The Bodhran gets it's undue share of slagging it's true. I must say that a well played Bodhran is one of my favorite instruments to play my pipes with. After all don't Pipes and Drum go together like bread and butter? Like cheese and crackers? Like Thunder and Lightening. I for one have poked fun at many a Bodhran player and had fun poked at my pipes. Octopus, Vacuum cleaner, etc. I generaly don't poke fun at something unless I like it. I like a well played Bodhran simple as that. Wasn't it the Chieftans who pioneered using it to accompany tunes or am I wrong? I'd like to hear some feedback from experienced Bodhran players about what it's like to play the unfairly slagged drum.
The bodhran, as well as the other oft slagged instrument the banjo, can be heard on recordings of Irish music made in America as far back as the twenties beating(excuse the pun) the Chieftains by about 40 years.
I like the bodhran too as long as it's simple. Too many tones, rolls, clacks and clicks and you might as well get a drum kit.
@boatpiper: "After all don't Pipes and Drum go together like bread and butter?"
Well, yes, but...you've heard the old saying haven't you? Why do Scottish pipers march when they're playing? - To get away from the drummers?
Not so lucky the uilleann pipers eh.
(All in jest - a bodhran in the right hands, with the right tune, is nice.)
I believe that while the bodhran was perhaps occasionally played with traditional tunes prior to the Chieftains, it was their prominent use of the instrument that was the catalyst for turning the bodhran into the widespread fixture that it is today.
Plus the guy from Gaelic Storm played one on the bottom deck of the Titanic...?
Who were the old recordings of in the 20's 30's or thereabouts? I haven't run across any. I've heard loads of stuff from back then but never noticed bodhran in them.
"I like the bodhran too as long as it's simple"
Me too, and as long as it's just one and the player knows the tunes.
Btw, I can't quite understand why there are sometimes "advanced" bodhran workshops.
Clever Al Brown Clever,
You deciphered the word puzzle like a pro!!! That means the the well played Bodhran is the one that knows when not to play. Didn't mean to make that sound like a slag. It's just that like guitar backing, the player needs to know the melodies.
Bodhran gets slagged because too many people play it because they love the music, or in some cases they love the coolness of being involved in the music since the celtic craze, but they don't play an instrument. This creates problems because good bodhran playing requires knowledge of the tunes, just like good backing/accompaniment requires knowledge of the tunes. I've never been a drummer/percussionist/etc so I couldn't tell you the first thing about how a bodhran should be played, and frankly I couldn't care less, but I know good playing when I hear it, whether it's simple or otherwise. The best playing I've ever heard was at a pub in Ballycastle. I don't know the name of the gent, but it was so good and appropriate to the sets that it really did add something to the music, despite the claims by some here that it adds nothing.
Time to arrange a seance. There's an old lady living in a wagon down the road a piece. She's got a crystal ball and a bodhran. Her deranged son plays the pipes. That's bound to stir Michael up for us.
Boatpiper-You can hear bodhran playing on the recordings of Packie Dolan and Tom Morrison to name two in New York in the 20's. They all had jingles on them like a tambourine. The guy that played on the first Chieftains recording was 70+ years old at the time of the recording so he had to've been playing it for years prior ( pretty sure he didn't take it up at age 65 or so...). They made him tape the jingles down and called it a bodhran.
Hay Mcknowall play your bodhran with that stick, not the piper!!!
Sheesh... no wonder the Scottish guys are marching away so fast. There's a whole pack of em and they each carry 2 sticks.
Ouch O O Ouch duph yow o o Ow youch Hey hey Ouch Mc Ouch Know Ouch all McKnowall It's ouch it's pay o o ouch pay the piper Ouch ow O O not Ouch Play Ouch OO Not Play the Piper.
Bodhran goes well with pipes because pipes are loud . With most other instruments, even one drum is enough to smother the sound, and several just kill it altogether
"Time to arrange a seance. There's an old lady living in a wagon down the road a piece. She's got a crystal ball and a bodhran. Her deranged son plays the pipes. That's bound to stir Michael up for us."
Michael is not dead, he is only sleeping. These are troubled times when many a session is marred by the incessant 'twack-thump' of an ill-beaten bodhran. But in our darkest hour when all hope seems lost then Michael will awaken, unsheath his mighty pen-knife and cast them all asunder.
1. IF YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU MUST, I REPEAT, MUST KNOW THE MELODY. yes period. No if's and's or but's about it.
No wait.....one rule.
1. ONLY ONE BODHRAN PLAYER AT A TIME.
Ah...no wait a second
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. ONLY ONE RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYER.
No ..wait....yes
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. ALL BODHRAN PLAYERS MUST TAPE DOWN YOUR JINGLEY THINGYS.
Ah....wait... no.... ok..... yes
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. IF YOU BREAK ANY OF THE RULES.....AH.......where's Michael.?......oh........yeah........JUST...JUST....AH......WELL...... HE"LL BE HERE....... YOU JUST WAIT..... BUBBO!!!!
Sheesh..... where's my pipes...... I better get outta here.
I play the pipes and the Bodhran. I would never clame to be good at either but I love both instruments. I agree completely with most of the comments. here.
*Don't have more than one Bodhran playing at once.
*It is absolutely necessary to know the tune to back it properly.
* It's important to play along with the guitar. not against it.
* Follow the lead instrument. Don't try to lead.
* Keep it simple and steady. Remember that your a time keeper.
In saying all that, It's great to play along with musicians that you know and have some fun with it. The Bodhran is a really versatile instrument and is often less restrictive than the pipes. It's one of the reasons I love it.
Have a listen to the videos and recordings on http://www.digitaldarragh.com/musicroom to hear my style of playing. I'd also be interested in your comments as there are both Bodhran likers and haters here.
How on earth is the bodhran less restrictive than the pipes? You can't play notes on it. All you can do is thwackity-thwack. Seems to me that is the most restrictive way of playing a tune in the world. You can't EVER fully explore a tune with a bodhran.
"How on earth is the bodhran less restrictive than the pipes?"
I suppose you avoid the terrible restriction of having to play the right notes. That is if you don't count that "wibble-wibble-wobble-wobble" thing that they do.
There are certain tunes that just do not suit the pipes. Or, there are certain tunes that just sound millions of times better on other instruments than on the pipes. Of course, the same is tru on any instrument. Including the Bodhran. But, in my experience as a player of both instruments, the Bodhran is less restricted.
Or, there are certain tunes that just sound millions of times better on other instruments than on the pipes. Of course, the same is tru on any instrument. Including the Bodhran.
but what "tunes" sound good on a bodhran?
a bodhran solo is the most boring thing imaginable
There are even more tunes that don't suit the bodhran. Like all of them. Because you can't play the notes.
Seriously, are you advocating playing the bodhran for the reason that you can't easily contribute to the musical process for all tunes all the time on the pipes? If you can't accept that there are certain tunes which don't suit the pipes, then learn something like the box or fiddle or, God forbid, sit and listen. But bashing a bodhran so you can continue to play when someone at the session plays something in B major is not a good reason to bash a bodhran.
TheSilverSpear I genuinely don't understand your frustration and I find your dislike of the Bodhran even more hard to understand. Would you say the same if I picked up a whistle for a tune? I understand that we all may have a dislike of particular instruments. I personally hate the box a lot of the time unless the player is particularly good. Mainly because I find them a bit too dominating.
Have you listened to any of the tracks / videos on www.digitaldarragh.com/musicroom ? I would hope I don't bash, I hope to play.
That's exactly it. Yes, go get a whistle and get to work.
How long has the piper spent in her life on that tune? How long has she spent mastering her instrument? All that work and dedication, and love of the music...then some daft eejit sits down next to her and begins to beat the crap out of a dead animal skin without any regard for her, her work, or the music. He just wants to play along! “Oh boy! Look at me! I'm beating a dead animal! Woo pee dee do!”
It’s a conversation, a musical conversation. The piper, the fiddler and the fluter are all sitting there discussing philosophy with their instruments and music, and then the whacker comes along and wants to discuss Sesame Street. “Thumpa whackety whack thump.”
Cripes, my apologies. Y’all start talking about channeling Llig and look what happens. Ah well.
I think most amateurs play bodhran for the wrong reasons. I don't mean guys like John Joe Kelly or Donncha Gough, who play the tunes on other instruments, but your average bloke who shoes up at your session with a drum. Why? It's an "easy" way to participate without having to put in the long hours to learn how to play tunes. 95% of the time, the bodhran doesn't add anything to a session. In part that is because 95% of session bodhran players I've met are never quite on the beat and the other thing is that having a thumpy thing going on underneath the tunes doesn't do it for me. It's not subtle enough. A guitarist or zouk player can change the chords to reflect and color the tune but the bodhran just goes "thump." Even if you alter the tone slightly by moving your hand around on the skin, it still goes "thump" in a way that doesn't empathize with the subtleties of the tune.
