An Bodhran - The Irish Drum continued . . .

Tricks and Gimmicks.

Bodhran players have developed many ways to add to their repertoire. These are the most common ones.

Playing the rim

There are two methods of playing the rim of the drum. The older method, which probably dates back hundreds of years, is to turn the drum sideways and play on the shell, just as you would on the head. More recently, Johnny McDonagh developed the rim shot; occasionally beats are played on the edge of the skin where it passes over the rim or on the very edge of the rim. Rim shorts can be thrown into any rhythm; here are two common approaches:

In a jig, many drummers add a rim shot on the fourth beat of the six-beat rhythm, which is the second accented beat. This beat is usually an up-stroke, so the rim shot is produced by sharply striking the bottom edge of the rim as the tipper swings upwards. Of course, any up-stroke can become a rim shot in the same manner.

In a reel it is more common to put a rim shot on the down-stroke by striking the upper quarter of the rim close to the body. If you move the drum slightly away from your body you can play rim shots on both the up-stroke and the down-stroke and freely mix rim shots with normal beats.

Brush Stick

The first bodhranist to play with a brush was Johnny McDonagh who still use a narrow hair brush with soft bristles pointing outwards on all sides of a cylindrical shaft. The double headed brush was invented by Jim Sutherland. It is simply two soft brushes connected to the ends of a short, stout stick and it is played exactly like any other Bodhrán beater but produces a lovely soft sound.

Shakers, Jingle and Bells

You can produce a variety of special effects with shakers and bells. A large tambourine could be played like a Bodhrán with the jingles providing interesting effects (listen to ‘Natural Selection’ by Stefan Hannigan). A shaker or ‘chicken egg’ shaker can be used in a similar manner held in either hand. I’ve found that holding a shaker in my beater hand produces a nice counterpoint to the rhythm.

Other Uses of the Left Hand

Since the left hand is free to move in most styles it can be used in ways other than that of simply dampening the skin. Middle Eastern frame drum styles offer a large range of techniques for slapping, snapping and striking the skin to produce different tones; there is no reason that these methods cannot be combined with traditional Bodhran techniques. They may not be well received at some sessions but be courageous and adventurous. However, always play for the music, never for yourself!!

Non-traditional Methods

Musicians in genres other than Irish traditional music have adapted the Bodhrán to their needs. In particular the Bodhrán is quite popular among Middle Eastern percussionists, perhaps because of its similarity to the North African Tar drum. In this style the drum is held upright in front of the body, skin facing to the front with one hand supporting the drum from below. A traditional Tar has a hole or semi-circular notch cut into the frame to allow the drummer to anchor it with his thumb. The drum is then played with the fingers of both hands. Glen Valez (America) is one of the top practitoners of this style. Some traditional Bodhrán players have found that this style of playing allows them to play some rhythms more easily than the traditional stick styles.

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