Bodhran. Part 1. How to play

Hello! My name is Yura Sergeev, I play the bodhran (you can say it the different way - boYran or boDhran - as you like). The correct I think bodrhan. This word means thunderous or muffled. I've been playing it for several years. And I began to play bodrhan when I met the best bodhran player Frank McGuaer by a lucky chance. We had a lot of talk, he was teaching me. I also had met there local craftmen who tought me to make that kind of that kind drum. The fundamental move in playng the bodhran reminds the same when playing the guitar or balalaika with plectra. One end of the stick moves up and down. To make it more beautiful may be add triols, one should also use the other end of stick. Bodgranist use his left hand widely. Left hand is responsible for tune and timbre of the drum and it enables you to produce open or muffled sound. So it 'open' or 'muffle' membrane and change its tune.
With the help of left hand you can imitate the melody that is played by soloist. Also you can play on the rim. You can also use the fully opened membrane and in this case it sounds like shaman drum. Or you can combine all this types of playing. There is rather tricky movement - left hand beats. The instrument you see is modern. It doesn't has the cross. Now it is rarely used and you can see only in souvenir variants. Also it has tuning ring and pegs which enable you to adjust the tune if the membrane. Classical bodhran is made of birch and goat skin. But this one is made of goat skin and maple and pear tree. Skin must only from goat and wood may be different. All the more maple is very good for musical instruments. Stick is called bodhran-stick. But also with other different things, including hands :). Usually stick is made of heavy wood which sink in water. There are a lot of different forms of sticks. There is no single common school of playing. Techniques are still developing. You can play with your hands, sticks, which you can hold at middle or at the one end of it, in this case the strike becomes more powerful but it is not apropriate for playing sophisticated things (triols), with brushes ( soft or hard). And I have personal invention - soft stick. At least I haven't seen it before. Sound becames more soft and reminds shaman drum.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bodhran
• tambourine
• framedrums

[Sammoab]

You know it would be really cool if someone on here posted a version with subtitles or translated! Good stuff but I would like to know what he is saying too!

[olgascotland]

look at video info please

[benitogallego]

Russia meets Ireland!! That is GRREATT!!

I love both countries.

[tubebabytube]

irish people pronounce it bow (like the part of a ship) like, boWRAwn, if that helps you

[hallkev]

Very nice!!

[Wubslin]

Good skills man, good skills!

[rftgf08]

Great drummer, but this isn't really a 'how to play' video; more of a demonstration of styles and techniques. The beats were incredibly complex, and by the end of the video I still have no idea how to even hold a tipper.

[padraicohare]

@tubebabytube Supposed to rhyme with MORON!

[Gevito236]

When you have a part 1 as good as this, who needs part 2? :P

[diarmaidok]

@gareth358 lol its an Irish instrument! The eastern europeans have similar instruments as do people from a wide range of countries...though the bodhran is Irish.

[rmsydiaha]

Oh, and as far as pronunciation: I've heard three different Irishmen say, respectively, BODrun, boRON and BOWron. It's an interesting aspect of folk music - there is never any definitive information, it's all regionally specific, which is the way it should be.

[rmsydiaha]

This may be the coolest vid on playing bodhran yet! Love the left hand finger work.

[Dalanshin]

Awesome. That's is all I can say.

[mrstephenjamessmith]

nice work, i bought a bodhrán a month ago and am not too bad but this video helped a lot!