That said, I think drums can work better in a band situation, when it's arranged, and I have met a handful of drummers at sessions who clearly know the tunes and I enjoy their playing. But they are few and far between. Most of the ones I've encountered play the drum because they don't *want* to know the tunes. They just want to contribute to the musical process.
Actually, no it's not. Music is an expression. Do what ever you like with it. Express your self and don't worry about the views of anyone else. Otherwise, your limited in that expression and that's not what it's meant to be for.
Don't give me all this educated stuff. I studied music like a lot of people but when it comes down to playing at a session, have fun. Life is dull enough without making a session dull as well.
I'll personally keep doing what I'm doing. No one has complained yet and if they do, TUFF! It's a free country.... well, most of it is anyway.
Go to a session to enjoy your self.
Go to a session to express your self.
Go to a session to play music.
Don't go to a session to judge the musicians around you. You cant be that good.
I love listening to music but playing gives me an adictive thrill. It doesn't matter what instrument I'm playing. The thrill is just as strong.
I think those warm, fuzzy sessions where everyone is free to enjoy themselves, express themselves, and play music are great. I'm glad they exist and they make a lot of people happy to just go and make some music. I was at one back in December in a town a bit west of here. Lovely people. Lovely banter. Everyone was so nice and friendly and the craic was great. The tunes, meh. But they weren't meant to be amazing. No one was there to create great music but just to have a bit of a laugh. That's fine. Everyone knows the kind of session I am talking about.
But those are the sessions I usually avoid these days, not because I'm especially good (believe me, I'm not), but because I get the most enjoyment out of a hard driving quality Irish session, so those are the ones I go to regularly. They are even better when they have craic and banter and you're having a night out with your mates, but what really makes the night for me are the tunes. I don't mean that we need to sound like the Bothy Band, but when the tunes are gelling, when you're all playing together with a strong sense of cohesiveness and everyone is musically more or less on the same page, it's fecking brilliant.
Playing gives everyone an addictive thrill. That's why we do it. That's why we noodle and play the bodhran badly and do all sorts of other session etiquette blunders we shouldn't. But I think part of zen and the art of sessioning (and I'm still working on this..lol) is learning when to sit and listen and that it's ok to do this.
The Gravelwalks, I avoid piping that tune like the plague. Sure love to listen to a couple fiddles and a flute play it though. It might be a bog standard but I sstill appreciate hearing it. I like what Silver Spear say's about the warm fuzzy sessions and the hard driving ones.
When there's a good session happening, say a sweet sound like a fiddle a flute a mandolin and a zouk. A bodhran player, guitar player or piper or whoever should hear how sweet it is and ask yourself ( is there anything I can add to this or will I destroy it?) For me it's usually the latter. It's all about the music for me. I love listening on equal par with playing. With tunes like The Gravelwalks I like listening.
It's a bit off topic I suppose but I'm curious since Mr Leachim's name came up once or twice. Is it taboo to ask why he was banned? To be honest I kind of enjoy and appreciate his brutal honesty.. Anyway ..
Ok... I can't play the silly thing anyhow...... I can barely get a squak outta me pipes. Hmmm... I wonder how they'll work for beating a bodhran.......??
A good bodhran player can play with the melody. It's the bones and spoons that just go clackity-clackity-clack. But I dig those too when played sparingly. I love percussion and always will. But yeah, learn the tunes.
What's really strange is I own a tenor banjo, a mandolin and a low D whistle but I sold my bodhran last year. WTF? LOL
Leave Silver Spear alone, bliss. She has good reasons for the way she feels and stated them in a civil manner. Take your pot stirring, trolling behavior elsewhere.
I'd be interested to know the following. Is there anyone here who does not play the bodhran but who really likes them and who really misses them when there isn't one at their local session?
The great thing about Bodhrans is that they come 'Oven Ready' from the shop, and anyone can play. Here you are son...now away you go and annoy that auld box player over there...How do I hold the stick Da? In your other hand... clown... now give it a good belt...that's it...Great little musican that kid of mine!
The Gravel Walk isn't actually that bad on the pipes. I can play it and I'm nothing special. There are tunes which are far more awkward that I don't play. Like the Road to Errogie in B.
As far as percussion goes, Seamus Ennis, talking about pipers who vamped on the regulators, said, "The regulators are an abomination when they are used as a monotonous percussion." No wonder he thought bodhrans should be played with a pen knife!
Isn't "Zen And The Art Of Sessioning" the title of a certain well-known hippie/flower child book which was originally published in the 1960's?
I do not play the bodhran or any other type of drum or percussion instrument. Yes, I do miss the bodhran when there is no bodhran player at the local session and I miss it even more if the bodhran player is really good and knows how to play their drum.
If there is no bodhran player at the local session, I have to keep the beat steady and be the percussion because I am the piano player.
Silver, you must be a better piper than I.
I can play the Gravelwalks, but you certainly wouldn't want to hear me play it. (:~0) A good bodhran solo would be far more interesting.
I like the call it Gravelwalks cuase the flippin stuff always seems to walk into my house.
The trick with tunes like the Gravel Walks is learning how to fake the dodgy bits. Like the last part where it jumps from C naturals to upper octave As and Gs I don't play like that, because jumping from the Cnat to an upper octave A usually goes wrong. I play something else -- in a session I usually just play gag or rolls or trills on those notes and skip the pedal note. Let the fiddlers play that.
For the Clumsy Lover, I use the lower octave As in the third part rather than the upper octave ones. There are ways around these things. You don't have to a brilliant player to manage; you just have to be a bit clever.
Hmmm....and a clever Spear you are. Those jumps to the upper octave from C are exactly where I get dodgey. Never came up with anything I liked as an alternative. Truthfully though I have'nt visited with that tune for a couple years now. Maybe it's time to reaquaint myself with it. I really do love the melody. It's beautiful. Gives me fits when I'm not doing a tune like it justice...Ok...... time to go practice........Nnnyyaaaaaa.
I have heard the sad and misguided refrain of "You must know the tune to play the bodhran" for years, now. I wonder if any holding that opinion play the drum. I think that unlikely. Perhaps the impression comes from the possibility that many drummers inflict themselves on the public with no knowledge of a melody instrument, and insufficient knowledge of ITM. What makes a good drummer is not just the ability to play well, but the ability to size up a tune quickly and join in. I am a flute player, and even when I know a tune well, I will often let it play through before I join in, just to get a feel for the tempo and rhythm the folks are playing in. I don't set the pace, but I keep the established pace strong, and I know my way around ITM. No, Virginia, it is not only unnecessary to know the tune, it's darn near useless unless you're playing an arrangement, which doesn't exist in most performances, let alone sessions. As a melody player and a drummer, I can assure you it just isn't true, if the drummer knows his or her stuff.
Leave Silver Spear alone, bliss. She has good reasons for the way she feels and stated them in a civil manner. Take your pot stirring, trolling behavior elsewhere.
As far as percussion goes, Seamus Ennis, talking about pipers who vamped on the regulators, said, "The regulators are an abomination when they are used as a monotonous percussion." No wonder he thought bodhrans should be played with a pen knife!
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by TheSilverSpear
Sure what would that old eejit know about Irish music?
Pure insane jealousy, because the chieftains got a drummer, who then attracted attention, and trad took off.
Long before Van the man and what do call the other one, Molloy?
No, traditional music was around for years and years, and scorned and laughed at , and then the bodhran made a come back, caught everyone's imagination, and nothing has been the same since.
If it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition probably would have died out, certainly by 1980.
Johndsamuels
Many times lately the bodhran picks out my rhythm, he steadies it and I lock on to him, (banjo), and the rhythm is set for the tune. For a newbee the bodhran can be a life saver.
Wow Eosaph,
A bodhran player saved my life too!!........She actually likes me.............. I married her................. Kripes................... did I ever get lucky. <3 (~
"If it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition probably would have died out, certainly by 1980."
That's possibly the best bit of trolling I've seen yet in 9 years of reading here. BB, you've outdone yourself--buy yourself a pint, and throw another fiddle on the fire!
@Ailin Yes, I agree with you. I can't see a reason why someone who plays well and who has immersed themselves in the music shouldn't be able to pick up the rhythmic structure of an unknown tune one the fly. We expect good guitarists and other backers to be able to do that and they have the chords to worry about as well.
