Bodhran Frame Drum

Also known as Bodhrán

The bodhrán is the Irish frame drum: a goatskin stretched over a wooden hoop, struck with a short double-ended stick called a tipper while the other hand presses the inside of the skin to change the pitch. It drives jigs and reels in Irish dance music with a lilting pulse of down and up strokes.

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Bodhran Frame Drum: photograph by Hinnerk R, Hinnerk Rümenapf — Photo: Hinnerk R, Hinnerk Rümenapf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Bodhran Frame Drum: the game in attract mode

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How to play

Five pads are five sounds: the down stroke, the lighter up stroke, a pressed note with the hand against the skin, a higher note struck near the rim, and a rim click.
Marks fall toward the line; strike the matching pad as each one lands.
The jig counts six eighth notes to a bar in two groups of three, the reel eight to a bar in four groups of two, and the slip jig nine in three groups of three.
Each tune plays through twice.

Rules at a glance

Every pulse is one eighth note for the jigs and the slip jig; for the reel a beat is a quarter note and the off beats fall halfway between.
A stroke within a short moment of the mark is perfect; a close one is good; extra strokes cost points.
Three stars need nearly every stroke on time.

About the tradition

The bodhrán entered Irish session music mainly in the 1960s, when players such as Seán Ó Riada brought it into ensembles, and its playing has since grown from a steady pulse into tonal, melodic patterns. It is played in sessions and bands across Ireland and in Irish communities worldwide.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Age of Contact and Craft (about 1500 to 1800), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Celtic and Atlantic Europe.

Credits

Instrument: Irish tradition; rhythms written for this game
Photo: Hinnerk R, Hinnerk Rümenapf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

Get the app

Bodhran Frame Drum is one of 10 drums and rhythms in the Drum Music of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Live on Google Play. Submitted to the App Store; in review, and the store link appears here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 10 drums and rhythms in the app

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