bodhran sounds--newbie question

Trad Irish Music
1

Hello all,
I am a newbie here, just discovered this site about a week ago. I have been doing a lot of reading (such as it is) about the bodhran because I would like to learn to play it if possible. I am a “middle-aged” person with a lifelong love of the sound of the pipes, drums, Celtic and traditional music and the instruments that make that music.

On occasion I will be particularly drawn to the fundamental beat of a piece and the percussion behind the tune. I know from reading here that the bodhran isn’t as well-loved as other instruments, (and that’s OK–to each her/his own) but I have a question that I haven’t been able to find a definitive answer to from my reading. Do different sizes of bodhrans produce different sounds, as in higher pitched or deeper pitched? Or is it more dependent on the maker of the drum? I like a deeper pitched sound which doesn’t overwhelm but is just there, in the background like a heartbeat. Can someone enlighten me, or point me to a reference? The best information I have found on the net is the Ceolas site, and have read that.

TIA. I have really enjoyed what I have already learned here, and have ordered some whistles for myself and can’t wait to get them. Never too late to pursue a passion, right?

If anyone has any suggestions for a first “learning” drum, please feel free to share those too. Thanks.

2

As I understand it, the size of the drum and the thickness of the skin both play a role in the ‘deepness’ of the sound. I used to own a Halpin drum from Canada (very lovely drum, had to sell it and many other instruments to afford university) and it was 15" across. Some of my friends have 18" or 19" Halpins and they have a lovely deep sound, more than my smaller one did. They run close to $300 US the last time I checked, though.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/halpin/

I’m not an expert on bodhrans though. Look around as much as you can! Oh, and one more thing is get a tuneable drum if you can afford it. It’s better quality and you can adjust the head for environment (temperature, humidity) as well as sound quality.

3

Yes, diameter affects pitch, but skin thickness affects sustain. Thin skins have a ping to them. Thicker ones sound like a kick drum from a jazz set: you feel it more than hear it.

4

Hi dillbuch

The sound of a drum can be affected by many different factors.

The bassiness is affected by the diameter of the drum, the width of the rim and the tension on the skin. increasing the diameter and width increases the bassines increasing the tension decreases it.

The thickness of the skin does not affect the bass to as great a degree.

Jeff is correct about skin thickness the thicker skins will ring less than thin and give greater colouration to the tone of the drum.

I have found that a thin skin is best for accompanying instruments and a thick for singers or other percussion.

avanutria is right get a tunable drum if your finances allow it, you will soon outgrow a cheap drum and a tunable will sound so much better at the start and after it is played in. Note the playing in will take months.

If possible get a drum directly from the maker and talk to him/her about what you are looking to do with it, this will mean that you get a drum suited to your requirements.

Welcome to the ranks of the pariahs and enjoy your drum when you get it.

David

5

Thank you all three for your replies. I really appreciate it. I will continue to read, listen, and find all the local resources available (not many) for finding the drum I will enjoy most. I would rather get a good one now, not the best or MOST expensive possible, but one that will be a joy to practice. The first guitar I bought for myself long long ago was very inexpensive; but it also wasn’t much fun to play. When a few years later I moved up to a better quality one I was amazed at how much more fun it was to play.

Again, I thank you and will continue to read and probably begin calling and speaking with some of the makers listed on Ceolas. Any other suggestions and/or advice will be welcome.

Thanks again.
Annie

6

Hi Annie

Something I forgot to say in my original post. Measure the distance between the fold of your elbow and the tip of your middle finger - this distance will give you the maximum diameter of drum you should go for (any more than this and there is skin area out of your effective control).

Bodhran and female voice makes a very good combination (it was how I got into playing bodhran, accompaning the women singers at my local folk club - at their suggestion, after hearing waulking songs sung to a bodhran by one of the acts appearing at the club). If you like singing it may be that you should go for a drum with a soft and relatively thick skin as a compromise to allow you to cover the vocal and instrumental areas.

David

7

check out Metloef Irish drums - they make nice toys!! yum yum And to my way of thinking the bodhran is an indispensable part of ITM but if you play without listening to others then it can be purgatorial! Check out Stefan Hannigan’sbodhran book and good luck!

