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MY METHOD OF PLAYING
There are as many ways of playing the bodhrán as there are bodhrán players. The traditional styles illustrated here represent the way that I play, and have been taught successfully to hundreds of drummers for many years. However, you do not have to agree with me, and may prefer other teachers or even develop your own style of playing. That is up to you.
The advantage, I think, of my style of playing above all others, is that it gives you a wider repertoire of movements and modes of playing, which in turn will allow you to do more with the bodhrán than just play along with Irish music. The drum shown here is one with a single bar, although some have two bars and others have none. With a few minor exceptions, the same method of playing is used for all Bodhrán's. |
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STEP 1
Sit comfortably on a chair.
Preferably the seat should be padded but not so soft that you sink into it.
The seat of the chair should be as high as the distance from the back of your knee to the ground.
In this position, when you sit on it, your thigh will be almost horizontal.
A standard bar stool will do, but these can be a bit low.
STEP 2
Place the drum on your knee as shown, with your hand inside the back.
Notice the position of the bar in relation to the hand. The bar sits just behind the knuckles.
To see if you have the right position you should be able to press your fingers into the skin of the drum until the back of your hand is up against the bar. In this position you should be able to lift the drum off your knee and put it down again in the same position.
If you find that the bar is too far away to do this easily then you will need a piece of pipe lagging or carpet wrapping around the bar to make the gap comfortable. Notice also that the drum is tucked into the elbow and held gently against the chest.
How you sit on the chair is up to you. Some drummers sit bolt upright, others slouch right over the drum, it doesn't seem to make any difference to the playing. Do what’s natural for you.
STEP 3
Now hold the beater in the middle as shown, as though you were going to write with it. There are two traditional common variations of what to do next.
The first is merely to drop the wrist and then turn it towards the drum. This is the bent hand grip and is best suited to slower more rhythmic accompaniments. The bent hand grip is an extension of an older style of playing when the drum was hit with the back of the hand alone, without the use of a beater. Its drawback, especially for new players, is that the wrist can get very tired during a long session.
The distinctive feature of the second style is the straight wrist. To accomplish this the starting position is the same as for style one, but by bending the forefinger towards the elbow the beater will pivot against the thumb until it is in the position shown. The writing end should now be pointing towards you, and your thumb on top.
This style allows faster beating without effort, but is less flexible for slower beats. I use a combination of these two styles using the straight wrist for general playing and then just bending my wrist for slower tunes.
STEP 4
Having completed your preparations, it is now time to drum. The basis of all bodhrán playing is the drone note. The repetitious up and down stroke of the beater. Starting from the first position illustrated, with the beater pointing to towards your chest, (concentrate only on the end of the beater that is pointing towards you, forget about the other end for the time being), Now, by twisting the wrist downwards the drum can be struck a glancing blow before stopping in an almost vertical position. As soon as the beater stops return the stroke in the opposite direction, hitting the drum in approximately the same place as before. The drone note is created by repeating this sequence over and over in as smooth a manner as possible. A good way to tell if you have got it right is to say dabber dabber dabber dabber as though in normal conversation. There should be a beat on every syllable.
Next, try playing faster and slower until you think it sounds good, and finally invite your friends round for a party, because you have achieved the first and most important step in bodhrán playing, you are on your way. Congratulations!!
THE TRIPLET
Playing a triplet is, to a bodhrán player, is like circular breathing is to didgeridoo player. It is a mark of distinction. No amount of effort should be spared in trying to master it. Some will rattle them off in a matter of days, whist others may take years. All that matters is that one day you can stand tall and say “I can do it”
A triplet is when the reverse end of the beater hits the drum on the way down, just after the first downstroke. It is called a triplet because the drum is struck twice on the downstroke and once on the upstroke.
It is one of the simplest moves to do, but one which causes some beginners a problem. Let me explain. Begin as normal and notice that when you finish the downstroke, the knuckles of your hand should just be visible. To get a triplet on the downstroke you simply over twist your wrist until you can see most of the back of your hand. This causes the back end of the beater to strike the drum. Practice until you can go diddleum diddleum diddleum, Then speed it up until you can go diddly,diddly,diddly,diddly.
Go for it.
OTHER BEATERS
Having mastered a repertoire of beats and movements, why not try other beaters to get different sounds.
Now just put on some Irish music and try to play along. Go to the next page to learn more.
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