I've noticed that session musicians slag off bodhran players in particular, and I'm wondering why is that? Are there specific reasons for that or is it just one of those habits that people got into but nobody knows how it got started?
Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat. An unfortunate by-product of this worthwhile endeavour is that melody players keep getting caught out of time. They resent this and bleat about bodhran players to cover up.
We forgive them.
"Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat"
That's fine as long as they do their job properly and don't just bang away at random!!!
Now, if all bodhran players just kept the beat(and didn't play too loudly), melody players wouldn't bother about them too much. Of course, they might not find their contribution that relevant or inspiring either!
The big problem occurs when the bodhran player hasn't got a clue about "the beat" or which type of rhythm is appropriate. Even worse, they might try to be clever and ultimately play in a completely inappropriate fashion. Fancy arrangements and technique are all very well but it should be firstly arranged or, at least, agreed with the other players.
Yes, there are several melody players who suffer from poor timing. Even the good ones can sometimes benefit from a steady accompaniment but are unlikely to complain if it is provided.
I'm certain someone like Vanessa wouldn't waste her time creating a windup.
Perhaps she is appalled by the insensitive, rude and brutal treatment of drummers on this board by so-called melody players that, up until now, she thought had an elevated nature because of their understanding and treatment of the music that she enjoys. She didn't realize that many of these envious, wannabe rhythm players can be as ruthless as a marauding school of guppies that senses the helplessness of an algae fragment and mercilessly tears it to bits.
Just to let you know that although my question looks rather silly to a musician, it is not a wind up. I'm only a beginners flute player, and to me the world of sessions, musicians' codes and etiquette are very new to me. I'm not playing in sessions, far from it, but I sit at a table quite some distance away from all you capable musicians and just enjoy listening. About six months ago I discovered this site and have been visiting it regularly to find sheet music and to read and learn from your comments - that is when I began to notice that musicians seem to slag off bodhran players quite a bit but I had no idea why and I was just curious - so I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone with this question.
``Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat``,an unfortunate by-product of this worthwhile endeavour is that they also perceive themselves as musicians!!!
Only joking ,of course!!
My 2 pennyth Vanessa - I personally see the ITM as being all about the melody and the accompaniment should be just that(accompaniment). It seems that some drummers do in fact feel the need to do more than accompany the tune and maybe thats when it upsets people(gutarists can sometimes do the same). Ok read my biothingy and you find I play banjo - another instrument often villified but my objective is allways to JOIN IN and not dominate.Most instruments receive bad press from time to time but maybe percussion get it in the neck because the music is all about the Melody. Get it?
All of you, especially the drummers who lurk here, should listen to Colm Murphy's CD "An Bodhran" wherein many very accomplished and famous musicians accompany Colm; not the other way round. I'm sure you'll come away with an understanding of what the drum is capable of contributing, and I'm also sure that if aspiring drummers would emulate Mr. Murphy the way many melody players emulate THEIR favorite instrumentalists, ITM would benefit immensely.
1) A bodhran LOOKS easy to play
2) Bodhrans can be LOUD
3) Bodhrans are NOT easy to play.
Combine the above and you end up with a lot of inexperienced musicians who play loudly and poorly. Bodhrans tend to attract enthusiastic beginners who lack sensitivity to others. One such person can completely wreck a set of tunes without meaning to or even recognizing it.
Played well, I have absolutely no problem with a bodhran, even a stylistically insip-, er, adventurous one.
Beg to differ ole trouty. The Colm Murphy album is quite dull in terms of Bodrhan playing. If you play the bod then forget that album - he is clearly backing the melody instruments.
Punters love bodhrans, so the OTHER musicians are jealous. It's as simple as that.
And where did this nonsense about quiet bodhrans come from? Some eejit in a pub the other week suggested I should get a slack drum because they are very quiet. I went and bought a quiet set of pipes instead.
It is all a matter of common sense. For "O'Neill's March" the drum should be the dominant instrument for a lot of it, for others you just keep the beat.
