If this topic isn’t appropriate for C&F, I apologize and I’ll remove this. Can anyone suggest a quality bodhran brand for an aspiring Irish music player who plays other instruments? Who are quality makers and how can I find a good one, including used? If used, what should I avoid/be aware of ? I figured several of you might have opinions and advice. Thanks!
Where are you and what is your budget?
US and maybe $200-250? Is that reasonable? I’m not sure this is for me but I’d like to investigate.
I’m on my 4th bodhran. It’s been fun playing them. Some have had natural heads and one had a fibreglass head. They varied in price and quality but all were very playable. My best suggestion is to make sure it’s tuneable. If it isn’t tuneable then you will have issues especially with humid conditions. I recently bought one from McNeela Music in Dublin. Great handmade instrument. They shipped it to me in Canada and it arrived safely and securely. I have purchased 2nd hand and also cheap ones from a local store. All fun. Enjoy your bodhran.
Thanks! It sounds like I’ll have fun with this interesting instrument. I’m looking for sources and your experience helps. Much appreciated!
Chris and Jim Gray from Maine make and sell these drums. See their web pages at https://chrisgrayart.com/bodhran.php
Best wishes.
Steve
That’s what I needed! Thanks for taking time to assist me. Much appreciated.
Wow. Those are gorgeous!
In that price range you can get a beginner’s bodhran made in Pakistan. These can be fine and played for a long time. I’ve heard them played well. If you can double or triple your budget you can get a very nice bodhran hand made from a number of different makers. There some in the US like Massimo Barbi. Albert Alfonzo makes a wonderful bodhran. I’ve never seen the Gray drums but they look gorgeous. Now that the tariff situation has sorted out a bit you might want to consider importing. Hugsie McHugh, Sean McGrath, Brendan White are makers that spring to mind in Ireland. And there are more. Hegswsich makes a more mass produced drum that many many people love. They have different lines and different grades. The most popular size right now seems to be the 15x5 inch ones. Going deeper doesn’t really make as much sense as some designers hoped. Arm cut outs are not necessary at 5 inches. You can end up doing a deep dive on bodhrans. Lots of people start out on the Roosebeck drum made in Pakistan since they are cheaper just to figure out if they want to continue. Reverb sometimes has these used. Many McNeela drums are made in Pakistan. There are bodhran pages on FB where you can see some of the maker’s drums and also a Bodhran Buy and Sell page of classifieds. The hand made drums will have hand selected skins, which makes a difference in tone. Enjoy. If you are curious if your body likes the mechanics of bodran playing find yourself a pencil and a cardboard pizza box and experiment with some of the moves required. Have fun.
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You can get a Remo bodhran for $250 or so. It’s a synthetic tunable head. I showed it to a couple of people who record celtic styles of music and they thought it sounded decent in person, and that it could probably sound great in a recording studio.
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That’s a great idea. Thanks very much. I’m still deciding and may need to think a bit more about getting into an additional instrument.
The synthetic head is not the best choice for learner. You need to have give in the skin to really learn the tonal hand. A tunable natural goat skin is best. If you are vegan you might have to go in that direction but you will lose a lot of nuance in your playing.
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Thank you. Not vegan. I get your advice about tuning differences of skin vs synthetic. You point out an important consideration. Thanks for taking your time to send this.