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, turn a door knob,  write with a pencil, and shake water off your hands, odds are you can master the bodhran.
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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 (10” - 14” square).  Create a 10" tipper from a  wooden dowel (3/8” - 1/2” diameter) Try the techniques in these pages to see if you want to invest in a real drum.   Pizza boxes are also available through on-line retailers. 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 the wrist and hand  movements required in playing a bodhran.
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A VERY helpful half-hour, free lesson for beginning bodhran players is available throughMcNeela Music in Dublin.  Paraic McNeela has been making bodhrans since 1979.  He's a fine player too.  At the following link, a pop-up with arrive asking if you want the free bodhran lesson.  If you accept the invitation you'll be asked for your name and email address.  That puts you on McNeela Music's email list and you will receive ads from McNeela Music  That's the cost of the "free" lesson. The information provided in the video is wide ranging, easy to follow and will get you off on the right track.  He demonstrates the basic strokes, explains styles of beaters, shows how tuning works, demonostrates how drum size changes the voice of the instrument, and, of course, sells his drums.   Highly recommended as a starting point.

https://mcneelamusic.com/Bodhran-Sale/
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COMMON GROUND STUDENTS
 
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Pizza boxes and tippers will be available for purchase at the Common Ground Store. ​
Getting Started
Buy and Maintain a Bodhran
Next Steps