My preference is for no bodhran as I'd rather feel the pulse that spontaneously emerges from the collective efforts of the musicians. But if the has to be one then clearly someone who listens well and who plays sensitively is vastly preferable to someone who just thumps away. And to Eòsaph's point, I can see that if that pulse isn't happening then a bodhran player might rescue the situation.
I'm imagining a bodhran with an inflatable rim and a skin that can be quickly punched out in an emergency. It'd need to be wide enough to go over your shoulders.
Could be really useful at sea.
Perhaps a bit too much of a temptation to other sessioneers down the pub though.
I really hate the way that the term 'drummer' has suddenly crept into ITM to describe a 'Bodhran Player'. A one handed percussionist for ITM maybe, but only when I hear a Bodhran Player do all the rudiments that are attached to drumming and that take years to perfect will I refer to him or her as a 'Drummer'
A drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set", which will also include cymbals), marching percussion or hand drums.
"I'd be interested to know the following. Is there anyone here who does not play the bodhran but who really likes them and who really misses them when there isn't one at their local session?
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by johndsamuels "
It's been a long time since I've been to a session but a highly skilled player with bodhran, bones and spoons would be welcome. I wish I knew one.
I'd like to find a bodhran/bones/spoons player along with someone who plays zouk and guitar and a fiddler/flute/box player to session with here at home.
Mr. Bliss, I do look into my heart. While I may or may not agree with the thumps you deliver in a session I will defend (to the death?) your right to whack your bodhran. The tradition will not survive if we be cannibals. What next? The Generation whistle? The student fiddle? If so, then we session upon a slippery slope!
Ah yes, the bodhran. Along with Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, it is part of that new 'modern' catchy approach that is helping to keep the tradition alive!
"Lookk into your hearts and imagine a sessionin a crowded pub.
Who do the punters look at, and rave about?
The bodhran player.
Those punters are the ones who buy trad CDs and such, and their friends and kids hear them and get into the music."
And receive a bodhran as a gift, flog a session but learn a lesson, then buy melody instruments, like whistles, mandolins and tenor banjos, sell the bodhran, learns the tunes which helps to keep the tradition alive.
"Lookk into your hearts and imagine a sessionin a crowded pub.
Who do the punters look at, and rave about?"
That's easy: sports on the telly.
But who cares what distracts the punters?
The *musicians* listen to and rave about the ***tunes.***
Which a drum can't play.
I still want a tee shirt with "A Few Good Tunes" on the front, and on the back, Jack Nicholson's face from the court scene in "A Few Good Men," spittle flying, screaming, with the caption: "THE TUNES!? YOU CAN"T HANDLE THE TUNES!!!"
P.S. I'm truly grateful that many good musicians continue to play Irish traditional music and not that new 'catchy' modern pandering-to-the-punters clatter.
This is the tune that never ends
Yes it goes on and on my friends
Some people
started playing it not knowin what it was
And they'll continue playing it for ever just because.........This is the tune that..........ok....ok......I'll stop........but remember friends, everywhere, there is a bodhran, lurking around each and every corner, waiting for the tunes to begin, itching to be played, wishing for somebody who knows exactly how to properly play it. Then...... when the time....... is just right.............just when.........the time......is just...........right..........The drunken punter grabs it and beats the livin daylights out of it. Damn.
hmm..the drunken punter..anybody know that tune?....I think it's a bodhran solo.
So that is why ..............
this is the tune that never ends
And it goes on and on my friends
some people started playing it not knowin what it was
And they'll continue playing it forever just because.....etc....etc....etc.......Bam...Bam...Boom......Badaboom!
Ah yes, the bodhran. Along with Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, it is part of that new 'modern' catchy approach that is helping to keep the tradition alive!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Thank you Al. I knew someone as enlightened as you would recognise reality.
But who cares what distracts the punters?
The *musicians* listen to and rave about the ***tunes.***
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Spot on Will. Now you have it.
A few musicians sitting in their own wee exclusive world playing tunes and alienating an entire bar full of people by ignoring them. yes, that is exactly why ITM was unpopular and sneered at by the populace at large, certainly in Ireland.
But then the bodhran began the liberation, aided by Riverdance etc as Al rightly pointed out.
The "exclusive" session, a few people literally playing with each other, can still be found but is even more ignored now as people prefer the "real" thing.
Some banjo player came here and asked if people could recommend tunes for him to learn. He was "struggling to choose between the mass of tunes available". And he said that it would be great if we could also group them into sets for him.
I asked if he wouldn't like someone to play his banjo for him while we were at it. Hey ho, Jeremy barred me ... again. (Someone else said they had the image of me as a "premenstral Julie Andrews" which was very funny, I laughed a lot. But Jeremy deleted it. Shame.)
Anyone remember the old librarian fella in The Shawshank Redemption? He got out of the goal after fifty years and wandered down the street. "The world's gone and got itself in such a god-damn hurry", he opines. (I could tell you the character's name, and the actor, and the exact quote ... I could look it up in an instant, but I'm not gonna. It's a memory)
I also remember some professor on the radio saying his students are gradually losing their ability to hold any information at all in their heads. There is no need. All the information you could ever want is instantly accessible elsewhere.
We are all born ignorant.
And the process of life itself is the casting out of ignorance. Most people hunger for this process and thrive upon every moment of it.
And yet some people wallow in their ignorance, scared that the act of casting it out is just too hard for them. They put their focus on short cuts, quick fixes, transitory states of ephemera. Never able to increase their concentration spans past what they were when they were two year olds.
"Nothing beats a well played bodhran".
It's such a miserable lack of imagination. A depressing lack of perception. Cloth ears.
Ha ha, I love that, "cloth ears", it's brilliant.
When you think of what a human ear is, the mechanics of it. But not just the ear itself, also all the connecting clever brain stuff that not only decodes pitch and amplitude and timbre, but also cross references on many many levels with one's communication skills, creativity and memory. And when you think of these fabulous diddley tunes that we have. Tunes created to toy with our aural perceptions ... ears and connecting clever brain stuff.
Lovely lovely tunes. The joy of sublime invention.
And then there's cloth ears. Ha. You know, that sound of whacking your hall rug with a tennis racket as it hangs over the washing line. Here it is: http://www.digitaldarragh.com/node/8
"A complete range of tones" ha ha. Feckin cloth ears.
However, if music they ain't, at least "Bodhran Solo's are a great demonstration of skill and ability".
And as the greatest Bodhran player in the world is oft fond of reminding us, punters love 'em.
(yeah, cloth eared punters).
I took bodhran bliss' point, tried to reduce it to absurdity by tying it to things like Celtic Woman and Riverdance, and return to find that he has embraced my statement, embellished it, and made it part of his argument.
Brilliantly done, Mr. bliss! Amongst the debaters of the world, you are a master!
"A few musicians sitting in their own wee exclusive world playing tunes and alienating an entire bar full of people by ignoring them. yes, that is exactly why ITM was unpopular and sneered at by the populace at large, certainly in Ireland.
But then the bodhran began the liberation, aided by Riverdance etc as Al rightly pointed out."
Hmmm!
Sometimes our session has a bodhran player sometimes it doesn't. Whether or not someone is thumping away at some goat remains makes no discernable difference to the punter reaction. They are neither alinenated nor enthused. Mostly, to them it's just musical wallpaper, something that lends a bit of ambience to the place.
Y'know, I tried to approach this thread with a sense of humor, but after hearing why Michael got his latest red card, I'm coming to believe that humor is lost on our not-so-benevolent dictator. Considering what went on in the "Choonz" thread, that's ridiculous for Jeremy to red card Michael for what he posted.
So let's be serious for a moment:
A shame this board lacks a consistent, ***transparent,*** sensible moderator.....
Bliss isn't a master debater (too many syllables in there, ahem), just a troll, and he knows it, savors it whenever someone bites on his baited hook.
FWIW, I don't ignore punters. They ignore me. Some of them, anyway. The punters who actually listen to the music, the ***tunes,*** are very much part of our session. We're good friends, on a first-name basis, they bring us homemade cookies. We're fortunate to have a pubful of punters there for the music every week.
Welcome back Gill. I'm sure you'll make up for any lost time. Sorry to miss the *premenstrual* Julie/Llig Andrews comment. Now if I can just get that image out of my head.
ML, can you send us some of your cookie-baking punters?
