With the upsurge of many new-age groups over the past few years, a lot of Gaelic and Scottish tunes are becoming much more popular.  One of the instruments that is traditionally used is the bodhrán (pronounced bough-rain)

Left: Holding the beater for the Kerry style of playing using both ends of the stick.

Right: Judi shows the style in action

One of the most common rythmns in a lot of folk tunes is the jig rythmn or 6/8 time.  The basic sound can be described as someone walking with a limp.  The notation appears in print like this.

Beginners often find this rythmn a bit tricky at first.  Two problems are often noticeable at this stage.  The first is that often the length of the beater is too long so more time is wasted by having to move the beater further to clear the skin.  The second is that the rolling wrist action is not fully developed and the movement is being carried out by the forearm.  Once again this can lead to irregular beats.  I think the small video clip shows both of these faults.

The next stage for the beginner is to be able to play triple rythmn which is written on the staff like this.

Using the double ended stick makes this rythmn quite easy.  You hit with the lower end of the stick and roll your wrist even further to let the upper end hit the skin also on the down beat.  The third note of the triplet is played on the upbeat by the bottom end of the stick.  This clip shows the basic triplet rythmn with the two problems encountered above.

Although tutors for the bodhrán do exist, your local library may have to track one down for you.  The best way is to go along to a folk club and see if any of the groups have a player amongst them.  Don't just walk in and join in with everything, you'll soon be discouraged from the practice and you will find few people who will give you advice.  Turn up for a few sessions and then approach the player at the end of the evening.  A few well placed compliments and an honest request for help with your playing will get you some valuable advice.

Once you get to grips with the bodhrán, you will soon see how versatile a piece of dead goat can be in the music you are playing.  Then you start looking for more and more complex pieces to play.  Eventually with a lot of sweat and hard work, you should finish up with your own distinctive style and sound.

Below is a recording by John Brady and Nick Leahy.  Its a traditional tune called 'The Hag at the Churn'

If anyone is interested in the design I used on my bodhran and fancies putting it on one of their own, click the small picture to download a 16 inch (40cm) diameter template in Acrobat format.