I'm considering buying a bodhran. I played one at my session, and fell in love with it. So, I've looked at some previous discussions about this subject, and decided that I want a tunable 14 to 16 inch bodhran. My problem is that I have a very tight budget (about $60 or less), and, to my knowledge, there are no shops around here that carry bodhrans, so I kind of have to buy it online, or travel hundreds of miles to find somewhere that does. I was told that ebay is not a good place to buy bodhrans, because they could be really bad (bad sound quality, bad craftsmanship, so on). But it looks like ebay is one of my only choices. So, since most of you probably know more about this than I do, would you say that I should NOT get one of these? or can someone identify the maker, and tell me if it's worth going for.
I have played bodhran for almost 30 years. A bodhran is goatskin over a wooden frame. You don't need it to be tuneable and you don't need one from a particular maker. They wear out in time, so I suggest you find one in a music store or buy one online for what you can afford. There are better and worse drums, of course, but don't select a bodhran like you woud a flute or fiddle. It ain't rocket science and I have seldom seen what I would call a bad drum in recent years. 20 years ago, it was a little different.
BODHRAN
I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
I am not afraid.
AN FIDLEIR:
[Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
BODHRAN:
Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and
love keep little company together now-a-days; the
more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
AN FIDLEIR:
Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
What, wilt thou hear some music,
my sweet love?
BODHRAN
I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let's have
the tongs and the bones.
AN FIDLEIR:
Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.
Ignore the (n)ever hilarious Llig. His contribution is no answer to your question. For some people, there's no place for bodhrans, whether well made or not, or well played or not. He's one of those people.
60 bucks will get you a piece of crap, upon which you may learn to use the stick but you'll learn nothing of the skin. If you really are a fiddler, then stick to the fiddle. There can never be too many tune players but there definitely can be too many bodhran players.
And it's not "tuneable" at that price - it's "with a tension adjuster".
For the record (admittedly, a stuck record ... as no one around here ever really listens to what anyone is ever really saying) I have never ever ever said ever that there is no place for bodhrans.
And, of course, it's also worth pondering why session bodhran players are such overwhelming boring people.
drummers are people that hang out with musicians. Remember the difference between a bodhran and a trampoline, people take their shoes OFF to jump on a trampoline.
"60 bucks will get you a piece of crap, upon which you may learn to use the stick but you'll learn nothing of the skin."
That's one view, and guys who make a living selling you ridiculously overpriced bodhrans love to hear people taking their brainwashing. The other view says, if you can't play on a $60 bodhran, you can't play the bodhran.
But it depends what you want to do. If you want to play the bodhran, get a $60 drum and play the bodhran. If you want to show of your fancy tool, get a $600 bodhran.
(I love that video - guy takes a perfectly decent drum, eliminates the built-in tuning mechanism, and then goes to a lot of fussing about to repair what he broke to begin with. Moron.)
(don't post about bodhrans, I might see them before I've had my coffee, and now we'll have to have a bloody argument about the stupid drums... what a waste of time... the drums and the argument, both)
buying a bodhran
buying a bodhran
I'm considering buying a bodhran. I played one at my session, and fell in love with it. So, I've looked at some previous discussions about this subject, and decided that I want a tunable 14 to 16 inch bodhran. My problem is that I have a very tight budget (about $60 or less), and, to my knowledge, there are no shops around here that carry bodhrans, so I kind of have to buy it online, or travel hundreds of miles to find somewhere that does. I was told that ebay is not a good place to buy bodhrans, because they could be really bad (bad sound quality, bad craftsmanship, so on). But it looks like ebay is one of my only choices. So, since most of you probably know more about this than I do, would you say that I should NOT get one of these? or can someone identify the maker, and tell me if it's worth going for.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roosebeck-14-x-3-5-Mulberry-Fixed-Cross-Irish-Bodhran-Drum-Tipper-/170640576380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27baf88f7c
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-14-TUNABLE-IRISH-BODHRAN-DRUM-MULBERRY-T-BAR-FRAME-BTN4MT-/400243615704?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d3060e7d8
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-16-ROSEWOOD-TUNABLE-HEAD-IRISH-BODHRAN-WOOD-FRAME-DRUM-w-T-BAR-/140613615070?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bd397dde
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by an fidleir
Re: buying a bodhran
I have played bodhran for almost 30 years. A bodhran is goatskin over a wooden frame. You don't need it to be tuneable and you don't need one from a particular maker. They wear out in time, so I suggest you find one in a music store or buy one online for what you can afford. There are better and worse drums, of course, but don't select a bodhran like you woud a flute or fiddle. It ain't rocket science and I have seldom seen what I would call a bad drum in recent years. 20 years ago, it was a little different.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by Ailin
"I played one ... and fell in love with it"
BODHRAN
I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
I am not afraid.
