Learning to play this ancient Irish instrument with other instruments, fiddle, accordion, guitar, penny whistle.

I've played guitar since I was only eight years old (over 20 years!) in many different bands, styles, and genres. I played in a traditional Irish ensemble when I was in college and have since picked up bodhran and several other instruments used in that style. I love playing and teaching Irish music.

Bodhran:
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 10 to 26 in in diameter. One or two crossbars, sometimes removable, may be inside the frame, but this is increasingly rare on modern instruments. Some professional modern bodhráns integrate mechanical tuning systems similar to those used on drums found in drum kits. It is usually with a hex key that the bodhrán skins are tightened or loosened depending on the atmospheric conditions. The student will learn hand techniques, rhythms, songs, and how to tune the drum head.

I started playing the bodhran because I wanted to learn an instrument that would allow me to play in sessions without having the the songs that the group normally plays memorized. I ended up improving quickly and it quickly became my companion to my fiddle. However, the only bodhran style that I know is the Kerry style. This style uses the tipper (stick) that has weighted ends on the stick. So not a uniform rod, but a rod with essentially a wooden ball on the ends.