First, I am referring to stress in the instrument, not in the listeners. I recently purchased an inexpensive Pakistani bodhran, with the intention of taking it with me to Santa Fe for a music camp in June. Here in the Seattle area, the head is so tight that I have considered taking it into the shower with me, to keep the head sufficiently slack so that it sounds like a bodhran, rather than a tar. I fear what the aridity of Santa Fe will do to it, and would rather not have to hose it down hourly, to keep it from imploding.
What can I do to more or less permanently take some of the tension out of its untunable head?
"heat a needle and very carefully pierce the skin half a dozn times."
Now that's brilliant, thanks for the chuckle!
'46,
Some say fill a tub with water sufficient to cover the skin just a bit over the edge of the frame (1/8") and let the skin soak for a couple hours. Then let dry naturally. Once dry some Lexol, use sparingly, rubbed into the skin should help. Some say the inside others the outside of the skin. I've not had to do it but you can search the archives or pose the question here: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bodhran/
I was always told to use animal fat left over from frying things.
I am somewhat skeptical though. I had an Irish made Bodhran that taught me that for all my musical skills, bodhran wasn't one of them. We have a very old house. Steam heat. Very low humidity in Chicago winters. The skin dried tight causing cracks in the wood.
place the drum on a flat surface and sprinkle with a little caustic soda. (put a video camera quite close on a tripod, this could be good) and lightly spray with warm water.
Best drum in the world is now $280, worth investing in for the serious drummer.
You just need to dampen the one you have a bit around the edges, or put insulating tape around the edge of the skin. That takes away the scraping noise.
Take your drum to any session where gill is present. The thick aura of anus around him should dull the sound of your drum sufficiently, it works with everything else.
which includes the following tip from a Bev Lawton
<"I have been reparing and making bodrhans for a while now and the best substance I know to "feed" a skin is "LIQUID NIKWAX" this is a natural liquid wax that is actually used for high quality leather walking boots but it is used on all leather/skins in UK. It will be readily absorbed by a drum skin apply liberally from the OUTSIDE PLAYING surface - wipe any excess off. You do not need to do this often - every 3/4 months - too often will soften the skin and cause it to rip at the edges. One thing you can do to temporarily ease a skin is to keep a potatoe cut in half in the drum bag (it does work honest!).">
i havent tried any of this myself.
NB nikwax make various products with similar names. I think some contain paraffin which isnt what you want, although some here might disagree,,,
if you go for neats foot oil, some products are better than others i suggest you read this
Perhaps the real answer is to cut your losses. I suspect you will never be happy with that drum, especially if you should get serious about beating the goat. You still have till the June music camp, you say, to get a cheap tunable drum.
I do not know what your budget is, but I have seen acceptable tunables for under $75 US. Shop around.
There is also time enough to repent, and forget about this whole bodhran thing altogether.
Many of the inexpensive 'bodhrans' conform to the middle eastern tar-like neo-bodhrans rather than the traditional irish drum http://www.bodojo.com/neo_bodhran.html . It's an unfortunate appropriation of the name IMO.
Thanks, all, for your useful suggestions, and good links. I put some mink oil paste on the inside surface - that slacked her off some. I have a nice tuneable drum by Christian Hedwitschak, but don't want to subject it to the train/bus trip and dry air of New Mexico.
Bev, I'll be bringing it to ZoukFest - see you there.
Bodhran Stress Reduction
Bodhran Stress Reduction
First, I am referring to stress in the instrument, not in the listeners. I recently purchased an inexpensive Pakistani bodhran, with the intention of taking it with me to Santa Fe for a music camp in June. Here in the Seattle area, the head is so tight that I have considered taking it into the shower with me, to keep the head sufficiently slack so that it sounds like a bodhran, rather than a tar. I fear what the aridity of Santa Fe will do to it, and would rather not have to hose it down hourly, to keep it from imploding.
What can I do to more or less permanently take some of the tension out of its untunable head?
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by mando1946
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
you might try a very fine application of neatsfoot oil? not to much though or it,ll never tighten again.
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by pencross
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
on reflection .. apply it to the inside rather than the outside that way you won,t oil; your clothes up withg it!
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by pencross
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
heat a needle and very carefully pierce the skin half a dozn times.
