From the land of Ireland, the bodhran drum saw a great evolution. It took centuries for the musicians to realize its versatility, and only in the 20th century, the musical instruments got their due credit. While its actual origin is a mystery, its association with Ireland has been evident and was passed down to generations as a part of their culture. Initially, it simply existed in the traditional music culture of the harvesting period, but its revival made it a significant part not only of Irish music culture but also of diverse genres all over the world.
Now that it has been adapted by musicians all over the world, new playing techniques have been innovated, which every player must master when learning bodhran drum or thinking of taking it as a profession. We are sharing some of the must-learn playing styles here:
Tipper Hand Style
One of the widely recognized and significant playing techniques is the tipper technique, which can also be said to be the earliest technique evolved post the global recognition of the bodhran. It involves the use of a double-ended stick, which is known as a tipper and also as a beater.
In the technique, the player needs to hold the tipper between the fingers and rapidly beat the drumhead in a back-and-forth motion, resulting in fast and intricate rhythms, which is common in modern Irish traditional music. By changing the grip and movements slightly, players can produce different sounds.
Traditional Hand Styles
As the name suggests, traditional hand styles are one of the earliest and most ancient playing styles and are played using bare hands. In this technique, the player has to strike the drumhead with the palm and fingers while the other hand holds the drum. The hand used to play the drum can also control the pitch and the tone by applying pressure.
The technique produces a deep and warm sound, which was the core playing technique used in Irish folk tradition. The sound it produces is steady, making it a great choice to play simple tunes and songs.
Kerry Style
The Kerry style also has its origin in County Kerry in Ireland and is still played widely in modern times. To play the style, the player must have a relaxed grip on the tipper with free wrist motion, allowing players to have a continuous rhythmic flow.
The peculiarity of this style is the smoothness, and the tunes it produces often make a great choice of dance tunes, like reels and jigs. The playing style focuses on soothing music rather than the typical aggressive striking and is often played in group performances.
When talking about the playing styles, you will get a lot of them, and with the new-age generation of musicians, the styles are expanding as they keep on experimenting with new ones. However, if looking to learn some real bodhran drum playing styles, master all these because, in the process, you will also learn about how to innovate new playing styles using similar techniques.