Playing The Bodhran

Just about everybody who sees and hears a bodhrán being played wants to have a go. That's when the tears can start to flow, since a good player can make it look very easy. The problem that most people encounter is that they are trying to 'force' the beat. When I'm playing, I sense that the bodhrán is actually doing a fair part of the work. My right hand is often channeling or harnessing the energy that the skin gives back to the cipin. It's this reactive control that gives the subtlety and variation to the beat.