One of the pubs I play in has some regular listeners who come in pretty consistently to hear the music. And there is usually a crowd around the session listening. The other one doesn't have groupies, as far as I can tell. I usually don't see punters hovering around the session listening. To most we are this odd background noise. It's weird how that works out. These are both good sessions so my theory is that it has something to do with the atmosphere and layout of the pub and/or the type of punter the pub attracts.
Hey Illig,
Enjoyed the link to the bodhran demonstration with the various sticks. Yes, I listened to the whole thing. Some damn fine rhythms goin there.
Nothing beats a well played bodhran.
I love when the rhtyhms come to rest. The melody breathes carefully, then when it comes back in, the huge breath gets taken and the tune takes flight as the melody reaches a crucial point. The oft slagged drum adds a dimension of dynamics that is unattainable with anything else. It's primal. When conversing with the pipes it sends shivers through me soul. I believe that finest the bodhran players are players who are most deeply steeped in the tradition. Those who do it well get all my respect and admiration. That's not just because my wife plays one either. It's because the music is all about the rhythm. The primal feel that it brings to the music makes that ancient tribal feeling come alive for me.
One tribe that knows the music is all about the rhythm and that all the rhythm is in the tunes.
And the other tribe, the cloth eared tribe, that can't hear the rhythm in the tunes and so feel they must amplify it with a tennis racket beating a carpet.
And from years debating this simple truth, never the twain shall meet.
I took bodhran bliss' point, tried to reduce it to absurdity by tying it to things like Celtic Woman and Riverdance, and return to find that he has embraced my statement, embellished it, and made it part of his argument.
Brilliantly done, Mr. bliss! Amongst the debaters of the world, you are a master!
Remember that part of The Boys and Girls from County Clare where the American hippies show up and say that they're musicians too and that they play the "bad-ron"?
Yeah. That's good comedy right there.
Also, everyone make sure they take notes on how to summon Llig again when he's gone so we don't forget. Eye of newt, mistletoe, Mr. bliss and a bodhran thread. Something along these lines.
Why would you want to be a democrat spin doctor, bodhran bliss? You would become dizzy too quickly from all of the spinning and collapse. Either that, or your democrat clients would become equally dizzy and collapse from all of the spinning around in circles.
"Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yep, bliss is for the most part a good natured troll.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
A Troll?????
Fact: The bodhran reappeared in ITM in the eaarly 1960s.
Fact: ITM began to take off in the early 1960s.
Conclusion: The bodhran saved the tradition.
We don't need your thanks or appreciation, we already know what we did."
Thanks for proving me right while pretending to refute me. Well done.
Ilig,
Your assuption is incorrect. I posessed a bodhran long before I ever met my love. When we met, it was the bodhran and pipes that opened a door and began a spark which turned into real magic. Magical it is. A kind and gentle soul is she. A strong and faithful warrior is she. I defend her honor to my death. She is a golden shining light who casts beauty, love and strength into this anger and hatred infested world we inhabit.
Those who spread hatred and stir up trouble only bring more of it back to themselves. Then, they get more angry and lash out even harder the next time, thus, increasing the volume of hatred returned to them. This makes them more unstable as the cycle continues. They become more and more unstable until utter failure overwhelmes them.
Unstable and disturbed people get upset when they see or hear of love, happiness and kindness. Since they know not how to maintain it in their own life, they must try to destroy it for others. But alas, they cannot, for true love lies beyond mere mortal boundries. True love instill's strength in mortal men that is beyond the capabilities of any without.
"Boatpiper 2010"
Nunna yer beeeezwax.................
She shares only with me.
Enemy tribes shall not enter our camp.
Remember, you said,"The twain shall never meet"
You drew a line in the sand.
You declared yourself our enemy.
Now you prowl the perimeter of our camp.
We are a peaceful tribe.
We are happy here.
We will stay out of your camp.
You approach with questions of our bodhran player?
You cannot have her.
Go find a bodhran player elsewhere!
You keep your woman of the goat.
Our women play tunes.
We share our music equally
I am not your enemy,
All I ever declared was a love of the tunes
And a desire to cast out ignorance.
A wise choice llig.
We want not for war.
One tribes ignorance, is another tribes knowledge.
For one day, if you're lucky, you will hear her sing sean nos.
She brings tears upon the faces of angels.
Grown men fall to their knees, entranced by the voice of this goddess.
Peace be with you friend.
Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The Bodhran gets it's undue share of slagging it's true. I must say that a well played Bodhran is one of my favorite instruments to play my pipes with. After all don't Pipes and Drum go together like bread and butter? Like cheese and crackers? Like Thunder and Lightening. I for one have poked fun at many a Bodhran player and had fun poked at my pipes. Octopus, Vacuum cleaner, etc. I generaly don't poke fun at something unless I like it. I like a well played Bodhran simple as that. Wasn't it the Chieftans who pioneered using it to accompany tunes or am I wrong? I'd like to hear some feedback from experienced Bodhran players about what it's like to play the unfairly slagged drum.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The bodhran, as well as the other oft slagged instrument the banjo, can be heard on recordings of Irish music made in America as far back as the twenties beating(excuse the pun) the Chieftains by about 40 years.
I like the bodhran too as long as it's simple. Too many tones, rolls, clacks and clicks and you might as well get a drum kit.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by shanty
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
@boatpiper: "After all don't Pipes and Drum go together like bread and butter?"
Well, yes, but...you've heard the old saying haven't you? Why do Scottish pipers march when they're playing? - To get away from the drummers?
Not so lucky the uilleann pipers eh.
(All in jest - a bodhran in the right hands, with the right tune, is nice.)
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Skull Duggeraigh Dubh
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I believe that while the bodhran was perhaps occasionally played with traditional tunes prior to the Chieftains, it was their prominent use of the instrument that was the catalyst for turning the bodhran into the widespread fixture that it is today.
Plus the guy from Gaelic Storm played one on the bottom deck of the Titanic...?
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by timmy!
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Who were the old recordings of in the 20's 30's or thereabouts? I haven't run across any. I've heard loads of stuff from back then but never noticed bodhran in them.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
How can a bodhran be well played if nothing is beating it?
Is this one of those 'one hand clapping' things?
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by AlBrown
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"I like the bodhran too as long as it's simple"
Me too, and as long as it's just one and the player knows the tunes.
Btw, I can't quite understand why there are sometimes "advanced" bodhran workshops.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Clever Al Brown Clever,
You deciphered the word puzzle like a pro!!! That means the the well played Bodhran is the one that knows when not to play. Didn't mean to make that sound like a slag. It's just that like guitar backing, the player needs to know the melodies.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Bodhran gets slagged because too many people play it because they love the music, or in some cases they love the coolness of being involved in the music since the celtic craze, but they don't play an instrument. This creates problems because good bodhran playing requires knowledge of the tunes, just like good backing/accompaniment requires knowledge of the tunes. I've never been a drummer/percussionist/etc so I couldn't tell you the first thing about how a bodhran should be played, and frankly I couldn't care less, but I know good playing when I hear it, whether it's simple or otherwise. The best playing I've ever heard was at a pub in Ballycastle. I don't know the name of the gent, but it was so good and appropriate to the sets that it really did add something to the music, despite the claims by some here that it adds nothing.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Jimmy B
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Why play the bodhran? Learn the bloody tunes.
Somebody has to channel Michael while he is suspended.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Time to arrange a seance. There's an old lady living in a wagon down the road a piece. She's got a crystal ball and a bodhran. Her deranged son plays the pipes. That's bound to stir Michael up for us.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Boatpiper-You can hear bodhran playing on the recordings of Packie Dolan and Tom Morrison to name two in New York in the 20's. They all had jingles on them like a tambourine. The guy that played on the first Chieftains recording was 70+ years old at the time of the recording so he had to've been playing it for years prior ( pretty sure he didn't take it up at age 65 or so...). They made him tape the jingles down and called it a bodhran.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by shanty
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Thanks Shanty, I'll look for those.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The backbone of Irish music.
Not wimpy screechy sucky blowy plucky nonsense.
A good solid whack from the bodhran player when and where it's needed keeps everyone in order and the bodhran itself is great as well.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by mcknowall
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Found this site. Probably already here?
The Bodhran's in there alright
http://www.juneberry78s.com/sounds/ListenToIrishDance.htm
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Hay Mcknowall play your bodhran with that stick, not the piper!!!
Sheesh... no wonder the Scottish guys are marching away so fast. There's a whole pack of em and they each carry 2 sticks.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ouch O O Ouch duph yow o o Ow youch Hey hey Ouch Mc Ouch Know Ouch all McKnowall It's ouch it's pay o o ouch pay the piper Ouch ow O O not Ouch Play Ouch OO Not Play the Piper.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Bodhran goes well with pipes because pipes are loud . With most other instruments, even one drum is enough to smother the sound, and several just kill it altogether
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Bren
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I said to a Bodhran player once, when are you going to put your neck back on your banjo?...
