Does anyone know what make(s) of bodhran Kevin Conneff (Chieftains) plays? When I saw them in Nashville at the Ryman for their Down The Old Plank Road concert, he played 2 different sizes…what looked like an 18" and a 16" of different makes. He used the smaller drum for most of the concert and it had a solid, deep tone. The 18" looked a lot like a Brendan White, but Brendan doesn’t list him as playing his bodhrans. Even with the closeups on the DVD, I can’t tell what they are. If anyone knows, I’m curious as to what he’s playing.
Hi DRC, Kevin has a rare an unique bodhran that was made by Charlie Byrne of North Ireland. Charlie’s claim to fame was his development if the skin process to an artform. Some, but not all of the information has been passed on the Charlies good friend Seanus O’Kane … Some details include shaving the skin until it is deviod of fat, and curing it in a dense vat of oak bark solution. Tried and true. The drum sounds great but is not much to look at for aestetics. The smaller drum is a Gurt Mint bodhran made by Gerheard Kress in England.
Interesting, I’d not heard of anyone using vegetable-tanned leather for drum heads before, only rawhide.
In theory, this would make a much more durable head, that is far less reactive to moisture changes.
Hi Mike, it that true, rawhide is tanned using organic materials…? I’m sure that some are… probably individual craftsmen and leather workers. The majority of leather and commercial grade goat hide is undoubtedly done with toxic chemicals. The art and science of bodhran head preparation is very interesting, and it would make a great article. Every maker has a propriatary and highly secretive process… The father of this black art was Charlie Byrne of Ireland. His drums are prized and scarce. Seamus is the closest. The skin he devised is thin to the point of transpanancy but durable.
Rawhide, by definition is not tanned at all. It is cleaned, and stripped, but not tanned. This is why it is extremely reactive to moisture.
Leather used for belts, saddles, knife sheaths, holsters and such is almost always vegetable-tanned. It is the only kind of leather which can be tooled. The vegetable matter used can be anything with a high tannin content, oak bark is very common.
Leather for clothing, and most shoes, is chrome-salt tanned. Definitely the cheapest and fastest way to tan (vegetable tanning can take 3 months to a year depending on the thickness, and the end-product desired). It also produces a supple, very durable product. But, yes, the tanning bath involves toxins (metallic salts are almost always toxic.)
There are other tanning methods (oil tan, alum tawing…), but they’re not common in typical consumer goods, only specialty items.
i made a few bodhrans myself years ago. i used the brains of animals to soften the rawhide if it was stretched to much. native americans use this, they say expensive bottles don’t work as well as animal brains.
How does one get one of Seamus’s bodhrans, then?
This is a form of oil tanning. The native american method also usually involved smoking the hide.
Chamois is also oil-tanned, though I believe cod-liver oil is used for this
Easy now… this use of natural (animal) products in drum production can be a sensitive subject. And Indian methods are out of sync with modern cultural norms. I’m not squeemish, but I don’t want to be run off the whistle board now that we have a nice bodhran conversatin cooking. And the serious production of drum heads is more “alchemy”, than science. I’ve read Dave’s diary (of Davey Drums) during the discovery process of his technique and it is phenomenal in the amount of commitment and determination. I’d say, the effort to produce a world class bodhran head method far exceeds the effort to produce a world class whistle.
Blackhawk, O’Kane drums are available,… a little expensive verses the alternatives - similar to a Copeland whistle, but worth it to many professional players. A google search will connect you with his web site which has background information. It is not the drum to start with! Just like you probably don’t start the whistle with an Abell…
The drums which are no longer available are those made by Charlie Byrne. He has retired.
Yes, modern cultural norm is to produce something that will last 1,000 years in a landfill, and poison 100 acres of land to produce. Those few of us who still work with the “out of sync” materials understand that the quality of the “old methods” was far superior, and far more ecologically responsible.
And the serious production of drum heads is more “alchemy”, than science.
I prefer to call such craftsmen artists. What they do involves many years of training, practice, skill and hard work. The shame is that there are fewer of them every year, as fewer consumers are willing to pay the price for such dedication and quality, and fewer young folks are willing to put in the years of dedication to learn it.