In Bristol we have a lady bodhranist from Northern Ireland who not only keeps a superb beat but is capable of starting off a recognisable tune. An asset to any session imho.
Well done Mr.Bliss - you have come up with ONE tune where the drum might dominate with a positive effect. What should they do for the other 30,000 tunes?
My opinion differs slightly with Wormdiet, although in general I think he makes some good points.
Relatively speaking bodhrans are very easy to play in my opinion. Repeat VERY easy. So easy that anyone without the discipline to learn any instrument can learn JUST enough to flaffle away. Thats where the problem is. I'm not saying that it doesn't take time, dedication and practice to be an all-Ireland caliber of player. I'm simply saying that some people buy bodhrans practice for one hour, which is just about how long it takes to get a basic stroke going and then they show up up at a session to join the fun at everyone elses expense.
Put another way if the same person were to pick up even a whistle, let alone a flute or fiddle, it would take several weeks perahps even months to learn a dozen tunes If all those tunes were played at a session the beginning whistler would have a minemal impact due to the limited number of tunes he/she can play. On the other hand a bodran beginner can play along with every EVERY tune and that's usually the case. Add a little alcohol and it just gets worse. Most of us who have been attending sessions for any lenght of time have had to endure the relentless pounding which can really ruin the session.
I consider myself an average bodran player, mainly because I get the occasional prop for playing "tastefully", but I've spent 1 bizzillionth less time learning the bodran than I have learing the relatively simple whistle. It's very hard to give respect the wanna-be who can't even take the time to play a bodhran half-way decently.
Chef, we're saying the same thing. By "not easy to play" - I meant "not easy to play at a standard which would fly in a decent session" or similar. The main point is, not as easy as people think it is.
I toyed with the idea of getting some type of backing instrument, be it bodhran, bouzouki, or harp, but I might as well thoroughly learn how to screw up on a flute before endangering sessions in other ways.
I hear a story about a summer school where some of the beginners in the fiddle class were having bowing problems due to stiff right wrists and hands. The fiddle tutor sent them down the corridor for an hour's lesson with the bodhran tutor, and a miracle cure was effected.
Fair play to you. You bring up an interesting point about playing the drum as a second instrument. To be a decent drummer you need to be a very active listener, which of course we know is essential to any kind of melody playing, most of the better drummers I know are also melody players of one kind or another.
With any percussion or rhythm instrument, the timing has to be very precise or the whole mix sounds sloppy. Percussion helps the other players to identify the groove and settle into it, but it shouldn’t define the groove metronomically. It’s really a cooperative mind-meld thing. This requires a skill that rarely gets enough attention: intensive listening. You have to merge your mind and body with the music, find where the punctuation marks go and hit them precisely. When the other players feel that pulse that hits the rhythmic sweet spot, they will connect with it and together you take the music to the next level. Once you’re in that groove, the subtleties of lilt, ornamentation, etc. take on more meaning and actually become easier to perform.
Once you’ve experienced this, weak drumming feels like a wet blanket thrown over the session. If a fiddle or flute is not quite hitting the groove, it’s not as noticeable as when the percussion is slightly off. That’s why weak drumming stands out so much. So, as the chef says, it all hinges on that skill of intensive listening.
Amen brother! Finding and flowing with that groove is practically an out of body experience. Getting there and knowing your there and realizing you are really there for the first is something that cannot be explained or understood until you get there and then it all becomes clear.
Amen, again, Chef! When it happens, it's like, "Wow! It can really be this good!" I rarely play percussion, but when I do, I really get into it because it's a cheap high. I'll expose myself to ridicule here and report that one of my most satisfying musical compliments was, "Killer triangle playing, Bob!" I played triangle with some Cajun-crazy friends at a party and we got so high on the groove that, when the tune was over, it was like coming in for a landing.
I'm with Bob and Chef on this one. But it's more of a collective thing, isn't it? When we all get into that groove we all play better. A hopeless bodhrán player can really get in the way of finding that groove, though. Maybe why the jokes express a fond hatred of the instrument and its attached humans.