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by nik nak
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Pavlov would have loved this place.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by gam
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"Time to arrange a seance. There's an old lady living in a wagon down the road a piece. She's got a crystal ball and a bodhran. Her deranged son plays the pipes. That's bound to stir Michael up for us."
Michael is not dead, he is only sleeping. These are troubled times when many a session is marred by the incessant 'twack-thump' of an ill-beaten bodhran. But in our darkest hour when all hope seems lost then Michael will awaken, unsheath his mighty pen-knife and cast them all asunder.
Hold fast brethren, for I feel the time is nigh.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Tis Simple. Only one rule.
1. IF YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU MUST, I REPEAT, MUST KNOW THE MELODY. yes period. No if's and's or but's about it.
No wait.....one rule.
1. ONLY ONE BODHRAN PLAYER AT A TIME.
Ah...no wait a second
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. ONLY ONE RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYER.
No ..wait....yes
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. ALL BODHRAN PLAYERS MUST TAPE DOWN YOUR JINGLEY THINGYS.
Ah....wait... no.... ok..... yes
JUST ONE RULE!!!
1. IF YOU BREAK ANY OF THE RULES.....AH.......where's Michael.?......oh........yeah........JUST...JUST....AH......WELL...... HE"LL BE HERE....... YOU JUST WAIT..... BUBBO!!!!
Sheesh..... where's my pipes...... I better get outta here.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I play the pipes and the Bodhran. I would never clame to be good at either but I love both instruments. I agree completely with most of the comments. here.
*Don't have more than one Bodhran playing at once.
*It is absolutely necessary to know the tune to back it properly.
* It's important to play along with the guitar. not against it.
* Follow the lead instrument. Don't try to lead.
* Keep it simple and steady. Remember that your a time keeper.
In saying all that, It's great to play along with musicians that you know and have some fun with it. The Bodhran is a really versatile instrument and is often less restrictive than the pipes. It's one of the reasons I love it.
Have a listen to the videos and recordings on http://www.digitaldarragh.com/musicroom to hear my style of playing. I'd also be interested in your comments as there are both Bodhran likers and haters here.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
How on earth is the bodhran less restrictive than the pipes? You can't play notes on it. All you can do is thwackity-thwack. Seems to me that is the most restrictive way of playing a tune in the world. You can't EVER fully explore a tune with a bodhran.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"How on earth is the bodhran less restrictive than the pipes?"
I suppose you avoid the terrible restriction of having to play the right notes. That is if you don't count that "wibble-wibble-wobble-wobble" thing that they do.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ha.
Are you both pipers?
There are certain tunes that just do not suit the pipes. Or, there are certain tunes that just sound millions of times better on other instruments than on the pipes. Of course, the same is tru on any instrument. Including the Bodhran. But, in my experience as a player of both instruments, the Bodhran is less restricted.
Of course, more experience may prove me wrong.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Or, there are certain tunes that just sound millions of times better on other instruments than on the pipes. Of course, the same is tru on any instrument. Including the Bodhran.
but what "tunes" sound good on a bodhran?
a bodhran solo is the most boring thing imaginable
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by shanty
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
But, that's your opinion.
Personally, I think Bodhran Solo's are a great demonstration of skill and ability just like they are on other instruments.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
No, shanty, the most boring thing imaginable is called Parcel Force.
Max
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by pfft
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
May I remind all contributers that this thread must be wrapped up and completed before Llig returns at the end of the month.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Um, yes, I actually am a piper.
There are even more tunes that don't suit the bodhran. Like all of them. Because you can't play the notes.
Seriously, are you advocating playing the bodhran for the reason that you can't easily contribute to the musical process for all tunes all the time on the pipes? If you can't accept that there are certain tunes which don't suit the pipes, then learn something like the box or fiddle or, God forbid, sit and listen. But bashing a bodhran so you can continue to play when someone at the session plays something in B major is not a good reason to bash a bodhran.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
TheSilverSpear I genuinely don't understand your frustration and I find your dislike of the Bodhran even more hard to understand. Would you say the same if I picked up a whistle for a tune? I understand that we all may have a dislike of particular instruments. I personally hate the box a lot of the time unless the player is particularly good. Mainly because I find them a bit too dominating.
Have you listened to any of the tracks / videos on www.digitaldarragh.com/musicroom ? I would hope I don't bash, I hope to play.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
That's exactly it. Yes, go get a whistle and get to work.
How long has the piper spent in her life on that tune? How long has she spent mastering her instrument? All that work and dedication, and love of the music...then some daft eejit sits down next to her and begins to beat the crap out of a dead animal skin without any regard for her, her work, or the music. He just wants to play along! “Oh boy! Look at me! I'm beating a dead animal! Woo pee dee do!”
It’s a conversation, a musical conversation. The piper, the fiddler and the fluter are all sitting there discussing philosophy with their instruments and music, and then the whacker comes along and wants to discuss Sesame Street. “Thumpa whackety whack thump.”
Cripes, my apologies. Y’all start talking about channeling Llig and look what happens. Ah well.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Of course not. You can play a tune on a whistle!
I think most amateurs play bodhran for the wrong reasons. I don't mean guys like John Joe Kelly or Donncha Gough, who play the tunes on other instruments, but your average bloke who shoes up at your session with a drum. Why? It's an "easy" way to participate without having to put in the long hours to learn how to play tunes. 95% of the time, the bodhran doesn't add anything to a session. In part that is because 95% of session bodhran players I've met are never quite on the beat and the other thing is that having a thumpy thing going on underneath the tunes doesn't do it for me. It's not subtle enough. A guitarist or zouk player can change the chords to reflect and color the tune but the bodhran just goes "thump." Even if you alter the tone slightly by moving your hand around on the skin, it still goes "thump" in a way that doesn't empathize with the subtleties of the tune.
That said, I think drums can work better in a band situation, when it's arranged, and I have met a handful of drummers at sessions who clearly know the tunes and I enjoy their playing. But they are few and far between. Most of the ones I've encountered play the drum because they don't *want* to know the tunes. They just want to contribute to the musical process.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
lol.
That's all I can say.
There's no argueing with that.
Actually, no it's not. Music is an expression. Do what ever you like with it. Express your self and don't worry about the views of anyone else. Otherwise, your limited in that expression and that's not what it's meant to be for.
Don't give me all this educated stuff. I studied music like a lot of people but when it comes down to playing at a session, have fun. Life is dull enough without making a session dull as well.
I'll personally keep doing what I'm doing. No one has complained yet and if they do, TUFF! It's a free country.... well, most of it is anyway.
Go to a session to enjoy your self.
Go to a session to express your self.
Go to a session to play music.
Don't go to a session to judge the musicians around you. You cant be that good.
I love listening to music but playing gives me an adictive thrill. It doesn't matter what instrument I'm playing. The thrill is just as strong.
Right... I'm done.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I think those warm, fuzzy sessions where everyone is free to enjoy themselves, express themselves, and play music are great. I'm glad they exist and they make a lot of people happy to just go and make some music. I was at one back in December in a town a bit west of here. Lovely people. Lovely banter. Everyone was so nice and friendly and the craic was great. The tunes, meh. But they weren't meant to be amazing. No one was there to create great music but just to have a bit of a laugh. That's fine. Everyone knows the kind of session I am talking about.
But those are the sessions I usually avoid these days, not because I'm especially good (believe me, I'm not), but because I get the most enjoyment out of a hard driving quality Irish session, so those are the ones I go to regularly. They are even better when they have craic and banter and you're having a night out with your mates, but what really makes the night for me are the tunes. I don't mean that we need to sound like the Bothy Band, but when the tunes are gelling, when you're all playing together with a strong sense of cohesiveness and everyone is musically more or less on the same page, it's fecking brilliant.
Playing gives everyone an addictive thrill. That's why we do it. That's why we noodle and play the bodhran badly and do all sorts of other session etiquette blunders we shouldn't. But I think part of zen and the art of sessioning (and I'm still working on this..lol) is learning when to sit and listen and that it's ok to do this.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I've a video that I need to upload to illustrate what kind of a session I'm talking about.
Check back to this topic shortly.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by SlowAndSteady
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The Gravelwalks, I avoid piping that tune like the plague. Sure love to listen to a couple fiddles and a flute play it though. It might be a bog standard but I sstill appreciate hearing it. I like what Silver Spear say's about the warm fuzzy sessions and the hard driving ones.
