The Bodhrán is an Irish frame drum instrument that ranges in size between 25 cm and 65 cm, or 10 inches to 26 inches in its diameter. Most Bodhrán drums measure between 35 cm and 45 cm or 14 inches to 18 inches. The drum's sides range from 9 cm to 20 cm, or 3.5 inches to 8 inches in depth. The head of the Bodhrán is composed of goatskin, and it is tacked to one of the sides of the drum. Sometimes other animal skins are used, and some Bodhrán also use synthetic materials for the drum head. The other end of the drum is open ended so that the hand can be placed inside. When the hand is placed inside, it is capable of controlling the instrument's pitch and timbre.

Inside the frame there may be one or two crossbars, and sometimes these crossbars are removable, though finding these crossbars have become increasingly rare in terms of the newer, more modern instruments. Some modern professional Bodhrán drums integrate a number of different mechanical systems that are similar to the ones used in drum kits. The Bodhrán skin is typically tightened or loosened by way of an Allen wrench depending on what the current atmospheric conditions are.

Evidence shows that the Bodhrán was utilized by Irish forces during the Irish Rebellion in 1603, also known as Tyrone's Rebellion, and it served as a battle drum. It has also been said that this drum provided pipers and warriors with a cadence that they could keep to. The Bodhrán has also been linked to utilization for announcing when such an army arrived. This has led some people to think that the Bodhrán was derived from a war drum from Celtic cultures. It has been declared by some that the Bodhrán is the Celtic native drum that has a music history capable of predating Christianity.

The name Bodhrán is purported to mean skin tray, but there has also been a link to the Irish word bodhor, which means dull sounding or soft sounding. There is another theory all together that asserts that the name of the Bodhrán is derived from a similar word from Ireland, which is bodhar, and means deaf. The Bodhrán has been relatively new in introduction to Irish music, replacing the tambourine role. This suggests that another potential origin for the name of the Bodhrán comes from the abbreviation, bourine.

There is actually a really close similarity between Spanish military drums and the Bodhrán, suggesting that the instruments from Spain may actually have been introduced by the Irish when they served in the military in Spain. It has also been suggested that the instrument's origin may come from the skin trays that the Irish used to carry peat, and that the earliest of all Bodhrán instruments may simply have been skin that was stretched over a wood frame without having any real means of attaching it.

Photo Credits: rs-foto

Originally posted 2009-10-09 03:43:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, Drums, Instrument History

Tags:

allen wrench, animal skins, atmospheric conditions, cadence, celtic cultures, crossbars, drum head, drum kits, frame drum, goatskin, irish rebellion, irish word, mechanical systems, modern instruments, music history, pipers, predating, synthetic materials, timbre, war drum