Oh I am a year old kid
I'm worth scarcely fifteen quid.
I'm the kind of beast you might well look down on
But my value will increase
At the time of my decease
For when I grow up I want to be a bodhrán.
If you kill me for my meat
You won't find me very sweet.
Your palate I'm afraid I'll soon turn sour on.
Ah but if you do me in
For the sake of my thick skin
You'll find I make a tasty little bodhrán.
Now my parents Bill and Nan,
They do not approve my plan
To become a yoke for every yob to pound on
Ah but I would sooner scamper
With a bang than with a whimper
And achieve reincarnation as a bodhrán.
I look forward to the day
When I leave off eating hay
And become a drum to entertain a crowd on
And I'll make my presence felt
With each well-delivered belt
As a fully qualified and licensed bodhrán.
And 'tis when I'm killed and cured
My career will be assured
I'll be a skin you'll see no scum nor scour on
But with studs around my rim
I'll be sound in wind and limb
And I'll make a dandy, handy little bodhrán.
Oh my heart with joy expands
When I dream of far-off lands
And consider all the streets that I will sound on
And I pity my poor ma
Who has never seen a Fleadh
Or indulged in foreign travel as a bodhrán.
For a hornpipe or a reel
A dead donkey has no feel
Or a horse or cow or sheep that has its shroud on
And you can't join in a jig
If you're a former grade A pig
But you can wallop out the lot if you're a bodhrán.
So if e'er you're feeling low
To a session you should go
And bring me there to exercise an hour on.
You can strike a mighty thump
On my belly, back or rump
But I thank you if you'd wait till I'm a bodhrán.
When I dedicate my hide,
I'll enhance the family pride
And tradition is a thing I won't fall down on
For I'll bear a few young bucks
Who'll inherit my good looks
And be proud to know their old one is a bodhrán.
And I don't think I'll much mind
When I've left himself behind
For the critter can no longer turn the power on
For with a celtic ink design
Tattooed on my behind
I can be a very sexy little bodhrán
Now I think you've had enough
Of this rubbishy old guff
So I'll put a sudden end to my wee amhrán
And quite soon my bloody bleat
Will become a steady beat
When I start my new existence as a bodhrán.
There is a tune for the Bodhran Song, and I have heard it on the local college station celtic show, so I know a recording is available somewhere. A friend of mine sings it frequently--he4 learned it in Ireland. I wish I knew ABC so I could post it for you, it is a catchy little thing.
Slagging off bodhran players
Slagging off bodhran players
Hi Everyone
Here goes another one of my silly questions:
I've noticed that session musicians slag off bodhran players in particular, and I'm wondering why is that? Are there specific reasons for that or is it just one of those habits that people got into but nobody knows how it got started?
Thanks,
Vanessa
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by vanessa
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat. An unfortunate by-product of this worthwhile endeavour is that melody players keep getting caught out of time. They resent this and bleat about bodhran players to cover up.
We forgive them.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by mcknowall
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
heh heh
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by joesmith
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
"Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat"
That's fine as long as they do their job properly and don't just bang away at random!!!
Now, if all bodhran players just kept the beat(and didn't play too loudly), melody players wouldn't bother about them too much. Of course, they might not find their contribution that relevant or inspiring either!
The big problem occurs when the bodhran player hasn't got a clue about "the beat" or which type of rhythm is appropriate. Even worse, they might try to be clever and ultimately play in a completely inappropriate fashion. Fancy arrangements and technique are all very well but it should be firstly arranged or, at least, agreed with the other players.
Yes, there are several melody players who suffer from poor timing. Even the good ones can sometimes benefit from a steady accompaniment but are unlikely to complain if it is provided.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Johannes J
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
I'm not sure if this is all a wind up or not. If it is, I've fallen into the trap.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Johannes J
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
I'm certain someone like Vanessa wouldn't waste her time creating a windup.