When there's a good session happening, say a sweet sound like a fiddle a flute a mandolin and a zouk. A bodhran player, guitar player or piper or whoever should hear how sweet it is and ask yourself ( is there anything I can add to this or will I destroy it?) For me it's usually the latter. It's all about the music for me. I love listening on equal par with playing. With tunes like The Gravelwalks I like listening.
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
It's a bit off topic I suppose but I'm curious since Mr Leachim's name came up once or twice. Is it taboo to ask why he was banned? To be honest I kind of enjoy and appreciate his brutal honesty.. Anyway ..
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by mumhain abu
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"nothing beats a well played Bodhran"
well what about the thing that you make the noise with ,, you know that stick thing?
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by mandolinist
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"nothing beats a well played Bodhran"
A well played fiddle does
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by I ♥ Dow
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I thought they used a tipper to not beat a bodhran, not a fiddle. Please demonstrate D.J.F..... ;~)
# Posted on January 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Give me your fiddle......
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by I ♥ Dow
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ok... I can't play the silly thing anyhow...... I can barely get a squak outta me pipes. Hmmm... I wonder how they'll work for beating a bodhran.......??
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Oh I meant for NOT beating a bodhran. : )
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
As an absolutely brilliant Bodhran player can I say I have lived with jealousy for years.
Usually from the like of The Silver Spear.
They resent the attention a drummer gets.
And they lack a feel for the music.
PS: After 40 years I finally got around to learning the "Silver Spear" on the mandolin. It took ten minutes.
No one told me playing tunes was that easy.
To think of the years I spent mastering the drum..........
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Excellent!!
NOW we're gettin somewhere!!
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
A good bodhran player can play with the melody. It's the bones and spoons that just go clackity-clackity-clack. But I dig those too when played sparingly. I love percussion and always will. But yeah, learn the tunes.
What's really strange is I own a tenor banjo, a mandolin and a low D whistle but I sold my bodhran last year. WTF? LOL
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Fishmonger
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Leave Silver Spear alone, bliss. She has good reasons for the way she feels and stated them in a civil manner. Take your pot stirring, trolling behavior elsewhere.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I'd be interested to know the following. Is there anyone here who does not play the bodhran but who really likes them and who really misses them when there isn't one at their local session?
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yep johndsamuels I would welcome a bodhran player who would deem ta play with me ... that would be wuuuuunderful.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Clear Drops
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Gee, shucks er um
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by mcknowall
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
>May I remind all contributers that this thread must be >wrapped up and completed before Llig returns at the end of >the month.
Lets throw a party.
How do people know when someone is suspended, and when they are coming back?
- chris
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
And anyway I always thought That Bodhran Bliss WAS Llig under an alternative user name.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The great thing about Bodhrans is that they come 'Oven Ready' from the shop, and anyone can play. Here you are son...now away you go and annoy that auld box player over there...How do I hold the stick Da? In your other hand... clown... now give it a good belt...that's it...Great little musican that kid of mine!
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Free Reed
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The bad smell goes away, so you look up "members" and hey presto no gilly.
as for how long I don't know
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by mcknowall
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Chris, if you click someone's user name, it will say "suspended until Jan 31" (or whenever).
Bodhran Bliss is Llig's evil alter-ego.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Boatpiper,
The Gravel Walk isn't actually that bad on the pipes. I can play it and I'm nothing special. There are tunes which are far more awkward that I don't play. Like the Road to Errogie in B.
As far as percussion goes, Seamus Ennis, talking about pipers who vamped on the regulators, said, "The regulators are an abomination when they are used as a monotonous percussion." No wonder he thought bodhrans should be played with a pen knife!
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Isn't "Zen And The Art Of Sessioning" the title of a certain well-known hippie/flower child book which was originally published in the 1960's?
I do not play the bodhran or any other type of drum or percussion instrument. Yes, I do miss the bodhran when there is no bodhran player at the local session and I miss it even more if the bodhran player is really good and knows how to play their drum.
If there is no bodhran player at the local session, I have to keep the beat steady and be the percussion because I am the piano player.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by fauxcelt
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
If someone has a Master of Fine Arts in Percussion, does that mean they are a Master Beater?
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by fauxcelt
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Silver, you must be a better piper than I.
I can play the Gravelwalks, but you certainly wouldn't want to hear me play it. (:~0) A good bodhran solo would be far more interesting.
I like the call it Gravelwalks cuase the flippin stuff always seems to walk into my house.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
My sincere thank's to all who have contributed to this thread. It's full of fun and learning.
Shanty, many thanks for telling me of Packie Dolan and Tom Morrison. The juneberry site is a gem. My wife loves it too.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
The trick with tunes like the Gravel Walks is learning how to fake the dodgy bits. Like the last part where it jumps from C naturals to upper octave As and Gs I don't play like that, because jumping from the Cnat to an upper octave A usually goes wrong. I play something else -- in a session I usually just play gag or rolls or trills on those notes and skip the pedal note. Let the fiddlers play that.
For the Clumsy Lover, I use the lower octave As in the third part rather than the upper octave ones. There are ways around these things. You don't have to a brilliant player to manage; you just have to be a bit clever.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Hmmm....and a clever Spear you are. Those jumps to the upper octave from C are exactly where I get dodgey. Never came up with anything I liked as an alternative. Truthfully though I have'nt visited with that tune for a couple years now. Maybe it's time to reaquaint myself with it. I really do love the melody. It's beautiful. Gives me fits when I'm not doing a tune like it justice...Ok...... time to go practice........Nnnyyaaaaaa.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I have heard the sad and misguided refrain of "You must know the tune to play the bodhran" for years, now. I wonder if any holding that opinion play the drum. I think that unlikely. Perhaps the impression comes from the possibility that many drummers inflict themselves on the public with no knowledge of a melody instrument, and insufficient knowledge of ITM. What makes a good drummer is not just the ability to play well, but the ability to size up a tune quickly and join in. I am a flute player, and even when I know a tune well, I will often let it play through before I join in, just to get a feel for the tempo and rhythm the folks are playing in. I don't set the pace, but I keep the established pace strong, and I know my way around ITM. No, Virginia, it is not only unnecessary to know the tune, it's darn near useless unless you're playing an arrangement, which doesn't exist in most performances, let alone sessions. As a melody player and a drummer, I can assure you it just isn't true, if the drummer knows his or her stuff.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Ailin
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
So, play nothing? Is that what you're trying to say?
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Leave Silver Spear alone, bliss. She has good reasons for the way she feels and stated them in a civil manner. Take your pot stirring, trolling behavior elsewhere.
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Tee hee.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
As far as percussion goes, Seamus Ennis, talking about pipers who vamped on the regulators, said, "The regulators are an abomination when they are used as a monotonous percussion." No wonder he thought bodhrans should be played with a pen knife!
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by TheSilverSpear
Sure what would that old eejit know about Irish music?
Pure insane jealousy, because the chieftains got a drummer, who then attracted attention, and trad took off.
Leaving die hards like Ennis behind.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Oh. I thought it was because the Chieftains got Van Morrison. And lots of other famous people.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Silver, please.
Long before Van the man and what do call the other one, Molloy?
No, traditional music was around for years and years, and scorned and laughed at , and then the bodhran made a come back, caught everyone's imagination, and nothing has been the same since.
If it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition probably would have died out, certainly by 1980.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Johndsamuels
Many times lately the bodhran picks out my rhythm, he steadies it and I lock on to him, (banjo), and the rhythm is set for the tune. For a newbee the bodhran can be a life saver.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Eòsaph
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Wow Eosaph,
A bodhran player saved my life too!!........She actually likes me.............. I married her................. Kripes................... did I ever get lucky. <3 (~
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"If it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition probably would have died out, certainly by 1980."
BB, you've outdone yourself--buy yourself a pint, and throw another fiddle on the fire!
That's possibly the best bit of trolling I've seen yet in 9 years of reading here.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
@Ailin Yes, I agree with you. I can't see a reason why someone who plays well and who has immersed themselves in the music shouldn't be able to pick up the rhythmic structure of an unknown tune one the fly. We expect good guitarists and other backers to be able to do that and they have the chords to worry about as well.
My preference is for no bodhran as I'd rather feel the pulse that spontaneously emerges from the collective efforts of the musicians. But if the has to be one then clearly someone who listens well and who plays sensitively is vastly preferable to someone who just thumps away. And to Eòsaph's point, I can see that if that pulse isn't happening then a bodhran player might rescue the situation.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
>For a newbee the bodhran can be a life saver.
