How to Play a Bodhran Drum
The bodhran (pronounced "bor-ron") is a drum used in traditional Irish music. An ancient instrument, it is round and open on one side. In an article in "Modern Drummer" on the origins and development of the bodhran, Joseph McKee wrote that, "Today's bodhran is fundamentally the same as its early version. Its dimensions range from 3 inches to 6 inches deep, and 16 inches to 24 inches wide." Bodhran instructor Josh Mittleman notes that learning takes some time and practice, but "If you work at it, you can make lovely music with a bodhran."
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Things You'll Need
- Bodhran
- Beater, also called a stick, tipper or cipin (pronounced "ki-peen")
Instructions
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1
Stretch your arms and hands and get warmed up before you play. Keep your shoulders, elbows and wrists loose and relaxed.
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2
Sit on a comfortable chair without armrests. Hold the bodhran in your left hand, tucked under your left arm, with it resting on your thigh and against your chest. The skin of the drum should face toward your right, so you have easy access to it with your right hand.
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3
Hold the beater with your right hand as if you were holding a pencil.
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4
Rotate your arm so that the beater is perpendicular to the head of the drum. Rotate your wrist forward to hit with one end of the beater and then the other. One way to keep the beater going in the directions you want is to visualize the drum as a clock. If you hit 3 with the head of the beater, you should hit 9 with the back end of it. Rotating your arm, you can hit at every number of the clock to get different sounds. All motions should come from your wrist.
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5
Practice controlling the beater and putting emphasis on the first beat of patterns. Practice beats in four and three counts. Experiment with holding your left hand against the back of the drum with differing pressures and at different points to learn what makes your drum produce new sounds. According to Joseph McKee, "The nearer the hand is to the rim, the lower the pitch. By pressing and sliding the heel of the hand across the head in a controlled manner, one can actually produce scales similar in sound to that of the acoustic bass."
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Reverse these directions if you are left-handed: Hold the drum in your right arm and the beater with your left. The wrist motions are the same for left-handed players.
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