8

David,
Thanks for the great measuring suggestion. I had not even thought about that. Do you have any favorite makers? From what I’ve read so far, Halpin, Alfonso, Buck are on a list of people I may call; but I have much more to learn before making any kind of a decision. Again, thank you for your comments.
Annie

9

Thank you, I will. Appreciate it.
Annie

10

Hi Annie

I have drums by Eoin Leonard of Belgarth Bodhrans, John Jackson, Dave Gormlie and Brian McGarrigle.

John Jackson is no longer making bodhrans commercially, Dave’s waiting list is as bad as an Uillean pipe makers if he is making any at all - he normally refers people to Eoin.

I have no experience of the American makers, so can not make recommendations there. If you were this side of the pond I would definately refer you to Eion, but the foreign exchange rate dollar v pound is such that you will be better buying your drum over there (you will get more bang for your buck if you pardon the pun).

If possible buy direct from the maker as you can discuss what you want from the drum and he/she can tell what is feasible or not.

Enjoy your playing.

David

11

Good point on the measuring. When I got my drum I was told that a good tipper (aka cipin, aka stick) length is generally equal to the length between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky when your fingers are splayed out. You can start with that as a reference and then go longer or shorter as you find your preferences.

12

I use mink oil on the top of mine, and after a while (many months) it creates a nice physical and aural texture.

When I was first taught bodhran, I was told to never oil the skin. I suppose there are some good arguments for that, but I oil mine fairly frequently (every month or so) and am very impressed with the results.

13

Annie, here’s another maker you may want to check out:

http://www.celticmusic.com/alfonso_bodhrans/

14

Thank you David for your input. A trip “across the pond” is on my “to-do” list, but not soon enough for my first drum! :slight_smile: However, the process of learning about them in order to choose one is very exciting and part of the fun. I am enjoying the looking, and I feel sure I will enjoy the playing, the learning-to-play. Thanks again.

15

Joseph,
Thank you for the link. He makes beautiful drums, and I will definitely put him on my list of makers to call and speak with, if possible. Thanks for reponding.
Annie

16

He is certainly one of the best players/makers out there.

17

i just found a bodhran cd with some irish beats on it!

it’s called “the beat conductor”, but click on english pages first.

http://www.fluitpraxis.com/

18

Thanks for this. It took me a while to find the “beat conductor”; when I clicked first on English pages it didn’t show up. If I left it in Dutch it was there; I couldn’t read the words, but I could listen to the clips. Some of those are just the tone I’m looking for. I do realize however that it could well be the player as well as the drum. Thanks again!

19

you’re right,it looks like a website under construction, clicking on the english pages didn’t work. you can buy the CD through a bank transfer, and you’ll have to send him an e-mail… it’s all a bit complicated.
the easyest would be if you could pay him with paypall, i’m gonna see this fella at the end of this month and i’ll tell him.
his brother is actually the bodran player, here’s his site http://www.bodhran.cc/ check out his crash course!

all the best, eric

20

Time to come clean… I had my first Bodhran beginners lesson last night, at the Hammersmith Irish Centre in London.

I’m not planning to make bodhran a main interest, but sometimes it’s nice to put down the fiddle and try something different, and maybe gain a wider understanding and appreciation of the drum.

There were only six students to the one teacher, so it was quite intimate. Only three of us had brought our own drums, mine was the cheapest 16" tunable drum I could find (£39.00 from Hobgoblin), and works fine for my current needs.

We started off with reel and jig rhythms, learning to emphasise or skip beats (skipping was far harder). Rhythms like 1-34 1-34, 1234 1234, 1234 1234, 1-34-6 1-34-6, 123456, 1-3-5-, etc

We also worked a little round the skin using different areas to get different sounds.

Apart from the rhythmless lady who didn’t understand about dampening the back of the skin with the hand it was great fun, and quite hypnotic at times (like when she stopped for a rest).

Next week I’m going to make sure I’m sitting as far away from her as possible. :smiley:

Regarding size, the teacher and I both had 16" drums, the rest 18", mostly borrowed, and one lady had a 19", which looked great but is probably a bit big for her arm stretch. The teacher pointed out that having two crossbars makes it harder to get your hand in the back to dampen the skin, though all the “class” bodhrans were of that type. Maybe a cheap job lot.