* How to hold the bodhrán 

sitting with the bodhran
  • First, if you are female or Scottish, change into a pair of trousers.  You can't play the bodhrán in a skirt.

  • Then you'll want a short stool, bench, or a straight-backed chair with no arms.

  • Put both feet flat on the floor, spread apart about 12 - 13 inches.

  • Insert your left hand between the cross-pieces in the back of the bodhrán and the back side of the drum hide, and place the palm on the hide, fingers slightly spread.

 

sitting, holding the bodhran facing the other way
  • Rest the drum on the top of your left thigh and tilt it to the right and slightly forward.

  • Bend forward from the waist a little and wedge the drum into your left side so that part of your torso acts as a dampening agent.

 


Send questions and comments on holding the bodhrán to brenda@bsutton.com.