I’m thinking of buying an inexpensive bodhran mainly just for fun, but I don’t know the first thing about them. Well, I guess I know the first thing, but not the second and certainly not the third thing.
What I’m looking for is a bodhran that costs less than $100 so that I can play around with it, but it will probably mainly hang on the wall. I’d also like to broaden the types of instruments we play at my house and give more of my kids a chance to join in when the family plays together.
What I’m seeking here is some advice. Is there anything that I should watch out for? Are there particular brands or types that are good/bad? I like the look of some of the rosewood bodhrans from Song of the Sea, but are they a waste of money? Are there advantages to the synthetic heads? Are there better sources? (I just came across that one with a quick internet search and I’ve never done business with them before. They seemed to have a better selection than my old standby, The Whistle Shop.) Are there other questions that I should be asking, but I just don’t know enough to ask?
I very much doubt that I am going to get serious enough about playing the bodhran to warrant spending more money than this; my focus will remain on whistles and flutes, but I’d like to give it a try.
Yes. They’re not made using the skins of dead animals. Some will say they sound worse than dead animal skin, and they may be right, but it’s still cruel and you don’t need to do it, especially if you’re going for something that will hang on the wall most of the time. It’s bad energy to have parts of dead animals on your walls. Don’t do it.
I had a cheap bodhran once, it lasted a few years. But then I moved to a dry, dry apartement. The rawhide shrank and ripped off the frame.
If you end up getting a rawhide head, be sure to treat it right. Consider a guitar case humidifier. I’ve also heard that if you hang it on the wall you could place a damp sponge behind it on the frame and remoisen it ever couple of weeks or so. You could also keep it in a sealed garbage bag, but I knew a guy who got a moldy drum that way.
Or you could just hang it in the bathroom
In spite of all that and at the risk of beating a dead goat, I’ve liked the sound of rawhide better than the one synthetic bodhran I’ve heard.
Really? I have mine on the wall, and I’ve been concerned about the head… before I try this tip, can someone confirm? Will it damage the frame to keep a damp sponge on it?
The rage in banjo heads is the recently-introduced renaissance heads. From what I’ve heard they are great but I don’t yet have one on any of my banjos. Part of the problem has been finding a 10 3/4 for my main banjo. Anyway, these heads are now apparantly available for drums. Check this link:
This is veering away slightly from what Griff is asking though. Because I have the same question exactly – very similar to what my situation is with giving the kids something to play around with.
So, getting back inline, can anyone give advice to reasonable quality at a fair price brands / recommendations – without giving personal opinions about ethics? And please pardon my insensitivity, Cran.
Well,yes, that would be simple and make sense, now wouldn’t it? :roll: Good grief, where is my brain this morning?
Need…more…
~A
Edited to add a more on-topic response: I got my rather inexpensive (less than a $100) bodhran from Mars Music-- it’s a Walton’s made with goatskin and birch. It also has a pretty Celtic design on the front. I don’t know a whole lot about bodhrans, but it seems pretty good to me-- now if I could just get my tipper action down. ::sigh::
One of the musicians in our group just bought one - she went with a Waltons. It was the best “cheap” bodhran we could find under $100. There are cheaper Paki ones, but they seem to be much heavier to hold.
A tip on the humidifier for those of you needing one. Go to your local discount store and get a plastic soap case, like the kind you use when camping. Take a drill and drill a series of holes in the top (I usually use about 1/4" drill). Take a regular kitchen sponge, wet it, place it inside and close the lid. You now have a humidifier that only needs to be refreshed about once per week and the case keeps any direct contact from happening between my guitar/dulcimer and humidifier.
I have my doubts that you can get an excellent, playable bodhrán for less than $100.
I also prefer the sound of billy goat skin over all other skins in any kind of drum (it has “that tone”) as it is so rich sounding and resonant compared to the synthetic skins.
All you ever wanted to know about the bodhrán but were afraid to ask:
Honestly, I don’t know about cheapies, but if you don’t mind spending a bit more I’d go for either a Seamus O’Kane or a Metloef. They’re both superb. The O’Kane is cheaper.
“Don’t disdain plastic drumheads; they are impervious to weather, will hold up to almost any abuse, and on a well-made drum produce a sound well within the range of natural-skin bodhráns. And they are much better than natural-skin drums in the same price range. A lot of the low-price natural-skin drums are made in Pakistan. I’ve tried several and they are not worth your time or money. The skins were very poor quality, the bodies were flimsy.”
If you had only $100 and no more to spend on a bodhran, would you spend it on a Pakastani one, or would you just forget the idea and buy another whistle?
Andy’s Front Hall has a do-it-yourself kit described as "a cost effective bodhrán. Kit contains 18 inch laminated wood rim, 3-way cross bars, goat skin head, and upholstery nails. The skin is fastened on with two rows of upholstery nails. Drum comes with a double-ended tipper and care and feeding instructions.
K/BODHRAN KIT $70.00 Shipped UPS: $8.00"
I learned on that kit and the tipper provided is my ideal tipper. I have never used a better one, but I wish it came in something harder than maple.
I disbelieve their statement about it being goat skin as it sounds much more like cowhide than goat skin.
Make sure the skin is thouroughly soaking wet and tack it on as slackly as possible. It will still be very tight in the winter unless you make a case and keep a damp sponge in the case with it.
If you had only $100 and no more to spend on a bodhran, would you spend it on a Pakastani one, or would you just forget the idea and buy another whistle?
Chris