Perhaps she is appalled by the insensitive, rude and brutal treatment of drummers on this board by so-called melody players that, up until now, she thought had an elevated nature because of their understanding and treatment of the music that she enjoys. She didn't realize that many of these envious, wannabe rhythm players can be as ruthless as a marauding school of guppies that senses the helplessness of an algae fragment and mercilessly tears it to bits.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by joesmith
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Watch this: http://www.carlowtrad.com/Audio/slideshow.rm
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by slainte
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Hi Everyone
,
Just to let you know that although my question looks rather silly to a musician, it is not a wind up. I'm only a beginners flute player, and to me the world of sessions, musicians' codes and etiquette are very new to me. I'm not playing in sessions, far from it, but I sit at a table quite some distance away from all you capable musicians and just enjoy listening. About six months ago I discovered this site and have been visiting it regularly to find sheet music and to read and learn from your comments - that is when I began to notice that musicians seem to slag off bodhran players quite a bit but I had no idea why and I was just curious - so I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone with this question.
Vanessa
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by vanessa
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Slainte
I'm sure my bout with traumatic deafness from your contribution will subside.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by joesmith
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
But I'm not sure about the deafness itself.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by joesmith
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
``Percussionists see their job as keeping the beat``,an unfortunate by-product of this worthwhile endeavour is that they also perceive themselves as musicians!!!
Only joking ,of course!!
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by cos
Re: Slagging off beginners' flute players
Whose instrument does a "beginners flute player" play?
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by geoffwright
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
My 2 pennyth Vanessa - I personally see the ITM as being all about the melody and the accompaniment should be just that(accompaniment). It seems that some drummers do in fact feel the need to do more than accompany the tune and maybe thats when it upsets people(gutarists can sometimes do the same). Ok read my biothingy and you find I play banjo - another instrument often villified but my objective is allways to JOIN IN and not dominate.Most instruments receive bad press from time to time but maybe percussion get it in the neck because the music is all about the Melody. Get it?
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
All of you, especially the drummers who lurk here, should listen to Colm Murphy's CD "An Bodhran" wherein many very accomplished and famous musicians accompany Colm; not the other way round. I'm sure you'll come away with an understanding of what the drum is capable of contributing, and I'm also sure that if aspiring drummers would emulate Mr. Murphy the way many melody players emulate THEIR favorite instrumentalists, ITM would benefit immensely.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by jtrout
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
My theory:
1) A bodhran LOOKS easy to play
2) Bodhrans can be LOUD
3) Bodhrans are NOT easy to play.
Combine the above and you end up with a lot of inexperienced musicians who play loudly and poorly. Bodhrans tend to attract enthusiastic beginners who lack sensitivity to others. One such person can completely wreck a set of tunes without meaning to or even recognizing it.
Played well, I have absolutely no problem with a bodhran, even a stylistically insip-, er, adventurous one.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by wormdiet
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Beg to differ ole trouty. The Colm Murphy album is quite dull in terms of Bodrhan playing. If you play the bod then forget that album - he is clearly backing the melody instruments.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Punters love bodhrans, so the OTHER musicians are jealous. It's as simple as that.
And where did this nonsense about quiet bodhrans come from? Some eejit in a pub the other week suggested I should get a slack drum because they are very quiet. I went and bought a quiet set of pipes instead.
It is all a matter of common sense. For "O'Neill's March" the drum should be the dominant instrument for a lot of it, for others you just keep the beat.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by bodhran bliss
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
In Bristol we have a lady bodhranist from Northern Ireland who not only keeps a superb beat but is capable of starting off a recognisable tune. An asset to any session imho.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by lazyhound
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Well done Mr.Bliss - you have come up with ONE tune where the drum might dominate with a positive effect. What should they do for the other 30,000 tunes?
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Sorry - my mistake. In Bristol they start the tunes!
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
My opinion differs slightly with Wormdiet, although in general I think he makes some good points.