I'm imagining a bodhran with an inflatable rim and a skin that can be quickly punched out in an emergency. It'd need to be wide enough to go over your shoulders.
Could be really useful at sea.
Perhaps a bit too much of a temptation to other sessioneers down the pub though.
- Chris
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
What a great idea. We know for a fact that the Titanic would have had one extra survivor if that technology had been available.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Or you could just sit in it, like a raft, bobbing up and down on the waves. Surely bodhrans are meant to be flotation devices.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Photo of a sea-going bodhran here.
http://tinyurl.com/yf2lwph
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Bernie 29
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I thought St Brendan had a sea going Bodhran much bigger than that one Bernie.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bazouki dave
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I really hate the way that the term 'drummer' has suddenly crept into ITM to describe a 'Bodhran Player'. A one handed percussionist for ITM maybe, but only when I hear a Bodhran Player do all the rudiments that are attached to drumming and that take years to perfect will I refer to him or her as a 'Drummer'
A drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set", which will also include cymbals), marching percussion or hand drums.
This what a real drummer can do with just one drum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDtOcpGY6Y
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Free Reed
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
This what a real drummer can do with just one drum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDtOcpGY6Y
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Free Reed
That is the longest introduction to "The Sash My father Wore" that I have ever heard.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"If it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition probably would have died out, certainly by 1980."
That's possibly the best bit of trolling I've seen yet in 9 years of reading here.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Trolling?
You can't handle the truth.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Bliss
Don't you mean that
if it wasn't for the bodhran the tradition would have died out in my house ,certainly by 1980
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by bazouki dave
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"I'd be interested to know the following. Is there anyone here who does not play the bodhran but who really likes them and who really misses them when there isn't one at their local session?
# Posted on January 29th 2010 by johndsamuels "
It's been a long time since I've been to a session but a highly skilled player with bodhran, bones and spoons would be welcome. I wish I knew one.
I'd like to find a bodhran/bones/spoons player along with someone who plays zouk and guitar and a fiddler/flute/box player to session with here at home.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Fishmonger
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"This what a real drummer can do with just one drum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDtOcpGY6Y
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Free Reed "
That was freakin' jaw-dropping amazing. Thx!!
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Fishmonger
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Not taking anything away from that truly virtuoso performance, but Joe Morello, another virtuoso from another generation, is always worth a listen.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Lookk into your hearts and imagine a sessionin a crowded pub.
Who do the punters look at, and rave about?
The bodhran player.
Those punters are the ones who buy trad CDs and such, and their friends and kids hear them and get into the music.
Prior to the late 1960s ITM was confined to isolated areas of Ireland, cities in Britain and the USA.
Once people identified with the new "modern" catchy approach, epitomised by the bodhran, well....the rest is history.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by bodhran bliss
Nothing beats a mate who knows the tunes
Mr. Bliss, I do look into my heart. While I may or may not agree with the thumps you deliver in a session I will defend (to the death?) your right to whack your bodhran. The tradition will not survive if we be cannibals. What next? The Generation whistle? The student fiddle? If so, then we session upon a slippery slope!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ah yes, the bodhran. Along with Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, it is part of that new 'modern' catchy approach that is helping to keep the tradition alive!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"Lookk into your hearts and imagine a sessionin a crowded pub.
Who do the punters look at, and rave about?
The bodhran player.
Those punters are the ones who buy trad CDs and such, and their friends and kids hear them and get into the music."
And receive a bodhran as a gift, flog a session but learn a lesson, then buy melody instruments, like whistles, mandolins and tenor banjos, sell the bodhran, learns the tunes which helps to keep the tradition alive.
Yup. Not such a bad instrument after all.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Fishmonger
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"Lookk into your hearts and imagine a sessionin a crowded pub.
Who do the punters look at, and rave about?"
That's easy: sports on the telly.
But who cares what distracts the punters?
The *musicians* listen to and rave about the ***tunes.***
Which a drum can't play.
I still want a tee shirt with "A Few Good Tunes" on the front, and on the back, Jack Nicholson's face from the court scene in "A Few Good Men," spittle flying, screaming, with the caption: "THE TUNES!? YOU CAN"T HANDLE THE TUNES!!!"
And that's the truth.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
P.S. I'm truly grateful that many good musicians continue to play Irish traditional music and not that new 'catchy' modern pandering-to-the-punters clatter.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
This is the tune that never ends
Yes it goes on and on my friends
Some people
started playing it not knowin what it was
And they'll continue playing it for ever just because.........This is the tune that..........ok....ok......I'll stop........but remember friends, everywhere, there is a bodhran, lurking around each and every corner, waiting for the tunes to begin, itching to be played, wishing for somebody who knows exactly how to properly play it. Then...... when the time....... is just right.............just when.........the time......is just...........right..........The drunken punter grabs it and beats the livin daylights out of it. Damn.
hmm..the drunken punter..anybody know that tune?....I think it's a bodhran solo.
So that is why ..............
this is the tune that never ends
And it goes on and on my friends
some people started playing it not knowin what it was
And they'll continue playing it forever just because.....etc....etc....etc.......Bam...Bam...Boom......Badaboom!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ah yes, the bodhran. Along with Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, it is part of that new 'modern' catchy approach that is helping to keep the tradition alive!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Thank you Al. I knew someone as enlightened as you would recognise reality.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
But who cares what distracts the punters?
The *musicians* listen to and rave about the ***tunes.***
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Spot on Will. Now you have it.
A few musicians sitting in their own wee exclusive world playing tunes and alienating an entire bar full of people by ignoring them. yes, that is exactly why ITM was unpopular and sneered at by the populace at large, certainly in Ireland.
But then the bodhran began the liberation, aided by Riverdance etc as Al rightly pointed out.
The "exclusive" session, a few people literally playing with each other, can still be found but is even more ignored now as people prefer the "real" thing.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Some banjo player came here and asked if people could recommend tunes for him to learn. He was "struggling to choose between the mass of tunes available". And he said that it would be great if we could also group them into sets for him.
I asked if he wouldn't like someone to play his banjo for him while we were at it. Hey ho, Jeremy barred me ... again. (Someone else said they had the image of me as a "premenstral Julie Andrews" which was very funny, I laughed a lot. But Jeremy deleted it. Shame.)
Anyone remember the old librarian fella in The Shawshank Redemption? He got out of the goal after fifty years and wandered down the street. "The world's gone and got itself in such a god-damn hurry", he opines. (I could tell you the character's name, and the actor, and the exact quote ... I could look it up in an instant, but I'm not gonna. It's a memory)
I also remember some professor on the radio saying his students are gradually losing their ability to hold any information at all in their heads. There is no need. All the information you could ever want is instantly accessible elsewhere.
We are all born ignorant.
And the process of life itself is the casting out of ignorance. Most people hunger for this process and thrive upon every moment of it.
And yet some people wallow in their ignorance, scared that the act of casting it out is just too hard for them. They put their focus on short cuts, quick fixes, transitory states of ephemera. Never able to increase their concentration spans past what they were when they were two year olds.
"Nothing beats a well played bodhran".
It's such a miserable lack of imagination. A depressing lack of perception. Cloth ears.
Ha ha, I love that, "cloth ears", it's brilliant.
When you think of what a human ear is, the mechanics of it. But not just the ear itself, also all the connecting clever brain stuff that not only decodes pitch and amplitude and timbre, but also cross references on many many levels with one's communication skills, creativity and memory. And when you think of these fabulous diddley tunes that we have. Tunes created to toy with our aural perceptions ... ears and connecting clever brain stuff.
Lovely lovely tunes. The joy of sublime invention.
And then there's cloth ears. Ha. You know, that sound of whacking your hall rug with a tennis racket as it hangs over the washing line. Here it is:
http://www.digitaldarragh.com/node/8
"A complete range of tones" ha ha. Feckin cloth ears.
However, if music they ain't, at least "Bodhran Solo's are a great demonstration of skill and ability".
And as the greatest Bodhran player in the world is oft fond of reminding us, punters love 'em.
(yeah, cloth eared punters).
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Nice to see you back. On form as ever.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
-Sigh- All of a sudden the air has become foul in here. Perhaps it's time to lurk again.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Fishmonger
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I took bodhran bliss' point, tried to reduce it to absurdity by tying it to things like Celtic Woman and Riverdance, and return to find that he has embraced my statement, embellished it, and made it part of his argument.
