The Bodhran
Never heard a bodhran played?  Check out this performance and you'll see how much this simple instrument adds to a performance.  Lucy Randall on bodhran and Brendan Powers on chromatic harmonic.  Look for their other performances on YouTube.

The Bodhran is the Irish version of a frame drum.  It is a simple, circular rim to which a hide is attached.  The head of the drum has traditionally been made of goat hide.  Modern makers are now using kangaroo, reindeer, lamb and all sorts of natural hides.  Synthetic hides are also available.   The drum may be played with the bare hand or with a stick variously called a tipper, a beater, or “goat whacker”.  The bodhran has rightly been called “The heartbeat of Irish Music”.  Tasteful, competent skill with a bodhran can bring a session or a concert alive.  The instrument is great fun.  If you can count to 9 and swat mosquitoes, odds are you can master the bodhran.

BEGINNERS TAKE NOTE:  If you do not have access to a bodhran, there is hope.  Go to your local pizzeria and ask for an unused, medium size pizza box.  Try the techniques in the handouts to see if you think you might want to invest in a real drum.  The pizza box will not give you the same kind of feedback that a real drum will.  However, it’s a low cost way to experiment with playing a bodhran.