Relatively speaking bodhrans are very easy to play in my opinion. Repeat VERY easy. So easy that anyone without the discipline to learn any instrument can learn JUST enough to flaffle away. Thats where the problem is. I'm not saying that it doesn't take time, dedication and practice to be an all-Ireland caliber of player. I'm simply saying that some people buy bodhrans practice for one hour, which is just about how long it takes to get a basic stroke going and then they show up up at a session to join the fun at everyone elses expense.
Put another way if the same person were to pick up even a whistle, let alone a flute or fiddle, it would take several weeks perahps even months to learn a dozen tunes If all those tunes were played at a session the beginning whistler would have a minemal impact due to the limited number of tunes he/she can play. On the other hand a bodran beginner can play along with every EVERY tune and that's usually the case. Add a little alcohol and it just gets worse. Most of us who have been attending sessions for any lenght of time have had to endure the relentless pounding which can really ruin the session.
I consider myself an average bodran player, mainly because I get the occasional prop for playing "tastefully", but I've spent 1 bizzillionth less time learning the bodran than I have learing the relatively simple whistle. It's very hard to give respect the wanna-be who can't even take the time to play a bodhran half-way decently.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Chef Paul
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Chef, we're saying the same thing. By "not easy to play" - I meant "not easy to play at a standard which would fly in a decent session" or similar. The main point is, not as easy as people think it is.
I toyed with the idea of getting some type of backing instrument, be it bodhran, bouzouki, or harp, but I might as well thoroughly learn how to screw up on a flute before endangering sessions in other ways.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by wormdiet
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
I hear a story about a summer school where some of the beginners in the fiddle class were having bowing problems due to stiff right wrists and hands. The fiddle tutor sent them down the corridor for an hour's lesson with the bodhran tutor, and a miracle cure was effected.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by lazyhound
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Wormsey,
Fair play to you. You bring up an interesting point about playing the drum as a second instrument. To be a decent drummer you need to be a very active listener, which of course we know is essential to any kind of melody playing, most of the better drummers I know are also melody players of one kind or another.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Chef Paul
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
People are insensitive, intolerant, and abusive scum, especially when they think they're being clever.
I'm looking at you, Dow.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Zazzaliss
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
O poor Zzzzzzisssss.Bodrhan, box and guitar. Try again - you may just get it right. After all there cant be that many naff instruments left to play.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
To quote Chef paul I flaffle on the whistle, mandolin and banjo because it is easy to do so.
I play thebodhran and blues harp.
As for Newty, who only knows 30,000 tunes, I remember when I was a beginner as well. Keep at it.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by bodhran bliss
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Not biting hey Blissy?
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Newty
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
With any percussion or rhythm instrument, the timing has to be very precise or the whole mix sounds sloppy. Percussion helps the other players to identify the groove and settle into it, but it shouldn’t define the groove metronomically. It’s really a cooperative mind-meld thing. This requires a skill that rarely gets enough attention: intensive listening. You have to merge your mind and body with the music, find where the punctuation marks go and hit them precisely. When the other players feel that pulse that hits the rhythmic sweet spot, they will connect with it and together you take the music to the next level. Once you’re in that groove, the subtleties of lilt, ornamentation, etc. take on more meaning and actually become easier to perform.
Once you’ve experienced this, weak drumming feels like a wet blanket thrown over the session. If a fiddle or flute is not quite hitting the groove, it’s not as noticeable as when the percussion is slightly off. That’s why weak drumming stands out so much. So, as the chef says, it all hinges on that skill of intensive listening.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Bob himself
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/9423
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by llig leahcim
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Hi Bob
Amen brother! Finding and flowing with that groove is practically an out of body experience. Getting there and knowing your there and realizing you are really there for the first is something that cannot be explained or understood until you get there and then it all becomes clear.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Chef Paul
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Amen, again, Chef! When it happens, it's like, "Wow! It can really be this good!" I rarely play percussion, but when I do, I really get into it because it's a cheap high. I'll expose myself to ridicule here and report that one of my most satisfying musical compliments was, "Killer triangle playing, Bob!" I played triangle with some Cajun-crazy friends at a party and we got so high on the groove that, when the tune was over, it was like coming in for a landing.
