DrumHippy’s Blog

The bodhran (pronounced bow-ran) is a very old, frame-based drum that has it’s history rooted in many various cultures.

Historical info provided by www.bodojo.com:

History

Basic research will deliver several and varied opinions on the drum’s roots. Many claim it as an ancient druidic drum and indeed the frame drum is the oldest form of drum. In the case of the bodhrán, a ‘potato’ road formed by trade could feasibly be traced back over several millennia to Persia where the frame drum is considered to have originated. Others yet believe it to be of African origin, coming to Ireland via or Spain or America where emigration met slavery. Most make the connection to its use in ‘winnowing’, separating stones or seeds and this would provide the most likely source as it provided the basic drum for most of the other frame drumming cultures.

Etymology

The name bodhrán is Irish meaning deafener or deafening. It derives from the word ‘bodhr’ meaning deaf. If one can imagine stones landing on a taut skin then the connection is not hard to understand. The drum itself is not loud having a playing volume around or slightly above normal conversation levels, melody players at a seishun will beg to differ

Development

A bodhrán was played fairly simply initially and has continuously developing musical sophistication. The drum is known to have been in use in the earlier part of the 20th Century with flattened-penny or other jingles attached, similar to a tambourine, riqq or muzhar. Jingles were removed or taped over as desired to create the drum we have today.

The most significant development of the instrument has taken place in the past 50 years or so, its rise co-inciding with the work of Sean O’Riada who, by developing music from informal gatherings in the pub and the parlour into a performance type on the stage, opened Irish music to new audiences. The many styles of bodhrán playing employed now are vastly different and more developed than can have existed previously. Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonough is acknowledged as being seminal in the introduction of the left hand ON the skin and thereby opening up the instrument to a whole new world of sound options. The drum continues to evolve and emerging techniques such as the Northern Top end style abound as do developments in materials and construction.

 The bodhran is played with a stick called a tipper. Many various designs and sizes are available, or you can make one of your own as I did. Depending on the sounds you wish to produce, you can use a larger  tipper which resonates a deep tone, loud and strong.

A short, lighter stick is faster and gives a crisper, lighter tone, but is more difficult to hear unless you mic it.

Here I have some shor lessons on how to play a bodhran, step-by-step:

Hold the tipper as you would a pencil. It should be held loose and comfortable. Practice holding the  tipper and rotating your wrist so that the tipper spins like a helicopter. (See figure) 

Most bodhrans are supported from the back with the hand placed across the head and underneath the cross frame. Some bodhrans only have one cross support or none at all. For me personally, it’s easier to have the support against my hand or arm when I am playing.

You will want to “mute” the drum head with your hand so as to give it a more “thump” sound, but the tipper strikes the area where your hand isn’t. In some cases, the hand will move around and away from the head to give a varied sound. (see figure).

Now that you are comfortable with the tipper in your hand, let;s begin with a simple downstroke. Place the tipper against the head, with your knuckles facing the head (See figure).

Now, twist your hand down so the tip strikes the head in a downstroke. Do the same going up with an upstroke. They should sound exactly the same. This will take quite a bit of practice, and you will find that the upstroke is more difficult than the downstroke. Practice going up and down, over and over again until you are comfortable with these movements. (See figure).

Another area you can strike is the rim of the drum. This applies a nice, sharp accent in between the other beats. (see figure).

Practice these movements until they become second nature. It is very important to be able to do both up and downstrokes equally and comfortably. As time goes by, you can incorporate both to achieve the beats you will need. For some samples of bodhran sounds, you can go to this site to hear them.

Enjoy!