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My very own Bodhran.

I have a few but this one is the most important ;)

The Bodhran correctly pronounced(Bow-Rawn), It is an 18" one sided drum made from Goatskin treated by a traditional process and enjoys a place in both Irish and Scottish folk music,
It is well known in the Celtic World (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall,etc)
The Bodhrán is the premiere percussion instrument for celtic traditional music,the ancient folk music of the British Isles.
The Irish word 'Bodhar' means deaf or haunting.
The Bodhran is now made with several modern tools,but the traditional Bodhran consists in a wooden frame with a goat skin tacked across one side.
Some "modern" Bodhrans have a tunable head,very similar to those used on a current drumset.

The tunable head allow the player to control the pitch,the lugs control the tightness of the head.
Other sign of a modern Bodhran is the one made with with syntethic fyberskin*(trademark by Remo Š).
But the important part of the drum is the skin. It can be deer, sheep, calf, goat, greyhound, or a horse.
The goatskin is the favourite (and the most expensive), because its thickness and durability is unbeatable. The skin, after a process of cleaning and treating is stretched across the frame and affixed by tacks at least 1" apart.
The Bodhran may have a cross piece inserted. This can be one or two bars, which serve the dual purpose of easy handling and an aid to tension. The crosspiece or bars can be made of wire, wood or metal.

This is not a "must" for a Bodhran but you'll find it in most of the Bodhrans.
The other essential piece of equipment for the Bodhran player is the stick,beater or 'tipper'! These come in all shapes and sizes and are made from various woods of varying weights..

How did Caroline got Into it

Caroline first began to play the Bodhran after she'd started to play the drums.
"Yeah ,we did an awful lot of acoustic sessions,especially touring the States and going into radio stations.
So I needed something percussive,and I've always loved the Bodhran..I don't know how I got interested..I remember saying to a friend that I'd love to get one so they bought me one and I started to learn.
I learned through a video by a guy called Stefan Hannigan...It was great for technique so once I'd got that down I just experimented myself and played more."

If you are interested on buying a bodhran go to Brendan White Tuneable Bodhran. as a happy customer I highly recommend it.

This site was created and maintained by Monica M. "Caroline Rules"Copyright Š 99-02