AN FIDLEIR:
[Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
BODHRAN:
Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and
love keep little company together now-a-days; the
more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
AN FIDLEIR:
Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
What, wilt thou hear some music,
my sweet love?
BODHRAN
I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let's have
the tongs and the bones.
AN FIDLEIR:
Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by ...
Re: buying a bodhran
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by gam
Re: buying a bodhran
Rise, rise, sweet Bodhran Song, as my gorge riseth with thy singular note -
Play, play, Sweet Fricative of the Angels tongue, let thy all-conquering thunder give Rhythm and Tempo their quietus...
Yeh.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Piece
Re: I played one ... and fell in love with it
that's not what I meant llig, but I do have to say, that was.......... interesting.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by an fidleir
Re: buying a bodhran
If you're lucky, (or more to the point, the guys at your session are lucky) Oberon will supply you with the antidote before morning.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by ...
Re: buying a bodhran
Ignore the (n)ever hilarious Llig. His contribution is no answer to your question. For some people, there's no place for bodhrans, whether well made or not, or well played or not. He's one of those people.
60 bucks will get you a piece of crap, upon which you may learn to use the stick but you'll learn nothing of the skin. If you really are a fiddler, then stick to the fiddle. There can never be too many tune players but there definitely can be too many bodhran players.
And it's not "tuneable" at that price - it's "with a tension adjuster".
m.d.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by emmdee
Re: buying a bodhran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euUSfb8LfMw
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by gam
Re: buying a bodhran
so, gam is saying that if it ends up a bad one, I can just fix it?
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by an fidleir
Re: buying a bodhran
Gam, that was an amazing video thank you. Just goes to show how a bit of extra care can turn a crap drum into something worth playing.
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by greenman
Re: buying a bodhran
For the record (admittedly, a stuck record ... as no one around here ever really listens to what anyone is ever really saying) I have never ever ever said ever that there is no place for bodhrans.
And, of course, it's also worth pondering why session bodhran players are such overwhelming boring people.
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by ...
Re: buying a bodhran
Yes, good link gam. I now have a post-it note with Scotch Super88 written on it ...
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by David50
Re: buying a bodhran
Here's the latest product from Apple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDYvv2op74&feature=related
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by Theirlandais
Re: buying a bodhran
Crikey ... I bet seeing that video was what saw off Steve Jobs
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by ...
Re: buying a bodhran
...and if you really can't tell your Erse from your Elgar, here's the instructions for how to hit something with a stick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y540acW6NQM
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by gam
Re: buying a bodhran
drummers are people that hang out with musicians. Remember the difference between a bodhran and a trampoline, people take their shoes OFF to jump on a trampoline.
# Posted on November 14th 2011 by tom higgins
Re: buying a bodhran
"60 bucks will get you a piece of crap, upon which you may learn to use the stick but you'll learn nothing of the skin."
That's one view, and guys who make a living selling you ridiculously overpriced bodhrans love to hear people taking their brainwashing. The other view says, if you can't play on a $60 bodhran, you can't play the bodhran.
But it depends what you want to do. If you want to play the bodhran, get a $60 drum and play the bodhran. If you want to show of your fancy tool, get a $600 bodhran.
(I love that video - guy takes a perfectly decent drum, eliminates the built-in tuning mechanism, and then goes to a lot of fussing about to repair what he broke to begin with. Moron.)
(don't post about bodhrans, I might see them before I've had my coffee, and now we'll have to have a bloody argument about the stupid drums... what a waste of time... the drums and the argument, both)
# Posted on November 14th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: buying a bodhran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRK_SMrvaNY
# Posted on November 14th 2011 by John Galt