How to play the bodhran

Innhold Introduksjon 1. Perkussion 2. Irsk musikk 3. Konstruksjon 4. spilleteknikk Litteratur

To play the bodhran is quite different from almost all other kinds of drums . I have observed skilled professional drummers playing bodhran for the first time. It takes a while tu get used to the special technique of playing bodhran , and there are many misunderstandings about using the drumstick (the tipper). On a ordinary drum, and on a tambourine, one strikes the drum vertically with the stick. This may produce the purest drumsound, but is not the way to play the bodhran.

There are three main groups of playingstyles - those using tippers with heads on both sides - those using only one-headed tippers - and those using only bare hands The style of playng with only hands is today dissapearing. One get a much louder sound using a drumstick. Still there are many players saying one get the pure best sound by playing only with hands. This is also the most tradtitional

The playingstyles are often connected to regions in Ireland. One talks about Kerry-style or West-Limerick-style. There are many local variations, with its own speciality, both in holding the stick, and with the musical differences .

Sit down on a comfortable chair, for example a kithenchair without(rather without armrests (only disturbing the playing). Place the bodhen vertically on your left ?leg?, with the skin facing right.(lefthanders - the other way). Bend slightly forwards, supporting the drum with your breast. Place your left hand inside the drum, to support the skin on the inside. This way the drum is supported three places - to keep the drum in comfortable balance. This may be needed most for beginners. After a while one gets freer, and the drum will feel more balanced in your hands. On many drums there is a crossbar inside the drum.This crossbar used to be for holding the drum. Do not hold the crossbar with your hand. Place your hand under the crossbar, up against the skin.

Holding the stick may feel a bit uncomfortable the first time. And for new players perhaps a bit unlogical. Remember, playng the bodhran is quite different from most other drums. The most common method holding the stick, is trying to hold it like a thick pencil. One get a tight supportive grip around the stick this way

There are variations to this method. you may grip the stick wit your fingertips - indexfinger and longfinger on the one side - and thumb and the ringfinger on the other side. Let the nail on the ringfinger support the stick. The reason for this is that the nail can support more in the beginning than the skin on your fingers.

As mentioned many times before, playing bodhran is different from other drums The most important difference is that on a bodhran you have to think another way than you are used to. You play with the head of the stick facing to your own body. Method is described like this:

Hold the stick as if you were going to draw on a board in front of you. Instead of drawing on the board - place the stick inwards like you are drawing on the drum - up and down - about like you were turning a key in a door. Well, this can be difficult to describe with words. A picture will say much more. As you can see, the technique is not like playiung the tambourine.

You sit comfortably on your chair, with the drum on your ?lår, left hand correctly placed inside the drum - right hand is holding the stick. What is important to remember now, is that you play with the end of the stick facing your body. The first beat is a downwardds strike against dre skin of the drum. Note that you do not strike ecactly at the middle of the drum. The strike should be a little off-center. This produces a better sound, actually. It is suggested that you think of the round skin as a clock - and you strike it between 6 and 9 o'clock.

When you have learned the basic beats, you will advance to more complex rhythm. But in the beginning you may have to practise those basic beats. This may take time.

There are a lot of different drumsounds that can be produced on the bodhran. In fact, you have almost all the drumssounds on a set of drums collected on one bodhran.

By placing and moving your left hand in various positions on the inside of the drum, you can make a lot of different sounds. Here are a few of the basic techniques.

Open bass sound. This is the most obvious sound. It is the sound you get by just striking the drum without touching the skin with left hand. We get an open bass sound with a long resonance. This is also the traditional sound of the bodhran, the one that has been used on the old festivals. Many people think the crossbar on the inside is just for holding or supporting the frame. This is not the only purpose of the crossbar. Whan playing fast "drumrolls" with only open bass sound, the sound tends to be "muddy", and you cannot really hear the beat of the drum. This is where the left hand is useful to alter the sound of the bodhran. This is where you create aløl the various sounds. .

Closed bass . There are a lot of different sounds you can produce by placing the left hand at differend positions on the inside of the drum You may even press extra on the skin by using the crossbar as a counterforce.

the "snappy"(?) sound . In fact, one can make quite sharp highfrequency beats on the bodhran by placing the palm of the left handagainst the skin. The palm dampens the skin. If you hit about the middle of the palm, you can get a quite "snappy" sound.

In a way, one can say that you "make" a new tiny small drum inside the bodhran.

By combining these techniques one can make quite astonishing rhythmic patterns. I have observed skilled bodhranplayers playing really exiting rhythms.

beating the frame Natuarally one do not only have to beat the skin. the frame of the drum can also be used to make sharp wooden sounds.

This is wery much used in the Jig, where the upwards beat can hit the frame of the drum instead of the skin. You almost get this effect for free by just a slightly adjusment of the right hand. (the technique of playing irish dance-rythms will be covered later in this chapter)

One of the most important parts of bodhranplaying is "triplet". One can even say that this is where you can really impress friends - by placing "delicate" triplets in the rythm of the music. The technique can be a bit tricky in the beginning. One of the reasons for this is that it is wery difficult when played slow. It is much easier when the triplet fall naturally into fast tempo. On the other hand - how can you learn the technique since you have to start at a moderate tempo? Patience and practise is needed. Triplets is the only time where both ends of the stick is used.

Up to now we have gone through the basic sounds that can be produced. Now it is time to combine them to play musical rythms. One of the first things to practise is the alteration between bass sound and "snap" sound. Then you can make a kind of "ompa-ompa" rythm. Note that the first beat is always a downwards strike.

The most used irish rythms are reel and jig. Here are two examples on bodhran.

Reel

Jig

New techniques

In the beginning the bodhran was a rather simple instrument to play. Mostly open bass sounds were used. During the 1960-70 period the technique developed a lot. The players became much more advanced. One of the new techniques was playing on the "nails" on the rim.teknikker..

Another technique is using whispers. This gives a speciel sound and is used to make variations in music. .

Ken Larson'svisper

Also, the rims can be used for playing. This gives a powerful, sharp sound. In combinations with the other sound one has a large repertoir of sounds possible. The bodhran is now used not only in irish music, but in all kinds of genres. Only limitations in fantasy can stop development of new styles and sounds. The bodhran is still a "young" instrument, and still needs a lot of experimentation