The
Irish Drum continued . . .
introduction | tricks and gimmicks| the basic reel | the basic jig | the basic slip jig |
The Basic Reel. This is the primary rhythm for the reel. The reel has a count of four and it must be played solidly with a strong accent on the first beat of the four. Start slowly at first and gradually increase the speed as you grow more comfortable. Try to avoid scraping the head and aim for clean and precise strokes.
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The reel is the most common of Irish dances with the jig following close behind. You will find to start with that most of the rhythms on the Bodhran start with a strong down-beat (or down stroke). The best way to think about the Reel is to imagine the sound of the Indian war dances that you hear in the old Cowboy movies or to say the word watermelon in it's four syllables -Wa-ter-me-lon- stressing the syllable Wa. If you find that you are getting a scraping or skating effect from the drum then you will need to alter the angle of attack of the tipper to the drum. It is a good idea to think about hitting through the drum as opposed to hitting the top surface of the drum. |
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Play slowly at first gradually increasing the speed as you grow more comfortable.
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No. 1 The Reel (Basic Strokes) Accent on beat one.
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No. 2 Good practice to develop the up stroke
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No. 3 The Reel (Basic strokes) Accent on beat three
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Ex.1 & Ex.3 together over a two bar sequence
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Ex.1 & Ex.3 together over a four bar sequence
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Ex.1 & Ex.3 together over an eight bar sequence
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