I’d say, the effort to produce a world class bodhran head method far exceeds the effort to produce a world class whistle.
I’d say your view is rather narrow. Anyone who’s heard Kevin Crawford play his Grinter low-F understands this. “A little expensive compared to the alternatives”, but serious players understand there is a price to such effort. I think you belittle the efforts and skills of a lot of fine whistle-makers, some of whom are members of this board.
animals brains are both used for tanning rawhide and softening the rawhide of a drum(what i used it for). i’ll lay a bet anytime that animalbrains are more effective then any oil.
agree totaly with you about the other part michael!
to the native americans, the drum is more a communication spirit with the other world. they believe a drum is a living channel, wich they can can communicate through. there skill of drummaking is not so much based on sound quality as for the latter. but there’s non better in tanning a hide than native americans.
native americans use their drums in ceremonie for the good of everyone
Yikes 
!
The bodhran players has invaded. I must by a Copeland low D or other suitable self defense weapon now…
Your never quite sure what those folks are up too. 
Throw us a bone, there Heinke, someone tried to post a bodhran topic at the bottom on the ITM forum and he was run out of town on a rail.
There are more, better quality bodhrans available in the world today that at any time, ever. I’ve only seen two of them engage in a detailed discussion of their drum head processes. The rest are completely secret.
Kevin Conneff is amazing. I’ve seen him with the Chieftans several times. His solo performance was what inspired me to take up the bodhran. The rest of the band took a break. Kevin took his drum and stood at the very front of the stage in a single, bright spotlight and played accompanyment to himself as he sung. It was spellbinding and the single most memorable moment in percussion performances that I’ve ever seen, and there have been many…
Who is Amelia Earhart on this forun, Carol, anyway, do you know if this solo performance has been recorded on a Chieftans CD by Kevin?
i never said the sound quality of native american drums was better, just that their way of softening skins is
My question is to all who have seen Kevin play live - can anyone describe the type of tipper he uses? Most unusual it seems to me…to say nothing of the way he holds it. This is of course, compared to the way I hold mine and the way I’ve seen others play live.
I was lucky enough to get Kevin to sign the skin of my Halpin drum a year and a half ago. If ever the skin goes south on me as far as tone is concerned, you can bet it will find a place of honor on my wall!
B~
Hi Brian, that was very “heads up” thinking on your part, to have a drum on hand when you met Kevin. That signature is an honored keepsake and not many north Americans would have one. As well, photo’s of Kevin actually playing are very rare. When I saw him, I didn’t even know what he was even playing as that was the first time I had seen a bodhran up close. But I did my homework, found a seller, and received my Belgarth within two months of when I first saw him.
I would like to see a photo or a close up of his playing on PBS. Especially if he has a distinctive playing technique and drumstick style… I don’t remember those details.
He does epotimize the correct ITM style of drumming. Not that I don’t enjoy the more radical style of John Joe Kelly and Junoir Davies…
Is there any real advantage to a double skinned bodhran?
That is an interesting remark. The way you phrased it as an “advantage”.
Mostly there are differences, the most noticable of which is the very smooth skin surface on the inside of the drum, for the tone control hand. When you are miking drums, bodhrans in particular, you get a lot of noise off the tone hand as it slides around against the rough surface of a textured skin side. The silky smoothness of the interior head would be an advantage in that context.
On the disadvantage side, a GREAT disadvantage is the liklihood of one side playing out looser than the other. There is only one adjustment ring, if both heads don’t stay in consistant tension with the initial installation, you have a huge problem… basically, an unrepairable problem.
I have had a double headed Breandan White bodhran and I didn’t like it for several reasons, and sold it… But it was interesting to note his firm instructions in regards to the care and feeding of the drum - that the heads must be TIGHTENED after vigorous playing, not loosened, or left to settle, but tightened.
I really don’t understand the physics of this instruction and if some knowledgable party out there has an insight, I’d appreciate hearing it… (Don’t try emailing Breandan with a question).
regards, Parcour deChasse
So unless I’m going to play into a mic with my bodhran (which I don’t have yet), I don’t need a double skinned one.