mechanisms while also experimenting with various frames and skins.
Construction
The precise origins of the bodhran remain obscure; however, it appears to have been designed as an inexpensive instrument suitable for poor people; its construction using goat skin and wood likely found readily on farms indicates this possibility. Furthermore, its similarity to tambourines makes sense.
The drum is a single-sided frame drum ranging in diameter from 25 cm (10 in) to 65 cm (26 in), featuring either goatskin or synthetic head (also called an overhead) tacked to its side for striking with either hands or lathe-turned pieces of wood called beaters, tippers or cipins. Rim-loading can often be reduced with electrical tape on its edges to enable players to control pitch and tone of their drums more precisely.
Techniques
Under proper playing technique, the bodhran can produce an array of sounds ranging from urgent drumbeats to melodious ringing beats and beyond. This effect can be further amplified if using the cipin (stick used to strike drum) for creating distinct tones on different beats of the drum.
The bodhran can be played standing up, though most players prefer sitting with the instrument on their knees for optimal control and movement of arms in tune with rhythmic music. When in this position, players can still control the drum with their hands while remaining flexible enough to move arms to follow its flow.
Steafan Hannigan, an accomplished percussionist, offers this softcover book detailing all aspects of traditional bodhran playing. Additionally, there is a CD that contains demonstration tracks of every piece included in the book played by himself himself.
Music
Since the folk music revival of the 1960s, bodhrans have become an essential element of Irish music. Similar to frame drums found throughout northern Africa and the middle East, it also shares similarities with instruments used for Arabic music and musical traditions found throughout Mediterranean nations.
The instrument should be held vertically against the player’s thigh with one hand resting against their skin (usually left-handed players), with variations in pressure applied and various forms of contact applied with various areas of skin to control both tone and timbre.
Recently it has become common practice to cover the rim of drums with electrical tape – either by themselves or their maker – in order to minimize edge-loading and dampen any unwanted overtones. This method helps minimize “edge-loading” while attenuating unwanted overtones.
Rhythm
Rhythm is at the core of every drum and the bodhran is no different. By controlling the amount of pressure placed upon its underside, players can utilize its many sounds – sobbing, laughing or calling out with martial force; or even creating beautiful songs!
Sean O’Riada and Peadar Mercier brought the Bodhran into prominence during the 1960s, becoming part of Irish Traditional Music and becoming an essential component of Irish pub sessions today.
Remo’s deep-shell Irish Bodhran features an exclusive internal tuning system and comes equipped with a synthetic Bahia Bass drumhead, designed to produce pitch-bending notes. Each drum also includes an acoustic shell to enable players to experience its true sound.