# Posted on April 8th 2006 by Bob himself
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
The best musician I ever played with was a bodhran player - Wally Dalton from Cork. Does anyone know where he is?
# Posted on April 9th 2006 by jeandegingins
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Bodhran players are essential for checking whether the stage is level--the slaver comes out of both sides of their mouth. (Only jokin lads). Delboy.
# Posted on April 9th 2006 by duffgen
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
If you think that bodhran players get slagged off, try bringing a snare drum to a session..if looks could kill!!!
# Posted on April 10th 2006 by Aloysius
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Interesting thread you've got going here, Vanessa!
I'm with Bob and Chef on this one. But it's more of a collective thing, isn't it? When we all get into that groove we all play better. A hopeless bodhrán player can really get in the way of finding that groove, though. Maybe why the jokes express a fond hatred of the instrument and its attached humans.
\())
# Posted on April 10th 2006 by greenman
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
The Bodhran Song
Brian O'Rourke
Oh I am a year old kid
I'm worth scarcely fifteen quid.
I'm the kind of beast you might well look down on
But my value will increase
At the time of my decease
For when I grow up I want to be a bodhrán.
If you kill me for my meat
You won't find me very sweet.
Your palate I'm afraid I'll soon turn sour on.
Ah but if you do me in
For the sake of my thick skin
You'll find I make a tasty little bodhrán.
Now my parents Bill and Nan,
They do not approve my plan
To become a yoke for every yob to pound on
Ah but I would sooner scamper
With a bang than with a whimper
And achieve reincarnation as a bodhrán.
I look forward to the day
When I leave off eating hay
And become a drum to entertain a crowd on
And I'll make my presence felt
With each well-delivered belt
As a fully qualified and licensed bodhrán.
And 'tis when I'm killed and cured
My career will be assured
I'll be a skin you'll see no scum nor scour on
But with studs around my rim
I'll be sound in wind and limb
And I'll make a dandy, handy little bodhrán.
Oh my heart with joy expands
When I dream of far-off lands
And consider all the streets that I will sound on
And I pity my poor ma
Who has never seen a Fleadh
Or indulged in foreign travel as a bodhrán.
For a hornpipe or a reel
A dead donkey has no feel
Or a horse or cow or sheep that has its shroud on
And you can't join in a jig
If you're a former grade A pig
But you can wallop out the lot if you're a bodhrán.
So if e'er you're feeling low
To a session you should go
And bring me there to exercise an hour on.
You can strike a mighty thump
On my belly, back or rump
But I thank you if you'd wait till I'm a bodhrán.
When I dedicate my hide,
I'll enhance the family pride
And tradition is a thing I won't fall down on
For I'll bear a few young bucks
Who'll inherit my good looks
And be proud to know their old one is a bodhrán.
And I don't think I'll much mind
When I've left himself behind
For the critter can no longer turn the power on
For with a celtic ink design
Tattooed on my behind
I can be a very sexy little bodhrán
Now I think you've had enough
Of this rubbishy old guff
So I'll put a sudden end to my wee amhrán
And quite soon my bloody bleat
Will become a steady beat
When I start my new existence as a bodhrán.
# Posted on April 10th 2006 by dafydd
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Is there a tune to that ditty? I could see a use for that at my local session.
# Posted on April 11th 2006 by flossie
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
Not as far as I know.Perhaps you could shoehorn the words into an existing tune just like Rabbie Burns used to.The Folk Process in action!
# Posted on April 12th 2006 by dafydd
Re: Slagging off bodhran players
There is a tune for the Bodhran Song, and I have heard it on the local college station celtic show, so I know a recording is available somewhere. A friend of mine sings it frequently--he4 learned it in Ireland. I wish I knew ABC so I could post it for you, it is a catchy little thing.
# Posted on April 17th 2006 by AlBrown