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
"heat a needle and very carefully pierce the skin half a dozn times."
Now that's brilliant, thanks for the chuckle!
'46,
Some say fill a tub with water sufficient to cover the skin just a bit over the edge of the frame (1/8") and let the skin soak for a couple hours. Then let dry naturally. Once dry some Lexol, use sparingly, rubbed into the skin should help. Some say the inside others the outside of the skin. I've not had to do it but you can search the archives or pose the question here: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bodhran/
Good luck!
Peace,
Ed
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by ejsant
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
I was always told to use animal fat left over from frying things.
I am somewhat skeptical though. I had an Irish made Bodhran that taught me that for all my musical skills, bodhran wasn't one of them. We have a very old house. Steam heat. Very low humidity in Chicago winters. The skin dried tight causing cracks in the wood.
not a pretty sight.
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by zippydw
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
place the drum on a flat surface and sprinkle with a little caustic soda. (put a video camera quite close on a tripod, this could be good) and lightly spray with warm water.
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Llig
Very cheap laughs... expected better from a man of your well established wit.
Do you never get bored?
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by jfiddlerh
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Best drum in the world is now $280, worth investing in for the serious drummer.
You just need to dampen the one you have a bit around the edges, or put insulating tape around the edge of the skin. That takes away the scraping noise.
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Boredom IS associated with bodhrans.
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by jtrout
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
You can also get good advice from http://www.bodojo.com
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by Fishmonger
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Take your drum to any session where gill is present. The thick aura of anus around him should dull the sound of your drum sufficiently, it works with everything else.
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by claidheamh mòr
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
There doesnt seem to be one straighforward answer to this, but what i've gleened is....
(as pengellycross suggests)
neats foot oil is recommended by many
there is an ancient and long thread along the same lines, here:
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11517&messages=107&page=1
which includes the following tip from a Bev Lawton
<"I have been reparing and making bodrhans for a while now and the best substance I know to "feed" a skin is "LIQUID NIKWAX" this is a natural liquid wax that is actually used for high quality leather walking boots but it is used on all leather/skins in UK. It will be readily absorbed by a drum skin apply liberally from the OUTSIDE PLAYING surface - wipe any excess off. You do not need to do this often - every 3/4 months - too often will soften the skin and cause it to rip at the edges. One thing you can do to temporarily ease a skin is to keep a potatoe cut in half in the drum bag (it does work honest!).">
i havent tried any of this myself.
NB nikwax make various products with similar names. I think some contain paraffin which isnt what you want, although some here might disagree,,,
if you go for neats foot oil, some products are better than others i suggest you read this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil
if you feed your goatskin properly, it might sound like this
http://www.maniacworld.com/talking-goat.html
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by bambi
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Tough situation.
Perhaps the real answer is to cut your losses. I suspect you will never be happy with that drum, especially if you should get serious about beating the goat. You still have till the June music camp, you say, to get a cheap tunable drum.
I do not know what your budget is, but I have seen acceptable tunables for under $75 US. Shop around.
There is also time enough to repent, and forget about this whole bodhran thing altogether.
Consider the uilleanns.
Good luck.
# Posted on May 3rd 2008 by Rook
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Hey Mando,
There's quite a long thread currently running on the bodojo forums about this subject - how to deal with cheap drum skins is a perennial issue. http://www.bodojo.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,26/func,view/id,839/catid,25/limit,6/limitstart,0/
Many of the inexpensive 'bodhrans' conform to the middle eastern tar-like neo-bodhrans rather than the traditional irish drum http://www.bodojo.com/neo_bodhran.html . It's an unfortunate appropriation of the name IMO.
HTH
Paul
# Posted on May 4th 2008 by powerhaus
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Why shouldn't an inexpensive bodhran cause undue stress in the ears of the beholder?
# Posted on May 4th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
sulphuric acid is also a good option
# Posted on May 5th 2008 by Hup
Re: Bodhran Stress Reduction
Thanks, all, for your useful suggestions, and good links. I put some mink oil paste on the inside surface - that slacked her off some. I have a nice tuneable drum by Christian Hedwitschak, but don't want to subject it to the train/bus trip and dry air of New Mexico.
Bev, I'll be bringing it to ZoukFest - see you there.
Cheers,
Will Morgan
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by mando1946