Brilliantly done, Mr. bliss! Amongst the debaters of the world, you are a master!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
"A few musicians sitting in their own wee exclusive world playing tunes and alienating an entire bar full of people by ignoring them. yes, that is exactly why ITM was unpopular and sneered at by the populace at large, certainly in Ireland.
But then the bodhran began the liberation, aided by Riverdance etc as Al rightly pointed out."
Hmmm!
Sometimes our session has a bodhran player sometimes it doesn't. Whether or not someone is thumping away at some goat remains makes no discernable difference to the punter reaction. They are neither alinenated nor enthused. Mostly, to them it's just musical wallpaper, something that lends a bit of ambience to the place.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by johndsamuels
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Y'know, I tried to approach this thread with a sense of humor, but after hearing why Michael got his latest red card, I'm coming to believe that humor is lost on our not-so-benevolent dictator. Considering what went on in the "Choonz" thread, that's ridiculous for Jeremy to red card Michael for what he posted.
So let's be serious for a moment:
A shame this board lacks a consistent, ***transparent,*** sensible moderator.....
Bliss isn't a master debater (too many syllables in there, ahem), just a troll, and he knows it, savors it whenever someone bites on his baited hook.
FWIW, I don't ignore punters. They ignore me. Some of them, anyway. The punters who actually listen to the music, the ***tunes,*** are very much part of our session. We're good friends, on a first-name basis, they bring us homemade cookies. We're fortunate to have a pubful of punters there for the music every week.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Will Harmon
Nothing beats a bodhran scorecard
Welcome back Gill. I'm sure you'll make up for any lost time. Sorry to miss the *premenstrual* Julie/Llig Andrews comment. Now if I can just get that image out of my head.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
ML, can you send us some of your cookie-baking punters?
One of the pubs I play in has some regular listeners who come in pretty consistently to hear the music. And there is usually a crowd around the session listening. The other one doesn't have groupies, as far as I can tell. I usually don't see punters hovering around the session listening. To most we are this odd background noise. It's weird how that works out. These are both good sessions so my theory is that it has something to do with the atmosphere and layout of the pub and/or the type of punter the pub attracts.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
If all trolls were as witty and good humored as bodhran bliss, the troll community would have a better reputation!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yep, bliss is for the most part a good natured troll. But he has a mean streak too, like any of us. And he shouldn't be immune from criticism.
He'd be easier on the eyes if he'd use a smiley once in a while, but that would defeat the point of his double-edged posts....
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Welcome back Julie.
♪♫ The hills are alive....♫♪
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Eòsaph
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ah ha, it was you. May I humbly apologise for not offering you a spoonful of sugar to go with your medicine.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ...
Trolls?
The topic is bodhrans. I fail to see how Bodhran Bliss can possibly be the troll on a thread in which the topic is bodhrans.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Ben Steen
Retraction
sorry for the knee-jerk response. I sussed it out w/in 2 seconds. Cheers & peace be upon us all.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Hey Illig,
Enjoyed the link to the bodhran demonstration with the various sticks. Yes, I listened to the whole thing. Some damn fine rhythms goin there.
Nothing beats a well played bodhran.
I love when the rhtyhms come to rest. The melody breathes carefully, then when it comes back in, the huge breath gets taken and the tune takes flight as the melody reaches a crucial point. The oft slagged drum adds a dimension of dynamics that is unattainable with anything else. It's primal. When conversing with the pipes it sends shivers through me soul. I believe that finest the bodhran players are players who are most deeply steeped in the tradition. Those who do it well get all my respect and admiration. That's not just because my wife plays one either. It's because the music is all about the rhythm. The primal feel that it brings to the music makes that ancient tribal feeling come alive for me.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yes, it is tribal.
One tribe that knows the music is all about the rhythm and that all the rhythm is in the tunes.
And the other tribe, the cloth eared tribe, that can't hear the rhythm in the tunes and so feel they must amplify it with a tennis racket beating a carpet.
And from years debating this simple truth, never the twain shall meet.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
>Anyone remember the old librarian fella in The Shawshank >Redemption? He got out of the goal after fifty years and >wandered down the street
Anyone forced to play as keeper for 50 years could get a bit wandered.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
♪♫ The hills are alive....♫♪
.. with the sound of menstral
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Maybe boatpiper doesn't actually like the bodhran? He just gets beaten into submission every month. You know you can't argue with that.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Give yourself another uppercut gillig!
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by mcknowall
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I took bodhran bliss' point, tried to reduce it to absurdity by tying it to things like Celtic Woman and Riverdance, and return to find that he has embraced my statement, embellished it, and made it part of his argument.
Brilliantly done, Mr. bliss! Amongst the debaters of the world, you are a master!
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by AlBrown
Thank you Al.
And I can't get a job as a democrat spin doctor?
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yep, bliss is for the most part a good natured troll.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
A Troll?????
Fact: The bodhran reappeared in ITM in the eaarly 1960s.
Fact: ITM began to take off in the early 1960s.
Conclusion: The bodhran saved the tradition.
We don't need your thanks or appreciation, we already know what we did.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Remember that part of The Boys and Girls from County Clare where the American hippies show up and say that they're musicians too and that they play the "bad-ron"?
Yeah. That's good comedy right there.
Also, everyone make sure they take notes on how to summon Llig again when he's gone so we don't forget. Eye of newt, mistletoe, Mr. bliss and a bodhran thread. Something along these lines.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Why would you want to be a democrat spin doctor, bodhran bliss? You would become dizzy too quickly from all of the spinning and collapse. Either that, or your democrat clients would become equally dizzy and collapse from all of the spinning around in circles.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by fauxcelt
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
LOL
"Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Yep, bliss is for the most part a good natured troll.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Miss Lonelyhearts
A Troll?????
Fact: The bodhran reappeared in ITM in the eaarly 1960s.
Fact: ITM began to take off in the early 1960s.
Conclusion: The bodhran saved the tradition.
We don't need your thanks or appreciation, we already know what we did."
Thanks for proving me right while pretending to refute me. Well done.
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Ilig,
Your assuption is incorrect. I posessed a bodhran long before I ever met my love. When we met, it was the bodhran and pipes that opened a door and began a spark which turned into real magic. Magical it is. A kind and gentle soul is she. A strong and faithful warrior is she. I defend her honor to my death. She is a golden shining light who casts beauty, love and strength into this anger and hatred infested world we inhabit.
Those who spread hatred and stir up trouble only bring more of it back to themselves. Then, they get more angry and lash out even harder the next time, thus, increasing the volume of hatred returned to them. This makes them more unstable as the cycle continues. They become more and more unstable until utter failure overwhelmes them.
Unstable and disturbed people get upset when they see or hear of love, happiness and kindness. Since they know not how to maintain it in their own life, they must try to destroy it for others. But alas, they cannot, for true love lies beyond mere mortal boundries. True love instill's strength in mortal men that is beyond the capabilities of any without.
"Boatpiper 2010"
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Blimey, Barbera Cartland meets Red Sonja.
But do you never feel like sharing a tune with her?
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
What tunes does she bring?
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Why would you want to be a democrat spin doctor, bodhran bliss?
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by fauxcelt
I couldn't do the Republican party as I never saw myself as a clergyman.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by bodhran bliss
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Nunna yer beeeezwax.................
She shares only with me.
Enemy tribes shall not enter our camp.
Remember, you said,"The twain shall never meet"
You drew a line in the sand.
You declared yourself our enemy.
Now you prowl the perimeter of our camp.
We are a peaceful tribe.
We are happy here.
We will stay out of your camp.
You approach with questions of our bodhran player?
You cannot have her.
Go find a bodhran player elsewhere!
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
You keep your woman of the goat.
Our women play tunes.
We share our music equally
I am not your enemy,
All I ever declared was a love of the tunes
And a desire to cast out ignorance.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
A wise choice llig.
We want not for war.
One tribes ignorance, is another tribes knowledge.
For one day, if you're lucky, you will hear her sing sean nos.
She brings tears upon the faces of angels.
Grown men fall to their knees, entranced by the voice of this goddess.
Peace be with you friend.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Amazing poetry. You guys will undoubtedly be up for a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
For music is love
Under the heavens
Completing the soul
Khama for all
Over calm water
Forever true
Forever real.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by ...
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Aw shucks, Sil, thanks. Jusa wee bit o prattle there. The good stuffs yet ta be thunk up. Fun Fun Fun....................................
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
Silver, I really must thank IIig Ieachim here.
Many thanks IIig. ( :
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by Gone to work
Re: Nothing beats a well played Bodhran
I cannot picture you as a clergyman either Bodhran Bliss.
# Posted on February 2nd 2010 by fauxcelt